# Spilled Bleach

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** accord, honda\
**Created:** [November 10, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169 "2013-11-10T05:26:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sophie72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Sophie72](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Sophie72)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/1 "2013-11-10T05:26:26Z")

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I just spilled almost a gallon of bleach in my 2004 Honda Accord. It is confined to the passenger side floor. We rinsed it with water and vacuumed it with our shop vac. Any further advice would be appreciated.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/2 "2013-11-10T05:30:14Z")

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Watch the carpet to see if turns white.

If it does, damage done and the front carpet requires replacement.

Tester

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**Author:** ![Sophie72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Sophie72](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Sophie72)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/3 "2013-11-10T05:31:17Z")

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Thank you - will it damage the car? We’re in NH and it’s pretty cold.

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/4 "2013-11-10T05:39:22Z")

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Bleach is fairly caustic. Plus it is smelly. You’d be better off – healthwise and metal wise – to remove the carpet and remove the bleach residue from the floor pan. That would give you an opportunity to hose off the carpet in the driveway, which could save the structural integrity of the carpet if done right away. If the bleach has made the carpet color look too weird for your sensibilities, you might be able to dye it back to closer to the original color, rather than replacing the carpet. Worth a shot anyway. Best of luck.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/5 "2013-11-10T05:40:05Z")

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It won’t damage the car. Just the colorant in the carpeting.

Tester

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spilled-bleach/82169/6 "2013-11-10T05:49:29Z")

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Rinse, rinse, rinse. Dilute it with water and shop vac it out several times. No real way to neutralize it, just need to remove it.