To refuse to buy bleach?

[Eastie77Returns]

First world problem alert.

Our cleaner has asked demanded that I add Domestos bleach to my cleaning products. There's been a bit of an ongoing issue for a while now as I have trialed various eco-friendly cleaning products over the last few months and she generally doesn't like them. I have changed a couple of times in the hope she will get on better with a new range but she has a preference for products that contain high levels of chemicals. I understand they are the go-too products that she trusts but I just don't want to use them.

At the moment she is begrudgingly using the Ecover products I most recently bought. Now she is insisting she needs bleach to clean properly because Ecover doesn't really cut it. I said no as I just can't have it in the house. The smell is one thing but it's so toxic and dangerous (I'm absolutely haunted by an acquaintance whose young child inhaled some). She is a really good cleaner and in high demand. I'm aware she's already given notice to two households on our street because they did not fall in line with her requests (not cleaning product related, something else).

Has anyone used any of the 'natural' bleach products currently out there and were they effective?

I’m suddenly very grateful that my cleaners brings all her own cleaning stuff. I wouldn’t have the patience for all this.

Stains in toilets are not usually literal poo, I would think most households clean that. Limescale build-up with bacteria and mould allowed to grow unchecked will cause discolouration. Bleach kills the bacteria and mould to resolves that, while regular limescale removal reduces the risk of build-up. All very easy to handle if proper products are used.

We live in a hard water area so get limescale - I tend to use specific loo cleaner and a brush to remove the deposits regularly (right up under rim), and it seems fine. Spot marks are removed there are then (by whoever made them!). I tend to use bleach more in the kitchen, around the sink or plughole area - we have a white sink and bleach is the only thing that really takes away discolouration. Cif type cream cleaners work a bit, but not so well.

also nothing except Bleach melts away poo skids. I don't have a bog brush so just use bleach

Gotta love smol cleaning spray!

Wrong, you’re not her employer. She’s self employed. You’re hiring her services and if you don’t like the services she provides you can go elsewhere.

I use a pumice stone to clean the limescale off the toilet. I live in a very hard water area and it works really well with a bit of elbow work.

If she's needing bleach for every clean then she's not cleaning it properly.
Bleach is a quick win, so it probably cuts her time and effort down. She may also feel like she's not cleaning thoroughly with your products.
Ultimately it's your home. If you don't want it, don't have it. And either do it yourself or get someone else.

Toilet brushes are apparently no nos on here

Yeah, I gathered that. How odd though.

Yep I really don't think Mumsnet is representative of most mum's when it comes to bleach and toilet brushes.

I find viakal works well without have to be bending down scrubbing toilets

Also I have bleach " blu loos" that dispense on a bit of bleach with every flush

YANBU, because it's your house, and it's your right to have the final say in what is used in your house. You do need to be prepared to look for another cleaner though, because she sounds very adamant. I don't use bleach because a) I just can't stand the smell (I'm autistic and have sensory issues around smells, anyway) and b) from an ecological viewpoint of using such toxic chemicals. The world is dying quite spectacularly so anything we can do, as individuals, to help keep it alive for even a little longer can only be a good thing. I fail to see what she actually needs bleach for, as she should be cleaning regularly and thoroughly enough to have no need for such a strong cleaning agent 🤷🏼‍♂️

Now you say this, today when she arrived I was at home (usually I’m out) and I noticed a bottle in her bag with clear liquid so perhaps she is bringing in her own?!

I think this is all irrelevant now anyway. She told me she is going home (abroad) for 6 weeks which I think must be her polite way of firing me. She did show me a picture of her pregnant daughter, who lives in her home country, and said that is why she will be away for so long so it sounds valid but I have a feeling she won’t be back. So looks as if this issue has resolved itself😭

I’m very pro bleach because it works better than anything else. I like my toilets very clean and limescale free, you really do need bleach for this. I also use it neat to remove stuck on food from pans and diluted for stained teapots and mugs. I use it on my kitchen sinks to ensure they are germ free and soak any stained whites in diluted bleach in the bath.

Absolutely agree . . .

I don’t buy bleach as such 🤔but I have one cleaning product that’s meant to help with areas of the house that can be prone to getting mouldy and that does smell of bleach so I use with windows open .
we don’t have a cleaner , but if this person is very good I’d want to hang onto them.
maybe acknowledge that is more difficult to clean without her preferred products and offer her more hours / therefore more money

Bleach: ' releases harmful byproducts like dioxins and chloramines, which negatively impact water quality and ecosystems, affecting fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms'. I don't use it for these reasons -its not just about your own personal environment. Much the same as people flushing hot fat down the sink - hello London drain fatbergs !

No need to 'scrub' anything if you're using bleach.
I'll often squirt some down the toilet before bed and next morning the pan is gleaming!

Buy green bleach powder & citric acid, they work together but aren't as toxic.