To say this even though I will get flamed for it?

[Friendswithwhenifits]

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. However, I am asthmatic. Numerous studies have shown a link between bleach and lung diseases. Thanks to a Christmas Eve bleach the house session I am now on Day 3 of difficulties in breathing.

You are sensible adults, if you feel ill- see a doctor. However, if I help anyone to prevent harming their lungs by switching to gentler cleaning fluids then it will be worth getting my arse handed to me.

Before you buy the bleach ask yourself if a different product might be healthier for you and your family. In these dangerous times, any little change might make a difference.

Might I suggest that people read the information and warnings provided on the containers of domestic chemicals, and follow the instructions, rather than taking advice on here.

I am asthmatic so open bathroom window wide bleach around the bath when it gets a bit of mould on the sealant, run out close door leave ten minutes, then back in and rinse off. Down the loo, close lid. I do rinse dishcloths in bleach solution. Otherwise use flash for sinks, viakal for bath and that is it.

OP in your words you're an 'asthmatic'. You are experiencing breathing problems after a 'bleach the house session'.

I use bleach all the time. A quirt down the bog, a squirt in the floor mopping bucket. I even bleach my teacups from time to time. Throughout Covid I have used a bleach solution to wipe doorknobs, handrails etc because it is proven to kill viruses and bacteria.

Bleach is a strong and effective disinfectant – its active ingredient sodium hypochlorite is effective in killing bacteria, fungi and viruses. Diluted household bleach disinfects within 10–60 minutes contact time. It widely available at a low cost, and is recommended for surface disinfection.

Yes, bleach can irritate mucous membranes, the skin and the airways and should therefore be used with caution and ventilation. But surely that's just common sense?

None of us in my home have respiratory problems of any kind. It's a low cost, effective product, that if used responsibly, presents no danger to anyone. It's no more dangerous than a variety of detergents and cleaning products, shampoos, over the counter substances and remedies to the overwhelming majority of the population.

Bleach is a cheap and effective product and it really does reach the parts that other cleaners don't reach. I understand the concern of those who are compromised, but I just despair that this could end up being another product that is demonised.

I remember the paint strippers you used to get in the old days. Brush it on and the paint would peel off like wet paper. Because of all the hazard warnings and rules and regulation in regard to ingredients, paint stripper has been toned down to a totally ineffective waste of time. It's been rendered completely useless.

I doubt there are many who sit there sniffing the fumes from bleach or paint stripper to the extent that it damages their health. I'm sorry it's affected you so badly but you say yourself you have an underlying health condition and you were subject to a 'bleach the house' session. I doubt many of us 'bleach the house'. Most of us use it sparing and responsibly and I for one, will continue to do so.

You can still get that paint stripper in the builders merchants near me if you are talking about nitromors, amazing stuff.

I work with hypochlorous acid generators- be wary that a byproduct can be hydrogen. The product has also bleached my clothes many a time!

@justasking111

You can still get that paint stripper in the builders merchants near me if you are talking about nitromors, amazing stuff.

Not sure how old you are but it's not a patch on what it used to be

The product changed in 2009 and it's never been the same since ...

skill-builder.uk/nitromors-the-review-they-didnt-want-you-to-read

www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=107815

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=&t=1881825

and so on ....

I steam mop floor with just water. I bleach loos with a tablet each evening before bed though.

If you have a decent income and can afford to buy alternative, eco-
friendly products that purport to not harm you in any way, then do it.

If you have respiratory issues that require you to avoid bleach, then of course, it's a no-brainer. Don't use the stuff.

If you are on a budget and want a product that is freely available, costs 45p a bottle in most supermarkets (39p in Aldi last time I looked), that is guaranteed to kill pretty much every bacteria, fungus and virus it touches within minutes, then get yourself a bottle of bleach.

Just remember to dilute it and keep the windows open .. and you'll be fine.

I’m asthmatic and bleach is one of the few that don’t give me breathing issues. I bleach the loo once a week. I also have a white kitchen and white kitchen floor tiles that only dilute bleach will clean properly. I treat it as a serious chemical, never mix it, but I’m not about to give it up.

I don’t use bleach ever and my house is still clean.

Why do people bleach mugs? Because you don't have a dishwasher? And also cleaning cloths with bleach - I just chuck them in the washing machine with the towels and wash them at 60 or 90...

I don't have a dishwasher and it takes the tea stains out of the white mugs. Even washing on 60 (highest my washer goes) will sometimes not bring stains out of the cotton dishcloths I use. A drop of bleach in the sink overnight brings them up nice and white.

I love the sound of the hypochlorite acid generator, but I can't seem to find any being sold by reputable companies. Can anyone recommend? If they're that good, why aren't supermarkets / B&Q etc selling it? They only seem to be coming from China on Amazon and (I've nothing against China per se...)

I absolutely hate bleach. It cant be used in businesses now either which is good. However people like my dps ex bleach their whole home. Must stink and make her feel sick but at least i dont have to live amongst it.

@Grellbunt

I don’t use bleach ever and my house is still clean.

Visually clean?

My house is also 'clean' on the surface. Very neat and tidy indeed. Hoovered every other day , floors mopped, beds changed etc, my bath and shower look white, there is no dust on my surfaces and my worktops are wiped.

