# Bleach in Germany

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 15, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544 "2003-05-15T21:34:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544/21 "2003-05-19T12:23:42Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Incubus \*  
> \*\*I don’t believe that any residual Chlorine would cause any more harm to the skin than going for a swim in a swimming pool. Unless you have a cite which says otherwise. \*\*

No cite. But I rarely go for a 16 hour swim in a cholorinated pool. I prefer my clothes to be clean, without traces of hazardous materials, dyes, perfumes, etc. I go to a laundromat, and there are times when people open the just stopped washer and the smell of chlorine makes you gag.

Borax is a safer disinfectant and mold killer.

Bleach (or Javelle water) is basically a mixture of water, poisonous chlorine of lime, and good old washing soda. So why not use just washing soda, and not the poisonous stuff?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544/22 "2003-05-19T22:19:25Z")

</div>

I just hate it when so much misinformation is being passed around.

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by futureman \*  
> I don’t know about Germany, but in Spain they only have hydrogen peroxide bleach, I think. I couldn’t ever really find Chlorine Bleach like Clorox. Maybe that is what she was talking about? The Hydrogen peroxide bleach didn’t seem to work as well.

This is just plain wrong and does not reflect favorably on you. There is plenty of bleach in Spain and you can find it right in the detergent section in any store. The word is “lejía” so I guess you did not even bother to look it up in a dictionary or ask around. There are plenty of commercials on TV and other media. In fact, the bottles of bleach look exactly like the Clorox bottles, so much so that you would expect it to be bleach. [Here’s photos I took of a couple bottles of bleach](http://sailor.teemingmillions.com/images/lejia.jpg). Does that look like wine to you? If all your impressions of Spain are as accurate as this one you would have done better to stay home.

I cannot speak for Germany but I find it hard to believe bleach is not available there. And carrying bleach on an airplane is both illegal and dangerous. But I guess it is too much to ask from people that they refrain from doing things that are dangerous, stupid and illegal.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544/23 "2003-05-20T02:35:31Z")

</div>

Having an unpleasant day, **sailor**?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544/24 "2003-05-20T03:01:09Z")

</div>

Yes, we Americans are narrow, closed-minded xenophobes because we can’t find bleach in Spanish supermarkets. You figured us out.

“Ace 40” - sure that isn’t a four-dog of malt liquor from Madrid or something?

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bleach-in-germany/175544.md?page=1)