Have you ever felt ill after inhaling too much bleach? Do you feel that tickle in your throat when you clean with it? Do you wonder if it’s actually safe to clean with bleach, or wish there was a natural alternative?
Bleach kills germs and mildew, whitens fabric and is a great all-around, frugal cleaner, right?
But imagine if you could get your countertops just as clean and disinfected with a natural product that wouldn’t make your nose burn.
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to eradicate bleach from your kitchen.
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 the Hazards of 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 dish soaps 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 learn about the easy, frugal, natural cleaners I employ in my kitchen.
How to Replace Bleach in Your Cleaning Routine
Here are some of the most common places you’ll find bleach in the kitchen:
- To disinfect the counters/dishes after cutting raw meat
- In dishwasher detergent
- In dish soap
- Some add bleach to their dishwater
So now you need to know what to do instead of bleach, right?
- To wash dishes: You simply don’t need bleach. Just use dish soap. If you feel the need to disinfect your dishes, either use the sanitizing cycle on your dishwasher or pour boiling water on them.
- Dishwasher detergents: This is a sticking point for me. There are good natural commercial detergents out there that don’t use bleach. Because the dishwasher sends out steam that would otherwise be laden with bleach fumes (and heating it makes it easier for your body to absorb, unfortunately), dishwasher detergents are a really important area to “go green”.
- Don’t buy products “with added bleach”. Yuck! Just wash stuff.
- To sanitize after cutting raw meat, especially chicken? Use two totally harmless products, one after the other. Keep reading and I’ll tell you more.
Natural Alternatives to Bleach
Did you know that the EPA tested some natural disinfectants and found one that is just as effective as bleach? Read all about the natural disinfectant that the EPA rates as highly as bleach!
Research even shows that vinegar and hydrogen peroxide sprayed separately is “more effective at killing …Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner.”
any, many places, but here’s the trick: the two solutions MUST be in separate containers and sprayed one after the other. I always try to let stuff like this dry on the surface, because I believe that’s where most of the sanitizing action happens. It takes time to wage war on bacteria. When you’re talking stuff like fish and raw chicken, it’s worth the wait.
When Is It Worth Using Bleach?
There are some instances where bleach has a place. Feces all over your laundry room (where you stock food), for one. Putting a dark green tablecloth in with white socks and underwear, and nothing else works to get the socks back white, for two. At least, that’s when I’ve used bleach in the past year at my house! (The feces in the laundry room would have been a fabulous blog post if I had been blogging at the time. Seriously. Yuck.)
For many jobs, it’s just overkill. For others, there are simply other, less toxic ways to achieve the same end. For a curious child, bleach could spell the end. Wouldn’t you rather have food in the kitchen and be a little less prone to memorizing the poison control number? (By the way, I memorized it anyway.)
Why take a risk with your health and that of the environment if you don’t have to?
I challenge you to commit today to wean yourself from any bleach you might have in your kitchen. Move it up and out of the way, especially if you have little ones. They’re too precious to risk getting hurt by something that’s not even necessary. I’m happy to have one bottle of bleach in my house, on a high shelf in the laundry room. I will never let it be under my kitchen sink or stored in my bathroom again. Will you join me?
Need More Baby Steps?
Here at Kitchen Stewardship, we’ve always been all about the baby steps. But if you’re just starting your real food and natural living journey, sifting through all that we’ve shared here over the years can be totally overwhelming.
That’s why we took the best 10 rookie “Monday Missions” that used to post once a week and got them all spruced up to send to your inbox – once a week on Mondays, so you can learn to be a kitchen steward one baby step at a time, in a doable sequence.
Sign up to get weekly challenges and teaching on key topics like meal planning, homemade foods that save the budget (and don’t take too much time), what to cut out of your pantry, and more.
I also want to know about swimming pool water.
if chlorine bothers you in other settings, there is a possibility that pool chlorine will cause you to have mild to strong reactions to it. Pool chlorine of course goes through the skin and you can also inhale it. If you are at a complex or public pool, someone else is deciding on the amount of the chlorine. People who cannot tolerate pool chlorine have another option which is more costly EPSOM SALT POOLS.
Years later……lol
What about the swimming pool water?
Just made me think all the chemicals hubby puts in every summer!!
