{"id":57383,"date":"2016-12-15T06:31:09","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T14:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=57383"},"modified":"2016-12-15T00:50:57","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T08:50:57","slug":"cleaning-with-bleach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/cleaning-with-bleach\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About Cleaning with Bleach"},"content":{"rendered":"
When it comes to cleaning, few products are as effective as bleach. But, for some, it can be slightly intimidating to use. Why? Well, if you\u2019ve ever bleached the color out of your favorite clothes or, say, a small section of carpet (*cough* thanks unnamed guest) then you know what I\u2019m talking about. Bleach is a potent product and there can be some anxiety if you don\u2019t quite know how best to use it. I had the opportunity to chat with Clorox\u2019s cleaning and laundry expert, Mary Gagliardi aka Dr. Laundry. She helped dispel some common myths about cleaning with bleach and addressed my\u00a0concerns as well.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Laundry, the active ingredient in Clorox Bleach<\/a> is sodium hypochlorite. It works as an oxidizer to clean, sanitize, and disinfect a variety of surfaces. Since you should always dilute bleach before use, it is also economical. Just a little bleach can go a long way to keeping your home and your clothes clean. Can bleach be used on everything? Almost, but no. Here\u2019s a simple guide to which materials you can and cannot clean with bleach.<\/p>\n DO use on:<\/p>\n DON\u2019T use on:<\/p>\n Once you know what surfaces you can use Clorox Bleach on, the next step is finding out how best to use it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not all cleaning products are made equal. Just because a product removes dirt and grime,\u00a0doesn\u2019t mean it disinfects the surface from germs too. To make that claim, the product must have a registration number issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This requires the manufacturing company to conduct tests and submit results including concentration, time, types of bacteria or fungi, age of the product, use instructions, etc.<\/p>\n Clorox<\/a> is proud that its Clorox\u00ae Regular-Bleach is EPA registered and is recognized as killing 99.9% of bacteria. That\u2019s pretty stinkin\u2019 impressive. Some try to tout vinegar as an equal alternative but it can only kill about 80% of germs at full strength. If diluted in a homemade solution, its effectiveness drops another 5-6% less. That is so not okay! But why not 100%? I really wanted to know about that 0.1%! Apparently, it\u2019s practically impossible to wipe out everything in a home setting (as opposed to a sterile hospital setting). So, 99.9% is basically as good as you can get within public health standards. Okay, that totally makes sense.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I mentioned before that, when cleaning with bleach, it should always be diluted. Depending on your goal, though, ratios and cleaning methods do change.<\/p>\n Around the House (i.e. kitchen, bathroom, high-touch surfaces):<\/p>\n Delicate Jobs (i.e. food surfaces, baby items, cutting boards):<\/p>\n Now you know the ideal ways to clean AND sanitize \/ disinfect your home. Plus, with cold and flu season here, we need all the help we can get to reduce germs from spreading about. Let\u2019s face it \u2014 while families love to share things with one another, no one wants to be the next in line for getting sick!<\/p>\n Okay, here\u2019s the issue that might make you nervous when cleaning with bleach. Dr. Laundry, obviously, had a lot of great tips for safely using bleach when washing clothes. For an average size load, add 1\/2 cup of bleach in the bleach dispenser. You can increase that to 3\/4 to 1 cup for a full load in a top loading large capacity washer. Front loading machines sometimes use less water so adjust the bleach ratio accordingly. Instead of washing a super full, opt to divide that into two loads for a better clean.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many washable clothes are actually color safe, even if the manufacturers slap a \u201cno bleach\u201d tag on it. Sometimes, it\u2019s\u00a0an easy way to cut corners and not have to go through the process of testing and labeling each product or color line. But, just in case, you\u2019ll want to test your clothes or bath towels for colorfastness. I\u2019ve always wondered what that meant exactly. Dr. Laundry broke it down simply.<\/p>\n Bleachability Test:<\/p>\n If you do happen to find yourself face to face with any color boo-boos, Dr. Laundry suggests the use of permanent markers. What a coincidence! (See my quick fashion fix post<\/a> from last month.) Black is the easiest to fix but many art stores offer a wide range of colors. If you happen to find a pen that matches just right, you’d probably want to buy it for later use. Ink lightens when washed so it’s good to have the pen on hand for touch-ups.<\/p>\n As you can see, cleaning with bleach isn\u2019t scary at all. If you know what to use it on and how much to dilute the\u00a0solution, Clorox Bleach is an effective product for cleaning and disinfecting. You’re home won’t just look<\/em> clean but it will actually be<\/em> clean! Your laundry will also benefit from the stain-fighting and sanitizing effects of bleach. With kids, we know how odors and stains find their way into everything they touch! If you have any other questions about using Clorox Bleach<\/a>, feel free to email Dr. Laundry at dr.laundry@clorox.com with your questions or concerns.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This post is being compensated by The Clorox Company as a part of the Clorox Influencer program and as part of my participation of being a Clorox CLXChampion.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to cleaning, few products are as effective as bleach. But, for some, it can be slightly intimidating to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":57402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[248,31],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Cleaning with Bleach 101 \u2014 Cleaning & Disinfecting<\/h3>\n
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Cleaning with Bleach 101 \u2014 Washing Clothes<\/h3>\n
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Cleaning with Bleach 101 \u2014 \u00a0Clean & Sanitize<\/h3>\n
Do you use bleach regularly around the house and in the laundry?<\/h3>\n