By Jeanne Huber
For The Washington Post
Where is it safe to use bleach, and where isn’t it?
Some situations are safe, others are clearly not safe. And sometimes it depends on the kind of bleach — a chlorine formula? or one free of chlorine? — or the concentration and dwell time (how long the bleach is in with a material).
But before going into those details, it’s important to understand bleach, and what it can and cannot do. Bleach — especially the chlorine type — is highly caustic. Splashes may cause eye damage, and the fumes can damage lungs if they’re allowed to build up. Chlorine-free bleach, often called oxygen bleach or color-safe bleach, doesn’t cause hazardous fumes and isn’t as caustic as chlorine bleach, but it is still very alkaline. OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, one of the best-known oxygen bleaches, has a pH as high as 11, the same as some chlorine bleach products, which range from 11 to 13. Both kinds of bleach can cause serious eye and skin damage. Why expose yourself to the risks if bleach isn’t the right product for the task?
The word bleach means to whiten or lighten colors. For decades, the chlorine kind was a laundry-day staple that helped keep white sheets white and removed stubborn stains from everything from cloth diapers to work clothes. Oxygen bleaches became popular in recent decades because they usually can attack stains without removing dye.
But neither kind of bleach is an actual cleaner; for that, our grandparents used soap or detergent, just as we need to do. Soap removes sticky spills, smeared food or mud; bleach might take out the stains left once the crud is gone. Chlorine and oxygen bleaches also don’t cut through grease, unplug clogged drains or remove soap scum. Degreasers, enzyme drain cleaners and acids such as vinegar and lemon juice are better for those tasks. Of course, it’s possible to buy products, including many sold by Clorox and OxiClean, that combine a cleaner, degreaser or soap-scum buster with bleach. OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, for example, contains enzymes, a customer-service representative said. But if you just need what bleach can’t do, a bleach-free product should work fine, and you’ll be able to use it even on surfaces where bleach isn’t safe to use.
Bleach has another big benefit: the ability to sanitize or disinfect. Although those words might seem synonymous, they are different. When you see them on labels, the words apply to definitions used by the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates them. Sanitizers kill bacteria, while disinfectants kill both bacteria and viruses. Some other agencies say the difference is that sanitizers reduce germs to levels that are considered safe, while disinfectants destroy or deactivate germs. Chlorine and oxygen bleaches can sanitize and disinfect, but disinfecting might require a higher concentration or a longer dwell time. Always check labels for specific instructions for what you are trying to accomplish, then make sure the surface is one where it’s safe to use bleach.
Here are some guidelines on where — and how — to use bleach.
Laundry
As long as you follow the recommendations, the Clorox company, a bleach manufacturer, says chlorine bleach is safe for cotton, polyester, nylon, acrylic and rayon — if the dye is colorfast for bleach. (Test by mixing 2 teaspoons of bleach with 1/4 cup water and putting a drop or a dab from a cotton swab on a hidden part of the fabric, such as the inside face of a hem. Wait a minute, then see if the color has changed.) But never use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, mohair, leather or spandex, or on fabrics that contain these materials. Also avoid using oxygen bleach on these materials, with the possible exception of spandex.
A garment may include a variety of fibers, so it’s best to check the label for a triangle symbol: If the triangle is empty, it’s okay to use bleach. If it’s crossed out, it isn’t. Diagonal lines across the triangle mean to use only nonchlorine bleach.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Bleach is useful for sanitizing and disinfecting in these spaces, but regular cleaning, without bleach, is usually sufficient in a typical home. If you’ve spilled liquid from uncooked meat or have an ill family member or other high-hazard situation where you want to sanitize or disinfect, you could try a nonbleach sanitizer or disinfectant. Clorox says its Disinfecting Bleach is safe for countertops (it doesn’t list specific types) and porcelain or stainless steel sinks if you dilute 1/3 cup of bleach in a gallon of water and leave it on the surface for 6 minutes, then rinse.
Never use chlorine bleach at full strength. OxiClean makes an oxygen bleach cleaner suitable for countertops and sinks, OxiClean 3 in 1 Deep Clean Multi-Purpose Disinfectant. To disinfect, instructions say to spray it on and wait 3 minutes before wiping it off.
But companies that make stainless steel sinks, laminate countertops, stone countertops and quartz countertops offer cautions. They warn that both kinds of bleach are caustic enough to cause damage, especially if you use them at too high a concentration or leave them on too long. Chlorine bleach can be especially harmful to stainless steel because it removes the chromium oxide layer that protects the surface from rust. Oxygen bleach doesn’t pose that risk, but it should never be used on rusted metal; it could make the rust worse. Both types of bleach damage many other metals, including aluminum and copper.
Outdoors
Both types of bleach can remove mold and other stains from patios and many other outdoor surfaces, but it’s critical to follow the instructions. First sweep away leaves and other debris, and use a hose to rinse the pavement, siding or other surface. Also spray nearby vegetation to help dilute any bleach that splashes on the leaves.
For cleaning a concrete patio, Clorox recommends mixing 1/3 cup of its Disinfecting Bleach per gallon of water in a plastic bucket. Dip a push broom into the solution, then scrub the patio. Work in sections so the concrete stays in with the bleach solution for 6 minutes — or 10 minutes if you are trying to remove mold and mildew stains. Then rinse. Or, if you want to spray on the cleaner, use a formula with instructions for doing that.
To clean concrete, pavers, travertine, brick, stamped concrete or composite decking with OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, follow the same prep steps but stir a scoop of OxiClean filled to Line 4 into a gallon of water, brush on, wait for 5 to 30 minutes (not so long that the solution dries), then scrub and rinse.
Clorox says its Outdoor Bleach is safe on decks that are sealed if the bleach is diluted (stir 1 1/2 cups into a gallon of water), and the solution is left on for no more than 15 minutes. Don’t use chlorine bleach on bare wood, though. That can take out the color of the wood and damage the fibers.
Oxygen bleach is safer; it removes weathered wood fibers near the surface, which helps restore the original color. But don’t use OxiClean on wood that has been sealed or stained.
“It will remove the finish,” a customer-service representative said.
