Bleach: do you use it? What for? If not, why not?

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I love bleach. Think it's one of the greatest things in modern life (as it has literally saved countless lives.) I also think it has a bad rap and is really rather harmless if used correctly. I do understand that the production of it is problematic for the environment, but I don't think using it to clean a bathroom is harmful to the household.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

I never use it, I use bathroom cleaner to clean my bathroom. My house is clean and we are very rarely ill, touches wood . I don't think it is necessary.

Putting down the toilet.

Also, I have a mould/mildew product that I think has some bleach in.

That's it.

Plus it stinks! If I have to clean, I like cleaning with nice smelling products. I choose my washing up liquid on fragrance, some of them give me a headache.

I put it in the toilet and a drop in the mop bucket every now and then. Also for bleaching the white polo shirts, tea towels and sports socks.

I use it to remove stains/whiten rather than kill germs. I'm just not that bothered about household surface germs tbh (obviously I do clean!).

Kitchen hygiene - eg correctly storing raw/cooked food etc more important for avoiding illness than bleached surfaces imo.

I use it to mop the kitchen floor (have 3 cats and a dog so needs bleaching to kill whatever they walk in) and I use it to clean the loo.

I put it down the toilet every other night, and use it for stain removal too.

I used to use it as a toilet and drain cleaner before I had dc. I then decided not to have it in the house after reading of various incidents where children had got hold of it and drunk it. I've never used it since.

I use it primarily in bathrooms, on mold and discoloured grout. It's good anywhere there's mold or discolouration, including washing up bowls, behind the kitchen taps, etc.

I absolutely love the stuff, besides WUL, it's the one cleaning product I cannot do without. I clean kitchen worktops everyday with it, mop floors, clean bathroom - do everything with it.

The only time I despise it, is with the countless clothes I have ruined my own stupid fault for not learning by now to wear old clothes when using

I use it very occasionally to clean the hideous brown stains out of my sink - it's one of those granite effect white ones, only the white has pretty much worn off

put plug in, squirt bleach round, top up with water, scrub a bit, leave until sink required again

Ponders - you do realise the white has worn off your sink because you used bleach in it...

I rarely use bleach. It's no good for cleaning and damages a lot of surfaces. I sometimes use it down the sink if it's a bit whiffy, and also watered down to kill off any patches of mould/mildew.

actually, CV, I think the white has worn off my sink because other members of the family scrubbed football boots/dumped tea bags/left muddy potato peelings in it

I use bleach now as an occasional recovery from them still doing all the above

Ponders, those granite effect sinks are a pain aren't they? I had a black one, and could never get it clean. Then DMum turned it grey (yes, with bleach ). I'm sticking with stainless steel.

none in this house because we are on septic tank drainage. There is some anti-bac spray around just in case of illness etc.

chucking it down the drains in large amounts is one of the reasons why fish is getting so expensive.

Flushing bleached down the loo into the normal sewage system does not kill sea life. It's quickly neutralised long before it reaches any waterways.

Hardly use any, due to septic tank.

Occasionally do the kitchen/bathroom bins or soak cloths. There isn't much that can't be cleaned with washing up liquid and hot water. My house is not to be used as evidence for this statement, because I am a slattern in very slow reform.

Have dettol for cleaning up after illness, but that's probably not very good for the tank either.

I do like traditional knitted dishcloths for washing-up, but keeping them white means a soak in bleach every few days, at which time I also soak white chopping board then wipe round bowl, sink, drainer etc. I don't mind the smell and am confident I'm killing off any nasties with one simple chemical.

I don't use it. Not keen on the smell and so I don't buy it.

There might be some in my hair dye I think.

genuine question --- if you don't use bleach for cleaning the toilet what do you use?

Slosh it down the sinks and the toilet.

Dollop in the mop bucket for the floors.

Smaller dollop in the whites wash.

Dollop in the basin when I soak my tea towels.

Loads in boiling water to clean the patio.

I use toilet cleaner stuff. Don't think it has bleach in it as it says not to mix with bleach.

I like the smell :)

I use it -

• to wipe down the kitchen benches & splash backs (twice a week'ish)
• to remove the stains from mugs (black tea)
• to keep the washing up bowl
• to keep any cloths

• to clean the loo

... think that's about it.

There have been a freakishly large number of threads recently on the life enhancing properties of bleach. Am I missing something? Is there a bleach fetish out there? Code for something else? Why all these threads?