Oh my gosh thanks for this my mom uses bleach in the dish water you may have just save all of us thank you again
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Wow, really like your site. I was just checking it for information about bleach, as I knew it was carcinogenic but couldn’t remember why. Thanks for this 🙂
BTW, I use white vinegar for cleaning my house and my rabbits cage. It’s safe and the smell evaporates in just a couple of minutes, yet it disinfects fabulously.
I know this is an ancient post but I was wondering about using bleach to clean livestock dairy equipment since it will be used with raw milk I can’t seem to find any other options.
Thank you
Kasey,
I know a lot of farms use bleach for raw milk…maybe some ideas here: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/recipes/safe-handling-of-raw-milk-keep-it-fresh/
🙂 Katie
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Katie is wish it were true about most family’s in europe not using bleach! Its like a drug they are all hooked on to keep them healthy. I have friends that after getting a few crumbs on the kitchen table reach for the bleach spray and give me a headache for the next couple of hours despite me being the other side of the room. When staying in a hotel I always leave the sign on to not clean the room as they usually douse everything with chemicals. It’s a hard lonely life at times.
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Bleach isn’t used in my house, except for one purpose. I have turtles and unfortunately, in our little house, their dishes are cleaned in the kitchen sink. They also get soaked in an old plastic bin in the tub. I use diluted bleach to spray down the sink, the counter around the sink, the soaking bin and the tub when I’m done with their cleanup. Any suggestions on what else might be used to kill potential salmonella?
Hello All,
I work for a chemical manufacturer. We are a relatively new company and our surface disinfectants (hospital-grade) are to be released to market this month. Don’t worry, I am not pro-bleach. In fact, I am quite the opposite. I will not touch the stuff!
Thankfully, our products do not contain bleach or alcohol. Long-story cut short, I have done a lot of research on bleach and its health effects and its EFFICACY. Needless to say, it is not the best solution! By the time you purchase it, it has a shelf life of about only 6 months- which most people do not know about. Bleach will not kill the spores. If the spores are still present, the mold, under the right conditions, will grow back. My company has a sporicidal disinfectant
that kills mold spores in 1 minute.
I would stay far away from bleach, it only causes problems.
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I hate bleach and avoid it whenever possible, however according to the CDC, to prevent the spread of Norovirus aka. stomach flu, the two most important things are frequent handwashing and “After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces by using a bleach-based household cleaner as directed on the product label. If no such cleaning product is available, you can use a solution made with 5 tablespoons to 1.5 cups of household bleach per 1 gallon of water. ” After two bad breakouts of Norovirus in our house, and living with an infant and 88 year old, I always have a bottle of watered down bleach on hand when someone throws up. However, anything that can go in the washing machine or dishwasher with soap and hot water DOES NOT need bleach, washing is sufficient. I use it on doorknobs, light switches, and handles of appliances. Then once it dries I wipe it down with a wet rag to get the bleach residue off.
Welllll…I don’t always listen to the CDC. There are other disinfecting options; nowadays I use tea tree oil and water or doTERRA On Guard blend in water for killing nasty things…
🙂 Katie
Ms. Kimball, I appreciate your efforts to lead a healthy life, but you have been misled, and what you’re doing is dangerous. In MamaLion’s household bleach is a necessity, with an infant and an elderly person living in her household, she is doing the right thing. Sometimes, as humans we do not educate ourselves before making rash decisions. Ms. Katie as an influence to people who ask of your advice you should consult with the CDC’s references before giving such weighty advice. For over a century, chlorine bleach has kept the human population healthy. Think back to when there was no bleach, and people died in great numbers from simple viruses. Now, whenever a new strain of the flu or another virus surfaces, it is tested by professionals in a lab and most of the time bleach is found to be effective at killing it. Alternative and holitic methods can be useful in certain applications, but the blind trust that we put in these faddish activities can be dangerous.
Thank you for your time Ms. Katie
With all due respect, but people died, because of poor nutrition, crowding and overall bad hygiene (germ theory was a 19th century discovery) not because they did not have bleach. In Europe most households do not use bleach, and we outlive you and lead far healthier lives. My uncle is a primary care doctor, my sister a nurse and my brother-in-law a chemist, and they do not use bleach in their households. I had a case of Norovirus four years ago, and I used hot water and soap as well as a natural, citric-based solution that kills 99.9 percent of germs according to my chemist brother-in-law. I know Americans would have fumigated their homes, but guess what? It wasn’t necessary. Nobody got ill, and I haven’t been ill since then.
