Although I am not as well read on the harmful nature of bleach as a previous writer, I have always been skeptical of the surge in products full of bleach. I read years ago that unless you are sure you can rinse it out completely, like in a washing machine, always be cautious using bleach. Even when bleaching a stained or dirty load of whites I will run a second cycle with a little detergent and baking soda to help rinse out the bleach residue you can smell and feel in heavily bleached fabrics.
I’ve watched my swimmer friend bring home bright navy trunks which are quickly turned purple and then pink after only a few swims in the pool, his hair is thin and bronzed, and his skin smells like chlorine even after thorough showers, no doubt linked to his dry skin and exzema.
In old porcelain sinks it can make small abrasions and cracks larger and deeper, making your next dirty sink uglier and harder to clean, not to mention eroding your fixture. This would also stand, I assume, for countertops and other large household items. Sponges and cutting boards can be easily replaced when eroded over time in a dishwasher or bleach solution.
Common sense tells you these bleach products are destructive - when eyes start to fill with tears, lungs fill with fumes, noses run and heads hurt while using a bathroom cleaner, there is something destructive in it - no science degree required. (One of my shower doors will never be fully clean because I will not shut myself into a fume-filled tub - each door is more than half the width of the tub, so even if I have the doors 3/4 closed I can clean less than half of this door, but I put my respiratory health above the sparkling shine of my bathroom!).
While my lazy attitude about handwashing was changed by a column (maybe the Straight Dope?) describing the importance of removing germs picked up from touching the areas around the genitalia, not because we “get hands wet when wiping”, I also read (maybe in the Straight Dope?) that contrary to the ads for disinfecting soaps and lotions, the only way to kill the germs on hands and skin is to kill the skin itself. Traditional washing in soap and warm water, which I believes helps loosen some of the oils closer to the surface, and drying hands with a paper towel to help remove some of the oils (and therefore some of the germs) from the surface of the skin, is the best way to go. Our bodies, which are filled with germs and microbes, must handle the rest.
Using bleach in laundry is sometimes necessary but definitely decreases the life of the fabric as well as color, and can irritate sensitive skin making it undesirable on undies, sheets and towels. Adding a little baking soda can help rinse things cleaner, and warmer temperatures and longer drying times (for us city dwellers without access to the “free, natural sun”) can help disinfect anything that survived the detergent.
Baking soda, soap, hot water, or vinegar can be used to help clean many surfaces. What about ammonia? Is there any research on it’s cleaning value versus it’s harmful effects?
Basic steps like washing hands and protecting tootbrushes from germ spray, and keeping surfaces that come in contact with raw meat separate and sterile, should be taken. But the bleach craze has to stop while there is still some water left on the planet that doesn’t taste like chlorine!
mrd3
