What I never knew I didn't know about bleach!
How to use it, real bleach vs fake bleach & what you never knew you didn't know about bleach.
So this is my first blog post. Its actually a project for school! So welcome to my website, and my blog, I'll have you know I write what I think - I hope you enjoy!
I'm 36 years old and I started school in April of 2020 - yeah, it was online till May - anyway, I'm going to be an esthetician! We started off with Zoom calls first, learning what we could by lectures and from our textbook/notebooks online. What I learned about bleach blew me away!
So you think something is cut and dry right? It is what it looks like, its simple, also hot water kills more bacteria and such. Well, get this!
You need to read the label on your bleach - If it isn't regular bleach, it can be more harmful than your disinfected surfaces.
The thick cling, splash-less and scented varieties contain extremely harmful chemicals that actually can create as much harm as the untreated surface or water.
Splash-less bleach has had a soap/sudsing agent added to it by the manufacturer to change the viscosity of the bleach making it easier to pour.
Thick cling bleach contains more of it than its splash-less counterpart.
If you have ever used these you'll notice a soapy film on the counter or more suds in the washer. This is obviously harmful if swallowed, but can also attribute to many asthma and respiratory issues as well.
Scented bleach is quite popular for laundering, however this product has a negative effect when used on utensils, countertops and when purifying drinking water. They are not only highly hazardous to our digestive systems, topically they can cause skin irritations and allergies, developmental and reproductive toxicity and cancer.
Now that we know that, lets talk about whats recommended in the use of regular bleach!
The CDC recommends to mix 1 cup of bleach into 1 gallon of water, wash surfaces with the bleach mixture, if surfaces are rough - scrub them with a thick brush, rinse them with clean water and allow to air dry.
The clorox website has detailed instructions on how to clean just about anything in your house using bleach, however to make it simple, here are their instructions on how to clean surfaces, and how to disinfect.
They recommend to "clean" a surface, you pre wash it - then wipe the area with a solution of 1/2 cup of clorox regular bleach per gallon of water. Allow the solution to contact the surface for at least 5 minutes. Rinse well and air dry.
They recommend to "sanitize," you will rinse and wipe surface with a solution of 2 teaspoons of bleach per gallon of water for at least 2 minutes. Then let the surface air dry.
So! Tell me, what do you think? Did you learn anything new about bleach?
Make sure you are using cold water with your bleach!
Stay safe & stay healthy!
References:
https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-regular-bleach2-with-cloromax/unscented/
https://www.preparemag.com/blog/not-all-bleach-is-created-equal/
https://www.mouseprint.org/2018/11/19/clorox-splashless-is-also-disinfectless/
https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/bleach.html