I believe that Americans rely too much on chemicals, and it is beginning to show. I have friends in the US, several families actually, and all their children have massive allergies to everything in the world you can imagine. My friend C.’s daughter has a basket full of medicine that she takes on a daily basis, because their germ-free, chlorine-disinfected home environment still contains too many allergens. My family and I happily and healthily live in our non-disinfected house with three parrots, several guinea pigs and our dog.
BTW, my grand mum took care of her mother and her little daughter (my mum) without the use of bleach. Greatgrandmum died at age 101, grandma at 91 due to surgery complications, and my mother is still a picture of health at age 60. I guess we must be doing something right despite the absence of bleach.
P.S. I do not trust the CDC or the FDA and am super glad that I do not live in their area of influence. Two years ago, I met a lovely retired MD who told me that both of these organisations are heavily influenced by the pharma and chemistry lobbies.
I couldn’t agree more with your comment. I would like to add, people here in the US eat GMO’s when it is clearly banned in other countries. I think that causes allergies and autoimmune problems too.
Way too many members of the FDA have worked for companies like Monsanto. It’s sad but they cannot be trusted.
LOL, absolutely agree with you. Americans are some of the most unhealthy people in the world, yet they keep listening to the drug companies and chemical companies telling them they must use this product or that. And no, I don’t trust the CDC either as far as I can throw them.
Never did understand why Americans are so gullible.
I’ve lived in Thailand for years (British originally, then lived in the US for years – hated it 🙂 – and I’ve never met as many people obsessed with buying cleaning products and using chemicals as I did when I lived in the US.
People just don’t use them very often in Asia, yet live longer and healthier lives than do many Americans.
And the constant hand-washing and using anti-germ hand washes is the worst thing you can do for your health. Studies show those who use them not only have more bacteria on their hands than those who don’t, the bacteria becomes immune to the hand washes and thus keeps on multiplying.
And yes, I’m also very glad I no longer live under the CDC’s guidance 🙂
I am a guest where the laundry room has laundry bleach usage. I am spending my visit on the back porch. The residents are sick all the time and don’t know why. This is my third week here and laundry bleach was used yesterday. TODAY, I am dizzy and having tremors. Only one chemical causes tremors and that is any kind of chlorine bleach. They can be sick inside wondering what is wrong… Clearly, the laundry room which is by the kitchen and by the dining table is making fumes that do not go away by the next day and there’s a good chance it’s in the a/c. Maybe laundry rooms need really good EXHAUST FANS to prevent the bleach from entering the ventilation system. I hate tremors or the idea of passing out, headaches or being dizzy. To deny that chlorine bleach can be very dangerous, is to be wearing blinders which reminds me that my eyes are burning right now. This web site/blog is right. Too much chlorine bleach can cause toxic overload. WAKE UP unless you want to reach toxic overload and end up with rooms full of fumes or your a/c system moving bleach fumes to other rooms. TREMORS. Not any fun.
Oof, sounds awful Nancy! I hope the homeowners listen to what your body is obviously saying and realize that theirs are saying the same! 🙁 Katie
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?
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).
Thank you so much, this is SO helpful for I have black mold in my room, was making me so sick, had professional remediation, but now it smells like chemicals. I want to ask, how do you eat it? How much oil mixed with what kind of oil andput in capsule?
Thank you!
Leslie
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?
Liza,
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! 🙂 Katie
I would try a natural scrub (Method or Bon Ami). Good for the environment and good for you.
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?
Kim,
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! 🙂 Katie
Doesn’t Bleach break down plastic after a while?. .. If the kids are putting the toys in their moths, aren’t they getting more plastic/paint in their systems?
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! 🙂
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?!
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
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.
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!
Laura,
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! 🙂 Katie
I have a great alternative that is eco friendly, EPA approved to kill Rotavirus, influenza A and MRSA. It is a naturally sourced disinfectant that leaves no harmful residue on If you would like more info let me know.
I am always looking for alternative
cleaning products, allergic to
bleach and other harsh chemicals
Thank you!
Maureen
Would love the cleaner recipe!
Is bleach also bad to use for your whites in the laundry machine?
Gwen,
Always, always. You can’t avoid the fumes. Try oxygen bleach. It works great and is hydrogen peroxide based. 🙂 Katie