It’s wash day and I’m out of bleach. The name brand unscented is 2 bucks a gallon, the generic store brand is half that. It’s not about saving a buck but about not wanting to be suckered into paying for nothing more than an ad campaign. Is there a difference or is it all just chlorine? Thanks in advance.
Check the labels. Look for strength and additional ingredients. IMO, they are all the same.
I buy generic bleach all the time. I’ve never gotten a bad bottle.
Solutions of hypochlorite will break down over the course of a year or more. High temps and light accelerate the process, but I don’t think breakdown is a significant problem, even with the cheapest brands.
There have to be differences, since there are four of five types of each brand, such as Low Odor, and Ultra Concentrated. And of course Spring Rain Scent.
That said, I always buy the store brand. I assume that it is a little more watery, but not as much as would account for the full difference in price.
Here’s a cheap way to do a scientific test of wateriness:
Get a cup of the good stuff and a cup of the store brand. Put a drop of red food color in one and a drop of blue in the other. Slowly pour half of each cup into separate glasses. Then switch and slowly pour the rest of each into the opposite glass. If one color sits on top of both glasses, they are different densities.
Generic vs. Clorox ™ may have concentration differences. I know in our facility we have to clean with a certain ratio of bleach to water and the brand affects the mixing.
For your purposes, though, generic should be OK.
Check the labels to see what concentration of sodium hypochlorite they have in. If they’re the same then the stuff inside is the same as far as bleaching power goes.
Of course, you can pay extra for a nice smell, additives, EZ-pour bottle, etc.
I would mostly wonder about the bottle–a poorly designed one, especially with bleach, can cost you a lot more than a few bucks.
I used to use the generic store brand, but when Clorox came out with it’s “splashless gel” formula, I switched to that. I find the thicker consistency is really easier to use. I don’t know whether it works any better, or is easier on fibers, but I like that feature.
Store brand may be half the cost, but it’s still only a buck difference per bottle, so I don’t sweat it.