But what bacteria are lurking in my bog, on the banisters, door handles etc? In the present climate that's the sort of 'clean' you need to be worried about.

I can spray them with anti-bac or I can wipe them down with a bleach solution (which is far more effective by the way).

There's clean and then there's clean. With things as they are in terms of mutant, fast spreading Covid viral spread I'm willing to use any chemical it takes to protect myself and my family. Bleach just happens to be one of the cheapest and most effective.

@Shaniac

I absolutely hate bleach. It cant be used in businesses now either which is good. However people like my dps ex bleach their whole home. Must stink and make her feel sick but at least i dont have to live amongst it.

I absolutely use bleach at work (to clean the toilets)

@Classicbrunette

Olive branches where do you buy the method products ? I only found the hand wash in Sainsbury’s, but are there other solutions by method ? I have a septic tank so am careful what I use.

Waitrose sell it, but frankly it's crap, might as well just use water.

Be smart - use bleach!

To eradicate mold and mildew.
To sterilise second hand items.
To clean butcher block cutting boards and counter tops.
To brighten up glass dishwater.
To shine white porcelain.
To make a household disinfectant spray.
To disinfect waste bins.
To clean plastic garden furniture.
To kill weeds.
To get rid of moss and algae.
to sanitise garden tools.

And all for between 39p and 45p a bottle, depending on where you shop.

www.rd.com/article/12-smart-ways-to-use-bleach/

It's good to know this.

I don't often use "straight" bleach, but lots of products nowadays contain it. In the past I've bought them without thinking twice, I just buy whatever is cheap, but it should have been obvious the bleach is an additional hazard that's better not in my everyday kitchen, bathroom, or floor cleaners.

For mould, though, I'd be grabbing something that'll kill it.

Growing up in a Middle East country, I used to see bleach used by the gallon. My aunt used to put a good splash in the washing up bowl after frying eggs because ‘nothing else gets rid of the smell’!

therogueapostrophe because they make chlorine which is the active ingredient in bleach. You may as well get bleach and water it down?!

I mop my floors and clean my windows etc with water and white vinegar (with a drop or two of essential oils). I did it when my (adult) son was around and it affected his chest and he had to use his inhaler.

@HyacynthBucket

i never used blerach until the covid crisis. Early on in the pandemic I read some research from JohnHopkins University in the US about how the virus can be transmitted on objects. It recommended wiping shopping and anything coming into the house, with a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, which I still do. It is a fag to do but I feel happier knowing there is no virus on things in the house. I did not know there are any issues with bleach. I put it on a jaycloth to wipe things over with, and it does make my hands smell strongly of bleach until I wash it off afterwards. Is it really harmful? Thanbks OP for the alert if there is a problem with it.

I started off using bleach, but it's not the easiest option. It deteriorates very quickly too, so mixing up a spray bottle to use isn't ideal.

For the shopping I just use washing up liquid. I half fill the washing up bowl with water & a good squirt of detergent and use a fresh dish cloth, I dump anything waterproof in the bowl and it sits there while I'm sorting the retinue (I quarantine anything that doesn't have to go in the fridge/freezer) then I wash them all, like they are dishes and rinse them all, dry them with a fresh tea towel & put them in the fridge.

Four handles/taps/fridge etc I use the Dettol spray and for phones/keys etc I use dettol wipes

I soak all the dish clothes/t towels in Dettol laundry cleaner before washing. Same with all the hand towels.

I'm back to only use if bleach as I did pre Covid (mainly in the loo).

@safariboot

It's good to know this.

I don't often use "straight" bleach, but lots of products nowadays contain it. In the past I've bought them without thinking twice, I just buy whatever is cheap, but it should have been obvious the bleach is an additional hazard that's better not in my everyday kitchen, bathroom, or floor cleaners.

For mould, though, I'd be grabbing something that'll kill it.

Lots of products contain it because it works!

It is one of the cheapest and most effective cleaning products on the planet killing 99% of whatever it comes into contact with - viruses, bacteria and funghi.

It won't hurt you if you use it responsibly and will make your home a helluva lot safer and cleaner, especially during a global pandemic.

Bleach is not a 'hazard'. Viruses and bacteria are hazards and bleach is one of things guaranteed to put up a bloody good fight against them.

Just use it in accordance with the guidelines and open a window. It's not rocket science. How many bleach related deaths have there been compared to Covid19 deaths, or bacterial infection deaths?

I'm really sorry the OP (an asthmatic) had respiratory distress as a result of someone blitzing their house with bleach, but that's absolutely no justification for demonising a product that has been integral part of household hygiene for decades and if used carefully and responsibly presents absolutely no danger to health whatsoever!

Thing is that bleach isn't going to kill the cats horribly if they somehow get some of it on their paws, whereas Zoflora is.

As long as the bleach is diluted - and we all have access to facemasks now - I don't think it's as bad for humans as is being made out (still a bit shit environmentally, albeit no more than other non eco friendly cleaners). After all, Milton is used to sterilise baby bottles, can be used to render water safe for consumption as well as a vegetable wash in some locations/if you're immune suppressed and we swim in a solution of it when the pool is open.

The biggest danger in my opinion is where people use bleach of surfaces where they have already used disinfectants and the like, thus causing a toxic release. We were taught about this in Year 7 (equivalent). Is that not the case now?