Bleach kills germs and mildew, whitens fabric and is a great all-around, frugal cleaner, right?
Have you ever felt ill after inhaling too much bleach? Do you feel that tickle in your throat when you clean with it? Imagine if you could get your countertops just as clean and “disinfected” (who infected your counters with something, anyway?) with a natural product that wouldn’t make your nose burn.
Bleach is as much of a toxin as it is a cleaner. Here are some of the hazards:
- Respiratory issues
- Skin burns
- Damage to nervous system
- Exacerbates Asthma
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Accidents that cause the skin to come into direct contact with bleach or people ingesting it (as many as 700 adults per year)
- Linked to cancer
Many sources say that chlorine by itself is not hazardous and will break down before it reaches the environment, which may be true (but it sounds a little too good to be true). The real hazard of bleach is that it can’t be mixed with ammonia, vinegar or other acids, and even organic matter (and what would you normally clean up with bleach? Organic matter, of course.). Each of these compounds causes a reaction with bleach that emits toxic, potentially carcinogenic fumes.
The Story that Woke me up to Bleach
I read a story a few years ago about a boy doing his homework in his room. He was concentrating and writing a delightful essay about such-and-such and so-and-so (can you tell I can’t find the exact source for this story?), when rather suddenly he began to feel less focused and his handwriting actually changed and became sloppy, as did his line of thinking. The only thing that changed in his environment was that his mother was using bleach in the laundry room below, connected to his room by the ventilation system. Inhaling bleach fumes actually decreased his concentration, motor control, and cognition. As a teacher, I was shocked by the handwriting sample and even more shocked to think about how much bleach was used in my old school building.
Did you know that housewives have some of the highest rates of air-pollution-caused disease? The indoor air quality in many homes is some of the most hazardous around, in part (in most part?) because of fumes from cleaning products.
Is Bleach Even Effective?
First of all, bleach has to dry on the surface you’re trying to disinfect in order to kill all the bacteria. That may make you think twice about adding a glug of bleach to your dishwater. Besides that, some dishsoaps have ammonia in them – major death-wish no-no!
Secondly, bleach becomes ineffective when it touches organic matter, which means that any food or gunk on whatever you’re trying to disinfect must be completely cleaned off first, before spraying a bleach solution on.
Bleach is overkill. It’s not necessary in your kitchen. Please accept the Monday Mission this week to eradicate bleach from your kitchen, and see my post Tuesday for the easy, frugal, natural cleaners I employ in my kitchen.
Is bleach also bad to use for your whites in the laundry machine?
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Katie Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Gwen,
Katie
Always, always. You can’t avoid the fumes. Try oxygen bleach. It works great and is hydrogen peroxide based.
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First of all, I just found your site and I am already hooked! Here is my problem: I am slowly but surely eliminating bleach from my household. My question is about disinfecting when TRULY needed (to prevent spread of gastro illnesses within the household, to clean our little travel potty seat that I’m certain is picking up some nastiness, etc). What do you suggest in those situations? Thanks so much!
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Katie Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Laura,
Katie
I use a combo of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar and feel pretty confident about that, especially for everyday potty germs. See my homemade natural cleaners post for exactly how to do it and a link to another post with more research about the method. There’s a comment at the second post that has me convinced I might want to keep bleach around for very seldom usage, but I’m looking into that more. Hope that helps!
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I hate the thought of all the bleach we use. But I’m still trying to find a good alternative. I’m looking forward to the day when I know that water will actually clean my food and dishes instead of just potentially making them worse. Right now, though, I live in the Dominican Republic. Our water is untreated and not drinkable. The produce we buy we always soak in water with a few drops of food grade bleach. We buy our produce at local vegetable markets, and cleanliness is not a focus at most places. I’ve seen people take raw meat, weigh in on the scale, and then weigh our veggies on that same, dirty scale. And cockroaches? Well, they’re just a part of life here. I can’t buy a produce wash here (besides bleach) and hydrogen peroxide is very expensive (and we have a small budget! And any water I use to clean my food or dishes starts as dirty water (full of great things like parasites and amoebas). So, the question I forever have is: how do I soak my veggies when I can’t even start with clean water?!
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Katie Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:35 am
Oh man, Teresa…In your place, I might do exactly what you’re doing! Your situation is definitely a question of “what is WORSE for me?” Be well!
Katie
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Katharine Reply:
January 5th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
Yes, I have a solution for you: boil your water! It is a very effective way to get rid of parasites. Just make sure it really boils for several minutes. That eliminates bleach. I am European, and I have never used bleach. My mother never used a drop of bleach in her life. I also do not use antibacterial this and that or disinfectants in my house.
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Thanks! I’m learning I need to do what I can and leave the rest up to God- without getting too anxious! We’re moving back to the States this summer (it’s been an amazing 6 years here, but we feel God calling us back). I’m hoping to take advantage of “starting over” (since we’re leaving most of our things behind) and go even more natural and organic. The question is how to afford it when we’ll be pretty much starting from scratch. But, like you say, baby steps!
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The nursery at our church uses a bleach water spray to spray down all the toys before putting them away. That’s their only source of disinfecting. The kids aren’t touching it–it’s drying before they’re in the nursery next week. Do you think there is any harm being done there?
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Katie Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Kim,
Katie
I doubt your kids are at risk; chlorine evaporates very effectively. If you know the folks in charge, though, you could recommend other sources, like hydrogen peroxide water or vinegar water, that aer just as inexpensive. Good question!
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I have lived without ammonia bleach for a number of years now, but am feeling the loss of its cleaning power. I use Norwex products, but feel like I have to use so much ‘elbow grease’ to get things clean. For instance, keeping my stainless steel sink free of the brown grime that builds up just after a week, is really difficult without the extra power of grease in your typical Comet cleanser. Also, how do I clean the spots on my counter from black tea stains? Do I just need to get over wanting things sparkling white?
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Katie Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 1:26 am
Liza,
Katie
For both of those issues, have you tried baking powder? It’s an awesome scrub cleanser. Vinegar can cut some gunk, too. Hope that helps!
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Katharine Reply:
January 6th, 2012 at 7:59 am
I would try a natural scrub (Method or Bon Ami). Good for the environment and good for you.
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Bleach makes me feel ill for hours, but I can’t seem to figure out any other way of dealing with mold and mildew in our bathroom. There is no fan, and therefore no air circulation. Since we rent, we cannot fix the situation. Is there anything besides bleach that kills mold?
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Kim Reply:
December 6th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Yes! Thieves essential oil diffused in a room will kill even black mold and has been found to be even more effective than the typical mold remediation offered by professionals. You can only buy it from Young Living–it is a blend of oils that is very effective against all bacteria and viruses as well, so a great one to have at home. As soon as I start feeling sick, I put some on the bottom of my feet, diffuse it in my home, or even take it in a capsule (diluted with oil).
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