Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Quote of the Day: Don't Try This At Home, Kids edition

The Silicon Valley Redneck wins the All Quiet On The Western Front Memorial Snark Award, as well as Quote of the Day:
Here is one [disinfectant] specially recommended by the Board of Irresponsible People:
Hey, kids!  Know what's really good at killing the WuFlu virus on surfaces?  A mixture of bleach and ammonia, that's what!
Probably works, too.  There's just the slight side effect of the user and bystanders coming down with N2H4 pneumonia.  (Yes, that's a thing, though technically it's pulmonary edema.  Seriously, this is a Bad Idea.  But you know someone will push it sooner or later, sans disclaimer.)
That's funny, right there.  I guess I have to add this:

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS!  Mixing bleach and ammonia will create chlorine gas, which will kill you graveyard dead.  Seriously, the only way you could do a more realistic simulation of the Western Front would be to dig a trench next to the street and string barbed wire.

Still funny snark, though.

10 comments:

LL said...

I tried it at home when I was a kid....

Borepatch said...

LL, I hope that doesn't explain things ...

;-)

1LLoyd said...

As a floor care worker, I can remember twice that stripper, which has ammonia, hit a puddle of bleach. Laid one man out for six hours until he could be let out of the locked store. Nasty mix. The worst I did was sniff the industrial strength ammonia. My wife says that explains my lack of brain functioning. *wink*

Eric Wilner said...

The big worry is that ammonia reacts with hypochlorite to produce chloramine, which reacts in turn with more ammonia to produce hydrazine. Regarding which, a rocket scientist whose name escapes me once remarked that the best thing you can say about it is that it isn't radioactive.
Mixing bleach with hydrochloric acid (swimming-pool type), on the other hand, should get you a nice cloud of chlorine.
(I finally got around to reading Ignition! last year - a lively recounting of propellants even more dangerous than hydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide. Wheee!)

Unknown said...

"...the only way you could do a more realistic simulation of the Western Front would be to dig a trench next to the street and string barbed wire."

This sounds like an awesome way to use the time I'm not spending commuting, or going out to bars, restaurants, or movies. You can even get barbed wire with Prime shipping from Amazon.

Thanks, Borepatch!


==Dwight

Aaron said...

Yes, its a surefire way to clear all traces of the virus from the lungs, and everything else for that matter.

Differ said...

Funny and interesting book, Ignition.

HMS Defiant said...

Loved Ignition. Calibre lets you find it and read it.
I wonder if chlorine will kill all the bats living under my roof. I must try it and see........

Murphy(AZ) said...

It will be out on the Web as the Disinfectant Challenge by the weekend, and the Dummies will be giddily videoing their attempt at fame, and probably their demise.

Goober said...

Ammonia in urine is not immune to this reaction, which is why one should never pour bleach into and RV black holding tank