Why not bleach?
 

OK, I have NOT googled this, just curious. What's the aversion to bleach? Obviously it's not safe to expose small children to it, but isn't it great for household cleaning? Heavy duty germ-killing, etc/

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I'm sure you'll get a more in-depth response from someone else, but I don't use bleach because there are other options that work equally well and are non-toxic.
I've had some scary experiences with bleach. If I can get things just as clean and disinfected without the worry of having something dangerous around the house, then I will definitely go that route :)

Re: Why not bleach?
 

All right, here's the chemist in me coming out :O :rolleyes Bleach contains chlorine which is a fairly caustic element when it's in liquid or gas form. It's fumes can irritate the lungs and respiratory tract. It's corrosive so can damage/irritate the skin, eyes & other membranes. Also, when used in washing machines, the chlorine can be released into the air, basically as an air pollutant. And if mixed w/ammonia becomes a dangerous gas (this is very very very BAD).

Here's an interesting website that talks about the dangers of common household cleaning products including bleach: http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp

Re: Why not bleach?
 

A very good question!!!

Bleach is in quite a few things -- most dishwasher detergents, for example. The heat and steam from the dishwasher release bleach fumes into the air!

Bleach is very hard on all living things. Over-exposure has been linked to birth defects, infertility, cancer. http://www.mercola.com/2001/jun/23/chlorine.htm

As for disinfecting, unless you're performing surgery in your bathroom ;), you don't need to disinfect it, just clean it. It's a common misconception that you'll be healthier if you disinfect your home. In reality, you could be making yourself more susceptible to illness. The harsh chemicals needed to disinfect are hard on your immune system and kill the helpful bacteria that your body needs to stay healthy.

Twenty years ago, doctors prescribed antibiotics (drugs that kill bacteria) like crazy--you had a sniffle or a sore throat, you could call your doctor and get an Rx for for antibiotics. Now, they're realizing the damage that was done by using them indiscriminantly. Today, we prescribe antibiotics for ourselves--by using "sanitizing" hand gels, antibiotic hand soaps, antibiotic air "fresheners," and disinfectant house cleaners. http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/17/a...rial_soap.htm I have absolutely no doubt that in time, it will come to light how much damage is being done by santizing our hands and our homes. God made the microbiotic world to work in harmony with our bodies. True, there are bacteria and viruses that can do terrible damage to us, but by keeping ourselves healthy, our immune system is sufficient to ward them off the vast majority of the time. There have been several studies recently that showed that homes where everyone used antibacterial soap had the same amount of colds and flu as homes that just used regular soap. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...dopt=Abstract In fact, when my DD was born, our family doctor told us to absolutely not use antibacterial soap. She needed the exposure to everyday "germs" to get her immune system going. We were already a "regular" soap household, anyway, and I should add that she didn't get sick, despite all the family and friends that held her as a newborn.

So, in our house, we don't use bleach. We buy bleach-free dishwasher detergent and we wash our hands with regular soap.

I hope that helps answer your question!

Blushing here . . .
 

I use bleach almost exclusively instead of a collection of other things. It is just so effective on Florida mold and mildew in the bathrooms, that my life is infinitely easier becasue of it! Sorry. Seems like in my attempt to be frugal and de-clutter I'm erring in a different respect.

Reading a post above . . .
 

I noticed the MALELEUCA tub/tile cleaner. I will ahve to look into it, but to tell the truth I really prefer having one bottle of bleach to a LOT of bottles of job-specific products. Let's see what happens.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Tea trea oil works great on mold and mildew also.... I had a hard time giving up my "easy " cleaners too, but I found that so many natural products worked just as well and I didnt have the worries ;)

Re: Why not bleach?
 

oh, and as far as being frugal, I spend WAY less than I ever did on bleach and all the other products that are out there ;)

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Would anyone care to pass on some links to more "natural" products ... that might replace bleach? :grin

Thanks!

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Well from a few things I've read, borax will remove mold and vinegar takes care of mildew. Might need a more powerful vinegar than the regular kitchen kind - like pickling vinegar (can be found in most grocery stores). Grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil (found in melaleuca products, but also can be easily mixed yourself) are also recommended replacements to bleach (just add a few drops of either to 16 oz of water in a spray bottle).

