OT-Chlorine bleach

[crisi]

My husband and I are REALLY hot about something that happened yesterday. We live in a condo complex, 4 units upstairs, 4 units downstairs. We have an 8 month old and we don't like to expose her to any chemicals of any sort...bleach especially. Well, our downstairs neighbor took it upon himself to wash down his sidewalk with chlorine bleach. No warning posted, and no time for us to take the baby to gramma's house. We still have a slight smell of bleach in the house.

The downstairs guy got PO'd at my hubby for making a stink about the situation. We're probably going to wind up talking to the complex manager about it. My question is, would YOU talk to the manager or would you let it go?

I'd probably move out of embarrassment for making a stink out of something so stupid. At the very least I'd wear dark glasses and avoid my neighbors - and realize that the entire condo association now refers to me as "the witch in 2A"

 

[mamacatnv]

I'd probably move out of embarrassment for making a stink out of something so stupid. At the very least I'd wear dark glasses and avoid my neighbors - and realize that the entire condo association now refers to me as "the witch in 2A"

 

[princessmom29]

Actually its quite common for kids to react to benedryl by getting hyperactive instead of sedated.

That is not what she was talking about. It is an antihistimine the sedating effect is a side effect, and yes some people experience the opposite side effect. She was saying that he actually had an allergic reaction to benadryl. That ias the way I understood what she was explianing anyway. That is not possible as it is an antihistimine.

 

[crisi]

I'm actually sort of serious - at least about the moving. Some people are not meant for shared housing like townhouses and condos - they need to control their space more than that allows. If the OP wants to control the chemicals her baby is exposed to, she really needs to get out of a shared housing situation. Bleach is a common enough household cleaning chemical, I can't imagine a condo association would forbid bleach. What happens when the neighbor decides to take up model making with model glue coming through her vents? Decides to recarpet with chemical laden carpeting? Paints? Takes up glass etching? Starts burning those god awful stinky Yankee Candles? (oh, that's me - scented candles give me migraines). Plants a nice patio container of azaleas and sweet william (poisonous)?

If you need to control your environment to the extent the OP does, you shouldn't be sharing it with other people. You will be miserable. Or you need to make sure whatever covenant the association runs under is filled with like minded people.

 

[Kit'smommy]

That coukdn't have been any fun! My sister had it in cough syrup once, and believe me once was enough. i don't think I would have wanted to add the pain from a broken arm to the mix! BTW she has the same sort of reaction to decongestants like sudafed. Anybody else see this from kids who react badly to codine? Just curious about the possibility of a correlation.

I have issues with most things that make most people go to sleep - such as benadryl and codine. Nyqil keeps me wide awake and anxious. When I was in the hospital having ds, they gave me staydol (sp?) which I was told was similar to demerol. I ended up spending the night having hallucinations from the drug they gave me to help me relax. I thought insects were crawling all over me. Not much puts me to sleep other than alcohol. Give me a rum and coke and I'm down for the count.

 

[Kit'smommy]

That is not what she was talking about. It is an antihistimine the sedating effect is a side effect, and yes some people experience the opposite side effect. She was saying that he actually had an allergic reaction to benadryl. That ias the way I understood what she was explianing anyway. That is not possible as it is an antihistimine.

I didn't think she was saying the child had an allergic reaction to it but that he was hyperactive because of it. And I agree that this is a side effect for many people, children and adults.

I do however find it funny that she said she got that angry with the dentist over it. I notice a trend of blowing things out of proportion....

 

[cheshireqt]

I am so glad to hear I am not alone! NyQuil wires me, Demerol makes me crazy and Benedryl and Sudafed make me loopy. If it puts others to sleep, I will be up for hours!

 

[princessmom29]

I didn't think she was saying the child had an allergic reaction to it but that he was hyperactive because of it. And I agree that this is a side effect for many people, children and adults.

I do however find it funny that she said she got that angry with the dentist over it. I notice a trend of blowing things out of proportion....

You are right about the blowing things out of proportion. I may have read it wrong. it's hard to see through all that indignation sometimes

 

[mamacatnv]

I'm actually sort of serious - at least about the moving. Some people are not meant for shared housing like townhouses and condos - they need to control their space more than that allows. If the OP wants to control the chemicals her baby is exposed to, she really needs to get out of a shared housing situation. Bleach is a common enough household cleaning chemical, I can't imagine a condo association would forbid bleach. What happens when the neighbor decides to take up model making with model glue coming through her vents? Decides to recarpet with chemical laden carpeting? Paints? Takes up glass etching? Starts burning those god awful stinky Yankee Candles? (oh, that's me - scented candles give me migraines). Plants a nice patio container of azaleas and sweet william (poisonous)?

If you need to control your environment to the extent the OP does, you shouldn't be sharing it with other people. You will be miserable. Or you need to make sure whatever covenant the association runs under is filled with like minded people.

