To think that you don't really need to use bleach for everything all the time?

[SusanMichelson]

I keep seeing people commenting on how often they use bleach in their cleaning routine and I'm really surprised by how much it seems to be used.

I never use bleach unless someone is ill and usually not even then - just a disinfectant spray.

My kitchen and bathroom are lovely and clean. I usually just use a damp sponge or cloth with a bit of washing up liquid or whatever.

I don't get why people think bleach is necessary - and it is so poisonous, not just to us but to fish and so on. It makes me really to think there's so much of it being washed down the plug hole.

AIBU to think it doesn't really make things any cleaner than just soapy water or maybe another less harsh chemical for really tough stuff?

I promise I'm not an eco warrior or hippy. It just never really occurred to me to use the stuff except when we had a superbug and then it was necessary for a few months. Nasty stuff!

If Sparklingcat puked up on the patio I would clear it up and sloosh some boiling hot water onto it. The patio is outside where all the germs are anyway.

I love the smell but it's an occasional thing here for mould, when the loo gets discoloured below the waterline, and smelly sinks. I used to do kitchen worktops with it but I ruined too many clothes.

I really am boggling at people loving the smell. It makes my eyes water

Maybe it's generational because we're so high-tech in other areas of our lives now, that we feel that cleaning has to be high-tech with bleach/anti-bac, etc. to match?

I thought bleach was a bad idea on urine stains though - doesn't it just encourage cats to wee on the same spot again? It might be different with dogs though.

Not really - bleach has been around for a long, long time you know!

Whoever invented it should apologise.

I use it to clean my white ceramic sink. Nothing else gets rid of the tea/coffee stains. I also put a cup of bleach in with my white wash. I used to use it on my kitchen floor but now I just use a steam mop and it's much more effective.

I know it's been around for an age, but I only know people my own age (20s/30s) who use it with such vigour (i.e. Weekly). Older people I know don't use it/ use it sparingly.

I have been a big fan of bleach down the toilet but I must admit recent threads on here have been putting me off.

For me the smell of bleach is what clean smells like.

People who use vinegar solutions - do you pre-mix and atore in a spray bottle?

I am moving towards just very hot water and some fairy liquid

Sparingly is good.

I guess I'm equating our obsession with "eliminating 99.9% of germs" by using anti-bac products (when hot water will do just that), with our, generally speaking, obsession with gadgets to satisfy other areas of our lives, like communication or entertainment.

I pre-mix for spray bottles, and also make smaller spray bottles for essential oil solutions, too. But I also keep boxes of bicarbonate and bottles of pure vinegar as well for things like drains.

I'm 46 (so 'older' ) and use it with gusto - it's what we were brought up on. We didn't have antibac stuff way back then, so it was Vim, bleach and scouring pads. Everyone I know of my age (or even older! ) is a firm believer in the power of bleach.

To whoever suggested lemon juice for tea stains, I'm going to give it a go as it got to be better than scrubbing with a Brillo pad.

YANBU it is tottering unnecessary to use it all the time and it's better for children's immunity to encounter germs from time to time.
We use Fairy liquid to clean the bathroom. I use anti bac spray on the kitchen work tops but only because we have a cat and although I'm fairly certain he is too elderly to jump onto the work tops I wouldn't rule it out.
I occasionally put a bit of bleach in a sink full of water and throw in all the dishcloths and washing up brush and I use it when the seal round the windows is going black. Hot soapy water/steam cleaner/vinegar spray for everything else.

A teaspoon of bicarb and some boiling water also gets rid of tea/coffee stains in cups.

Hang on. I never used to used bleach because I thought it was 'bad'. Then Kim and Aggie told me (through a book I got out of the library, not in a personal chat) that household bleach is actually very safe etc because it just breaks down into oxygen and, er, something else fairly harmless, so using bleach for cleaning was far more 'natural' than most other cleaning products.

Did Aggie lie to me?

Personal experience then, I suppose. My parents, aunts and grandparents don't keep the stuff.

I hardly use bleach OR anti bac stuff and I'm older than you SirChenjin. I was brought up on the power of hot water and fairy liquid or a bit of Flash.

A bottle of bleach lasts us about 3 years.

Although actually I still don't use it all that often, because I am of the 'hot soapy water cleans everything' school of thought mostly.

I was never quite sure what to believe where Kim and Aggie were concerned. They wore rubber gloves with fur trim for a start-not hygienic.

Quiet - if you have limescale in kettle you can also put slices of lemon in kettle then boil to remove

You can't be older than me Mintyy - it's not physically possible.

Fairy doesn't bleach stains from your whites or get the plughole nice and clean - nor do you get that lovely bleachy aroma. Mmmm...

I am 'older' and have used more bleach than my mother ever did, we had Ajax scouring powder, Brillo pads and Fairy laundry soap when I was a child. I don't know why or when I increased my bleach usage but it reminds me of swimming pools so maybe because I don't get holidays by the pool any more and I miss it.

Bleach does indeed encourage cats to pee on places that have been treated with it.

I no longer use it in the garden, to kill weeds I mix vinegar, washing up liquid and water.