Here are a few links:
http://healthyfamiliesnow.org/Articl....html#nonToxic
http://allnaturalbeauty.us/ani12.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...88/clngrn.html

*note: did not read all the contents of these webpages, just looked at the beach alternative info

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I think bleach should be illegal! :hissyfit

We use white vinegar to kill mildew (we get a lot of it around here). It works extremely well and leaves no scent once it is completely dry. :tu

For those who are squeamish about bacteria, an excellent hard surface cleaner is a combo of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Use a spray bottle for each. Spray on one and then the other on top, let sit for a few seconds. This is more effective than lysol spray and is not harmful. It has been recommended as a vegetable wash -- I use it whenever I buy non organic produce. The only tricky part is that the peroxide needs to stay in the opaque bottle. I found that the sprayer from my old bottle of orange cleaner fit perfectly on the peroxide bottle. The white vinegar I buy at Costco and pour into a purchased spray bottle.

Cheap and safe! That's what I like. :mrgreen

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I use a diluted bleach solution in the bathroom shower area only we get mold easily and vinager wasn't doing the trick so I went to bleach.. :shrug Were pretty much a baking soda and vinager family else where.

Deanna

Re: Why not bleach?
 

why is this? :shrug

Re: Why not bleach?
 

because light can accelerate the chemical reactions that form peroxides causing explosions... not good ;) :eek
Deanna

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Bleach is not allowed in my house. I have asthma, and bleach always causes breathing problems for me. Even being around chlorinated pools causes my asthma to flare.

Bleach is also a huge culprit in my children's diaper problems. They were not allergic to disposable diapers, but to the bleach in the diapers. They were perfectly fine with unbleached diapers from Wild Oats, but those are so expensive. The did well with cloth diapers. Once, though, I decided to bleach DS's diapers after a nasty bout of diarrhea, and he ended up raw. I washed them several times to remove the bleach and he was fine again.

We use Method brand cleaners for everything. Wood for the wooden floors, and I love the lavendar smell. It really smells like lavendar! LOL. I buy it at Target, and find the stuff lasts forever. I am not sure what is in the dishwashing tabs, but the cucumber/lemon smell is sooo...summery.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Is there a natural alternative for Tilex? I use all-natural cleaners everywhere, but I simply can't get the hard-core mildew - the kind that turns the caulk around the tub black - off with anything else. ??? And I know it's the bleach in the Tilex that does it. :(

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Have you tried Oxy0clean? I thought I saw that you could use it on things other than laundry.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Why can't you combine them?

To prevent mold/mildew in the shower, I spray after every shower with Arm&Hammer's Clean Shower. I don't want to know if that's not ok! :shifty I scrubbed the tile shower when we moved in a year ago, and I haven't cleaned it since! No sign of mold or mildew. Well, the caulk did get a little black mold under it and dh replaced it.

I love Seventh Generation's natural cleaners in the kitchen and the bathroom. They're pricey, but they last a long time, so I splurge.

The only thing I use bleach on is when I launder my fabric shower curtain, which gets a little orange mold at the bottom where it stays wet. Can anyone tell me another way to get that out? Just laundry det. doesn't work.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

What about the dishwasher? I'm thinking about trying handwashing again. I hate that when I wash dishes that you can just see and smell all the bleach fumes going into my air. I usually open the door or wash dishes at night when we are sleeping. I have tried all the natural products and they just don't cut it with our water.

I've been really tempted to get some bleach lately. Just so I can bleach all our whites. What about whites? I hate that ours are so yucky. Evan wears white undershirts and they are really yucky.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Someone here had recommended borax (2T) and baking pwdr (1T) in the dishwasher and it works, but when I realized borax was in my ant poison, I stopped using it. :shrug

I found a brand of detergent that has no bleach - WalMart's store brand. Maybe other store brands don't have it either.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I think the borax in ant poison is different from the washing kind...? I remember reading that in a post somewhere. Anyone know? :shrug
I use a combo of borax, baking soda, washing soda, and a pinch of commercial dishwashing det. in my dishwasher - I got the recipe in the natural cleaners thread. I wish I knew how to post links to threads!! sorry.It does a good job with vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I think another one of the probs with bleach is that one of the byproducts of cholorine bleaching is dioxin, which is a known cancer-causing agent. If I use disposable feminine hygiene stuff I use peroxide-whitened.

For the dishwasher I alternate the 7th Generation stuff and conventional, as the 7G stuff doesn't do as good of a job, unfortunately, so i alternate them. I use non-chlorine bleach from 7G for my whites and it works just fine. I've used Country Save non-chl. bleach, too, with good results. I used the Tilex mildew stuff when we moved in :O but the "root killer" stuff works really well, so I haven't had to redo it. I keep it up with the Method shower spray.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I have never seen Method products. It sounds like a good line for bleach alternatives - do they have a website?

