[Carly]

1c. of Vinegar and 1c. of bleach in bowls in each room works great to get rid of smoke odors.  But I read that vinegar and bleach can make a hazardous gas like chlorine.  This would dissipate from a home in a week if aired, right? 

I've got a real resistant smoke odor in the a/c.  The a/c pro said use propylene glycol in a/c register.
Propylene glycol is considered non toxic.  Hospitals use it to rid odors. 
A/C pro's are good, but they are not chemists.  In my research, one sight I read said you should not mix propylene glycol with oxidating materials, which of course bleach is.  They were talking about mixing the actual chemicals together. 

One sight said the gases created could be a problem.  Are gases only created if you mix the acutal chemicals?  But to have bleach/vinegar remnants in the air and putting a container of propylene glycol in the a/c register, would even that create gases?  I would think if you are not mixing the bleach vinegar solution directly with the propylene gel, there would be no problem if just the gases mixed in the air would there?  I want to use it immediately and I don't want to open the windows and let the bugs in. 

Also Lysol is often recommended by a/c professionals to spray in the a/c register.  I read it can put of toxic decomposition materials at high temperature.  Does temperature get very high in the air handler when the heat is on? How is that on human health?  Would the Lysol evaporate out of the air handler parts in a week or so ? 

 

[Arkcon]

It is bad to mix many household chemicals with household bleach.  You will get chlorine gas, and other noxious gasses.  Period.

If bleach and other chemicals are in open vessels in a room, then they will diffuse into the room, and mix.  But the amounts are likely slight.  The vapors may decompose on the way to meet each other, or leave the building, or mix but decompose before they reach people.  Or you may end up with a serious problem if you use huge bowls on a hot day.

Simple trick -- use just one deodorizer at a time.  You're not going to "win" against odor by going the multiple chemical route.  Its likely adsorbed onto surfaces and fabrics, and possibly re-entering from other areas via cracks, or even partly psychosomatic.