Bleach

[haleyelianasmom]

I try to use cloth for everything ti reduce garbage, so I use cloths (birdseye cotton flat diapers) and terry cloths to keep the kitchen clean... Well, since I can't wash these cloths every single day, they sometimes get moldy and I've had a hard time getting all the stains out. I've tried peroxide, oxi-clean, borax, tea tree oil and GSE and Allen's detergent and even sunned them for a little while.
Well, I accidentally left some cloths in the closet hamper when we went out of town and they were pretty gross when we got back, so I gave in and used bleach, then rinsed with vinegar.

My question is, how bad is bleach really? Are there any other alternatives to getting black mold out of cloths? Is using bleach on our kitchen cloths LESS BAD then using paper towels?

Any input would be appreciated!

[cafechi]

i don't know the answer but i have not need to use bleach for years now and i don't miss it much, honestly.

i just started thinking about using some kind of bleach for our dirty white clothes. instead of getting bleach bleach, i got the ecover Non-Chlorine Bleach but have not have a chance to use it yet.

bleach for us is too strong and my daughters have sensitive skin so that is out.

[Naturalyst]

Yours is not an easy question to answer because it depends on whether you mean whether it is bad for you to use if children got into it? (yes), if it runs down the drain and you have a septic system? (yes, if its more than a small bit), if you are using it in a closed space without holding your breath (yes), if it runs down your drain into a municipal sewer system (no).

Bleach is sometimes used by water treatment facilities and sewer treatment facilities. Have you ever heard someone complain that water from their tap smells like chlorine? Well, the use of bleach by the water treatment facility would be why.

A gentleman, Robert, who posts here often on such topics will, I'm sure, expand upon all this.

[Katheda]

Well, first of, I NEVER would wash with bleach and rinse with vinegar as the combination of bleach with vinegar produces toxic chlorine gas.

If you want to use cloth you have to be dedicated to washing frequently. Stains shouldn't be a concern as they are for cleaning purposes only. If they are a concern for you, color your cleaning clothes in a tie-dye type pattern so that stains are less visible.

[Naturalyst]

Originally Posted by gool0005

Well, first of, I NEVER would wash with bleach and rinse with vinegar as the combination of bleach with vinegar produces toxic chlorine gas.

I expect the OP had done a full rinse before adding vinegar or she would have found that out the hard way.

[haleyelianasmom]

I have heard about the problems with mixing chlorine and vinegar. I added the vinegar to the "fabric softener" tray and the bleach to the "bleach" tray and they came out just fine... (we have a front load washer) I hope it didn't mix too much, I just figured the vinegar might help get it rinsed out of the fabric better.

We have a laundry room downstairs and the bleach is stored up high and dd doesn't go in that room, so that isn't really a concern. I don't use it for clothing or towels or anything else... I generally don't use it at all, but I was worried about the mold and wanted to disinfect and get rid of the nasty black mold spots on the cloths. I know molds can be dangerous, too, so I was trying to weight the risks.



And off topic, but the one product we have yet to switch over to the "natural" version of is dishwashing detergent, which I know contains small amounts of bleach... ANy ideas for an alternative that actually works?

[Naturalyst]

Originally Posted by haleyelianasmom

And off topic, but the one product we have yet to switch over to the "natural" version of is dishwashing detergent, which I know contains small amounts of bleach... ANy ideas for an alternative that actually works?

You've got a few choices of commercial products - from Seventh Generation, Ecover, Mrs. Meyers and Earth Friendly Products' Wave. They've all worked fine for me. I haven't seen a big differnce between brands. And, Ecover also makes a spot remover to go where you'd normally load Jet fluid. On MDC, I've seen posts from people who have used baking soda, with vinegar in the rinse.