I get asked often is cleaning with bleach good or bad?? You might be wondering why cleaning with bleach would be bad when you have used it your entire life!

I rarely use bleach for numerous reasons, but many of our readers have turned to Chemistry Cachet for answers about bleach. Today, we are talking about cleaning with bleach plus if there is ever a time you need it!

As always, these is an article based on science, but also personal experience.

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Is Cleaning With Bleach Good or Bad? The Scientific Truth!

First, let’s talk about what exactly bleach is!

Bleach is catch all name for the chemical sodium hypochlorite. Bleach you buy in the store is typically diluted sodium hypochlorite. There are other types of bleaching agents (like oxygen bleach), but when someone says bleach, they are usually talking about chlorine bleach which is the sodium hypochlorite.

So, for this post our bleach is chlorine bleach!

Sodium hypochlorite is a bleaching agent, but also a disinfectant. Historically, it has been used since the 18th century.

Chlorine bleach is made by mixing chlorine and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which is highly basic. How Products are Made has a great article going into the detail on how chlorine bleach is actually made. This article also goes into safety details on mixing ingredients together .

Obviously, the nature of mixing chlorine with caustic soda creates a very strong solution.

What Chlorine Bleach is Used For:

The reason Chlorine bleach is used so much is due to the versatility commercially and in the home!

It whitens anything. You can pour some bleach into fabric and it will get a stain completely out. It bleaches anything white!

The disinfecting aspect is another reason bleach is used. Chlorine bleach will kill all types of bacteria and virus strands. 

Chlorine bleach is also popular for the prevention of fungus and bacteria. Due to the chemical structure of chlorine bleach, it is widely used for all types of fungal and bacterial outbreaks in hospitals and public places.

Crime scene clean up must use chlorine bleach to remove traces of bodily fluids.

Cleaning With Bleach Side Effects

You might be wondering, is cleaning with bleach bad? Well, here is the thing. Bleach is very strong and basic making it is a very dangerous chemical to be around. Especially for people with breathing issues, health problems, children, pets, and more.

Here are some things to look at when it comes to cleaning with bleach.

• You never want to combine bleach with other things. According to the CDC, when mixed with other substances, chlorine bleach can release chlorine gas.
• Bleach is corrosive to skin and lungs.
• Bleach fumes are very potent, so people with allergies or asthma can get sick even with a small amount used.

Bleach fumes can linger in homes with bad ventilation for a long time. Those who are sensitive to the fumes can suffer from the exposure for days after use.

Is bleach ever necessary then?

According to the CDC, sodium hypochlorite is the only thing that can kill certain bacteria. If you have an incredible outbreak of something, bleach many be the only thing to kill it. In fact, after a natural disaster, they recommend using bleach to disinfect everything possible.

This means, for certain sanitizing needs, bleach might be the best thing. For everyday cleaning, bleach is NOT necessary. There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting.

Is an outbreak like this something you will encounter in the home?

Well, probably not, but you can do your research if you have an illness hit your home to see what the CDC recommends.

I don’t use bleach due to the toxicity for babies, pets, and family members who have breathing issues. Both my mom and mother in law have asthma. My mom can’t even be around bleach without having issues. It is one of the reasons I started creating my own cleaners. In fact, I started using this two ingredient mold remover using tea tree oil because my mom can’t be around chlorine bleach.

Cleaning with Bleach Safety

If you do find that you need to use bleach for some serious disinfecting, here are some safety tips to follow. Remember, don’t use bleach just for cleaning basic things. Make sure it is something the CDC recommends for proper treatment. Too many people use bleach for everything, and they are causing damage to their health. Keep this in mind before using it!

When bleach is needed, make sure your home or area is well ventilated. Open windows or fans are needed to ensure the fumes don’t stay.

Also, be sure to protect your skin! Hands, arms, eyes, and face can be in danger around bleach, so cover everything before starting.

Around Pets??

Using bleach isn’t just a danger around humans, but also pets. My bulldog, Ruger, has a huge sensitivity to most cleaning product fumes. His skin is also very sensitive! Be sure to use the same precautions around your dogs and cats that you do for yourself. Make sure to keep the area ventilated, or put your pet outside if you need to.

Top Job Bleach VS Regular Clorox Bleach

I am including this for my family, but it is also a question that gets asked often. My Grammy uses Top Job Bleach and has for years. My family was wondering, is there even a difference??

To answer this question, I headed to the Safety Data Sheets for each one. This is what I found out.

Regular Clorox Bleach: 5-10% Sodium Hypochlorite, Category 1 Hazard
Top Job Bleach: 1-5% Sodium Hypochlorite, Category 2 Hazard

What does this mean? It means Top Job Bleach isn’t as strong, so it is a category 2 (less hazardous). Regular Clorox is more concentrated. You will pay less for generic brands simply because they aren’t as concentrated.

Are there bleach alternatives?

Well, yes and no. There are things you can use in place of bleach to get the same effect. It won’t be 100% the same for disinfecting, but can get the same impact for cleaning and whitening. This is known as oxygenated bleach which uses sodium percarbonate. Sodium percarbonate breaks down to hydrogen peroxide in these types of bleaches. A popular brand for this is Oxiclean. 

For whitening and oxidizing, hydrogen peroxide is your best bet. It is one of the ingredients in this stain remover ,and the one from the ebook because it brightens so well.

For disinfecting, you can use alcohol around your home to disinfect. Like I mentioned before, I use tea tree oil for mold.

Although there are not direct alternatives, you use one of the ideas above to eliminate the need for bleach.

Conclusion:

There is so much information in this post, so let’s revisit the question. Is cleaning with bleach good or bad? For most situations, it is best to avoid bleach. In commercial places or dealing with some type of outbreak, you might need to use it! Just keep in mind all these tips we have, so you can be prepared.

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