# Will dilute bleach harm a wood floor finish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997 "2013-04-29T11:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/1 "2013-04-29T11:20:43Z")
When I used to work in food service we would mix 1 tablespoon bleach with 1 gallon of water to sanitize counter-tops ect. My dog went diarrhea all over (like walked around) my hardwood floor. Will this mix ( 1 tablespoon bleach with 1 gallon of water) harm the finish on my floor to mop the floor with? The floor is a 2 step coating stain and then polyurethane over it. The polyurethane is missing in some spots from wear over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/2 "2013-04-29T12:12:48Z")
At that dilution, you may need to consider first whether the water will harm the finish more than the bleach will. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/3 "2013-04-29T12:43:35Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > At that dilution, you may need to consider first whether the water will harm the finish more than the bleach will. I’m not concerned with the water. I have washed them with plain water before with no ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/4 "2013-04-29T14:11:22Z")
so can I use the bleach? ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/5 "2013-04-29T17:18:26Z")
At that dilution, you are probably safe, but never underestimate bleach. It is a potent oxidant. I would test on a corner first, ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/6 "2013-04-29T18:34:53Z")
If the polyurethane is missing in spots I’d be careful with anything you put on it, especially bleach. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/7 "2013-04-29T18:51:40Z")
I think one tablespoon per gallon may not be enough. [This CDC webpage](http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/preventing-infection.html) on preventing norovirus infections suggests cleaning surfaces contaminated after vomiting or diarrhea with “a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water).” ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/8 "2013-04-29T19:46:51Z")
I think there’s some confusion here. 1 tbsp bleach per gallon is the usual ratio for sanitizing solution, not cleaning solution. To use a sanitizing solution properly, you either soak things in it, or spray it on a surface without further scrubbing or wiping. It does get used incorrectly at a lot restaurants. The application of sanitizing solution the OP suggest is unlikely to have much effect on his finished floors, in both senses. It’s neither going to discolor them nor effectively decontaminate them. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/9 "2013-04-30T09:06:55Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > I think there’s some confusion here. 1 tbsp bleach per gallon is the usual ratio for sanitizing solution, not cleaning solution. To use a sanitizing solution properly, you either soak things in it, or spray it on a surface without further scrubbing or wiping. It does get used incorrectly at a lot restaurants. > > The application of sanitizing solution the OP suggest is unlikely to have much effect on his finished floors, in both senses. It’s neither going to discolor them nor effectively decontaminate them. well what dilution would you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/10 "2013-04-30T09:20:47Z")
Effective bleach sanitation against microbes goes thusly: Clean surfaces to be sanitized of all foreign and biological materials. Bleach cannot sanitize if biological material is present. Surface must be spic and span first. Solution of 1:32 bleach to warm water - to one gallon water add four ounces bleach Apply solution to surface to be sanitized, let stand for 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water. If you don’t think this will work on your floors, really just a good hand scrubbing with a floor cleanser and a big sponge will be fine. Unless your dog has parvo or something communicable to humans or other dogs, just wipe it up to the spic and span point and it’s plenty clean. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/11 "2013-04-30T09:53:40Z")
8 tablespoons is 4 oz. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/12 "2013-04-30T21:15:05Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > well what dilution would you recommend? I’d use the ratio you suggested. I just wouldn’t use it during the cleaning process. Instead, clean the floor with whatever you normally use. Really, that should be good enough, but if you’re still feeling uneasy about it, then apply the sanitizing solution. Just spray on a light misting and let it evaporate. Repeat as needed, until no longer feeling uneasy. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-dilute-bleach-harm-a-wood-floor-finish/656997/13 "2013-04-30T21:46:01Z")
Trivia I’ve recently learned: [Not all bleaches are created equal](http://www.mouseprint.org/2007/02/12/clorox-making-a-stink-about-scents/). As far as Clorox brand bleach goes, only the _regular_ type is registered with the EPA as a disinfectant. The regular formula is 6% sodium hypochlorite. (The new concentrated regular is 8.25%.) Scented Clorox brand bleach and Splashless Clorox brand bleach only contain 2.75% sodium hypochlorite. They do NOT have EPA registrations as a disinfectant. Products cannot make any claims about killing germs or disinfecting on the label unless they are registered with the EPA. Registering a product as a disinfectant is expensive. And unless they are registered, they do not have to disclose how much actual bleach is in the bottle. Unregistered products may be perfectly good at disinfecting, but since they do not have to disclose their concentrations, there is no way of knowing. Read the labels carefully. Unless it actually says on the label how concentrated the bleach is, even two different varieties of the same brand may vary widely. If the products are registered with the EPA, the instructions on the label should tell you how much to use in order to create a disinfectant solution.