I know you were and you hit the nail on the head with the comment about the witch in 2A - it's just like when certain people show up on these posts and start blubbering such jubberish or paranoia that the majority of the board rolls their eyes. I totally got what you were saying and it was very accurate which is why I thought it was also funny. The OP by her own irrational actions has labeled herself and her DH.

If I were the OP I would plead postpartum crazys and apologize, otherwise condo life could become miserable. The neighbor might decide to start washing his sidewalk and everything else in the near vicinity with bleach, daily.

 

[Carriemel]

OP here. Finally got back here after working crazy hours. The only reason I got upset was that the neighbor didn't let us know what he'd be doing so we could close the windows. We didn't want the scent of the bleach in the house. There was no dog poop on the sidewalk. There was nothing outside that would have required him to bleach water the sidewalk. I'm *not* the witch in 2A. We've had problems with this neighbor before, of HIS causing, so I think things just kind of came to a head that particular afternoon.

After reading about all the postings on bleach and bleach water, I guess it's not such a bad thing. I just would have preferred being warned prior to the bleach being used outside...which I think nice neighbors would have done.

 

[sunnyday123]

OP here. Finally got back here after working crazy hours. The only reason I got upset was that the neighbor didn't let us know what he'd be doing so we could close the windows. We didn't want the scent of the bleach in the house. There was no dog poop on the sidewalk. There was nothing outside that would have required him to bleach water the sidewalk. I'm *not* the witch in 2A. We've had problems with this neighbor before, of HIS causing, so I think things just kind of came to a head that particular afternoon.

After reading about all the postings on bleach and bleach water, I guess it's not such a bad thing. I just would have preferred being warned prior to the bleach being used outside...which I think nice neighbors would have done.

Wow....after all this hoopla, a voice of reason.

Betcha didn't think a simple question like "what you you do?" would get so out of whack, huh?

 

[roscoepc1]

What do people who are opposed to using bleach (or who can't use bleach due to respiratory issues) do when their kids have a stomach virus? How do you clean those bathrooms and sheets properly without a bleach solution? At least that's how my Mom raised me...stomach illness means break out the bleach. Never ever mixed with ammonia though! That's where the real hazard comes in. Maybe that's what the OP was thinking of?

Good hot water and a decent detergent do just as much as bleach ever did, without the dangers.

 

[Alesia]

Good hot water and a decent detergent do just as much as bleach ever did, without the dangers.

That is absolutely not true.

 

[bear_mom]

Good hot water and a decent detergent do just as much as bleach ever did, without the dangers.

I work in a hospital and when we have a patient who may have had the stomach virus, especially this year with the Norwalk outbreak, the housekeepers have to clean that room with bleach and not the regular cleaners they use. The regular cleaners are not effective against Norwalk, only bleach will kill the virus.

Emily

 

[bluesaturn]

Science instruction in America must be seriously lacking. We've apparently replaced it with Paranoia 101.

 

[princessmom29]

Good hot water and a decent detergent do just as much as bleach ever did, without the dangers.

NO IT WILL NOT!!!!!! Detergent is NOT antibacterial or antiviral not matter how hot the water or how hard you scrub. You are not doing anything to actually kill the germs!

 

[npmommie]

That is not what she was talking about. It is an antihistimine the sedating effect is a side effect, and yes some people experience the opposite side effect. She was saying that he actually had an allergic reaction to benadryl. That ias the way I understood what she was explianing anyway. That is not possible as it is an antihistimine.

I know about side effects to meds
she said her kid went beserk, had the opposite reaction, I took that to mean hyper.
and as far as being allergic to benadryl, I have seen patients react with a rash from benadryl. some puffy eyes, the list goes on.
It is not uncommon to see such a med listed on the allergy list.

 

[nessz79]

OP here. Finally got back here after working crazy hours. The only reason I got upset was that the neighbor didn't let us know what he'd be doing so we could close the windows. We didn't want the scent of the bleach in the house. There was no dog poop on the sidewalk. There was nothing outside that would have required him to bleach water the sidewalk. I'm *not* the witch in 2A. We've had problems with this neighbor before, of HIS causing, so I think things just kind of came to a head that particular afternoon.

After reading about all the postings on bleach and bleach water, I guess it's not such a bad thing. I just would have preferred being warned prior to the bleach being used outside...which I think nice neighbors would have done.

Wow, this thread got a bit out of hand, didn't it?

Sounds like the actual problem is a personality conflict between you and the neighbor. If you complain about him, I would make sure it's for something that is against your community's rules, etc. I don't know, but this may not have been a violation.

 

[roscoepc1]

That is absolutely not true.

It is true if you've allowed yourself to have a working and efficient immune system. Otherwise, since I don't use bleach for anything, I must be dead and not know it.

 

[roscoepc1]

NO IT WILL NOT!!!!!! Detergent is NOT antibacterial or antiviral not matter how hot the water or how hard you scrub. You are not doing anything to actually kill the germs!

See above answer....and not everything in life needs to be sanitized...it's through exposure to small amounts of viral agents that we have an immune system.