Can we talk about using bleach... again?

[velochic]

I have a lot of white porcelain in the house and I'm once again wanting to use diluted amounts to keep it white and stain free.

I have done all the research, but I'm still not convinced.

Do you use bleach?  Why or why not?

I hope you don't mind rehashing this subject as I know we have a lot of new members now.

[Snapdragon]

yes, I use it sometimes= as an occasional thing in the white porcelain sinks (there are three) and also the toilets. It makes them really clean and sanitized. I just have one small bottle I keep around and use occasionally.

[velochic]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who uses it.  (Well, I haven't for a long time, but want to use it again.)

We have some because we need it for our HVAC maintenance.  We have a line going into our sump pump and pour some through that line once a month to keep it from getting backed up.  So I have it around.  I use Borax mostly where I used to use bleach, but because we have EXTREMELY hard water, with a ton of IRON in it (sometimes the water runs brown, there is so much iron, but the department of public works says this is "normal"), we have discoloration issues with our white porcelain.  Thanks for your input.

[Panserbjorne]

bleach is my dirty little secret.  no matter how green I get I will always love the smell of bleach.

[swd12422]

I noticed that Oxyclean works great on the white porcelain. Since I started using it to soak stained clothes, now I rotate which sink I use each time I need to soak something, and they're all clean. My next project will be the tubs... I'm sure I have a tablecloth that needs a soak. But that leaves the toilets and the tub walls, and I don't know what to do about those.

[journeymom]

I use chlorine bleach once in a great while, in the laundry on less delicate whites (bath towels and cleaning rags).  Like, a couple of times a year. 

I'm mostly content to live with the creeping black mildew in the tubs, and just periodically scrub it off. But scrubbing never really gets all of it, so once in a while I use a commercial shower cleaner with bleach that does the trick. Who thought it was a good idea to use white grout in the shower??

So yes, I use bleach once in a while.

[insidevoice]

I'm about to do a deep cleaning with bleach over the next few days.  I prefer other options most of the time, but bleach is not something I see as a terrible evil.  Sometimes I want to kill every germ and really sanitize and get rid of stains and I have never found anything else more effective for those things.  I dilute the bleach and call it good.  I try not to use it regularly, but once in a while it can make all the difference. 

[velochic]

I'm pretty much with the rest of you.  I try to avoid using it frequently, but honestly, there is nothing that gets things as clean as bleach with our water and its iron content.  Thanks again.

[crunchy_mommy]

During the time I've spent in third-world countries, we'd soak food (i.e. tomatoes) in diluted bleach to make them safe to consume. So it's hard for me to say bleach is the worst thing in the world. I have a contact allergy to it and I can't stand the smell, but we do keep a bottle of it in the house -- I think the same bottle since we moved here 5 years ago... and use it very sparingly once or twice a year for certain cleaning tasks...

[Adaline'sMama]

I keep a small bottle of it on hand. Ive used it on nasty nasty diapers that I had tried a million other ways to wash , and to dump down the sink when there are fruit flies.

[talia rose]

I only use the hydrogen peroxide kind - Ecover or Seventh Generation makes some. A much healthier choice...

[velochic]

I got to thinking about this originally because summer is upon us and I let my dd swim at the local pool (which, of course is treated with an even higher concentration of sodium hypochlorite, the same molecule that is in household bleach).  I swim, too.

I actually went out and bought a couple of large bottles yesterday.  I'm just not going to worry about using it anymore.  If I worry about using it in my home, then I need to worry about my dd swimming in it and ingesting it when she comes down the slide too fast and swallows some pool water... and I just need some balance here.  I use vinegar, baking soda or borax for 95% of my cleaning.  I guess that is my balance... if I'm going to let my dd swim in bleach, I'm going to use it in my home without wringing my hands with worry.

Thanks for everyone's input.

[MsFortune]

guilty - I use it but sparingly

sometimes you just want the germs dead

[moss]

what has happened to mdc?

ugh

dioxin (one of the most deadly dangerous substances known) is a manufacturing byproduct of bleach. when you buy bleach, know that you are supporting the production of dioxin with your dollars. where does that stuff go once it is created?

even mainstream healthcare facilities around here have stopped using bleach in favour of hydrogen peroxide products because the fumes etc from the bleach are dangerous. and they are dealing with killing superbugs that most of us dont have in our homes. h2o2 is far far safer and just as effective.

gah

[philomom]

I have a bottle but I only use it a couple of times a year when the kids white socks get too gray.


For sinks and toilets I find extra scrubbing works just fine for me. I use baking soda and sometimes a fresh lemon cut in half.