I understand the Tilex thing - it's just the only thing that works on the black mildew around here (that I've tried - there may be something else out there. I am hoping...). I don't like to use bleach also because we have a septic tank. It's not good for that at all.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

My dh uses borax for curing his fish eggs. I think it works as a preservative. I'll ask him later on.

Could it be the dishwasher and not the detergent that's the problem? We use Trader Joe's powder or 7th gen. and they both work great! Our dishwasher is only 5 years old and i did notice when we got it (a free replacement on the Sears warranty :tu ) that the dishes were definitely cleaner with the new washer. And maybe we're lucky with water here too. But you know, even if the dishes didn't get super clean I wouldn't use the regular detergent because it leaves a film on the dishes that I can feel and taste. I notice it when I'm at other people's homes. Blech!

About the vinegar and peroxide -- Because of how they interact they have to be stored separately. Also, there's a post earlier in the thread that says that the peroxide will explode if exposed to light for an extended period of time. :eek
'

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Borax is the laundry stuff... BORIC ACID is the poison... it's used in eye washes and as an antiseptic.

Borax: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax

Boric Acid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_Acid

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I use bleach in my bathroom and kitchen cleaning. it is cheap, easy, can be used at several different strengths for several things. the problem with the melalueca stuff is it is expensive, it has to be shipped to you, you can't just run out and buy it when going low.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I'm under the impression that melaleuca is just cleaning products with Tea Tree Oil added. In many cities you can find plain tea tree oil in the natural foods section of large grocery stores, drug stores, etc. It can be mixed with dish soap and hot water (about a dozen drops per quart of water) and used to clean that way, very cheaply. When I was adding tt oil to my diaper loads a 2 oz bottle lasted me several months. :tu

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I've tried and tried but nothing kills the mildew in my bathroom except bleach. :shrug For every day cleaning I use vinegar, baking soda or dr. bronner's, but once a month or so I have to bleach down the tub.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Same here on mildew. :hissyfit

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Bleach is bad because it's too harsh for a family setting. It is also extremely bad for asthmatics, my DH and nephew do not do well at all around it that's why it's never been in our home. I don't see the need to use a product that makes my chest burn to use or I wouldn't want touching my skin.

I can clean almost anything with watered down lemon cleaner and some elbow grease.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Thanks for the info. I'm not keen on my bleach/water mix because I don't like the smell. I guess if vinegar is as good, I'll just use that. I already use vinegar/water mix for the kitchen, so why not both.

I have an unopened bottle of bleach. I recently heard on the news that after a year it's no longer good and I've had it longer than that. How do I properly dispose of it? (I want to call the lcoal Solid Waste Authority, but I've not gotten that far yet.)

Leah, Method, I think is Target's line of natural cleaners.

I'm slowly moving towards natural/organic stuff as I run out of the regular stuff. I've been using the Trader Joe's dish soap, but the suds don't seem to last as long as the Pamolive. However, seeing that Palmolive isn't very natual and it comes from a company that uses practices that I find repulsive, I will no longer buy it.

I think I'll look into the suggestions here. One of the natural foods stores I shop at has natural cleaning products as well. The next time I go, I'll look.

Laura

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Super Walmart carries Method here.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Thank you!
Such as what?? or do I want to know? and who is the company?

Re: Why not bleach?
 

We make our own dishsoap mix brommers soap with vinager and some lemon EO

Deanna

Re: Why not bleach?
 

i've had success using oxyclean on mildew and for whitening clothes. and oxyclean now comes in a liquid version which is a bit more expensive but i totally prefer it to the powder.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I have liquid oxyclean. I will try it on my shower mildew. That's a great idea! :tu

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I LOVE methods cleaning supplies and I just ran and checked the dishwashing detergent and there is no bleach in it!!

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Thanks - if I can pull ds away from the sink, we;re going to go to Target tonight! :mrgreen

Re: Why not bleach?
 

I think I saw it at Wegman's supermarket, too.

Re: Why not bleach?
 

Leah, to the best of my knowlege (mostly from a PETA list) Proctor and Gamble tests on animals. That is not something I want to support. Also, I just like the all-natural-ness of the dish soap, as I don't need to eat off of whatever chemicals could be sticking to the plates and glasses, etc. after I washed and rinsed them.

I do still use color-safe bleach for my clothes. I pull it out for the tough stuff, usually. In the past, I have had some on my hands (if it drips, I wipe it on some clothes in the washer) and it has caused my hands to itch, as though my skin is reacting to the chemicals. Ew.

Laura