Is Bleach Really Necessary for a Clean Home?
Bleach has a reputation for being a scorched earth for bacteria. But not everyone is comfortable using it; Bleach can interact dangerously with other common chemicals and should be handled with care. For these reasons, many people avoid it altogether.
This may not be a bad strategy. Experts say that while there are a handful of cases where bleach is helpful, it’s not necessary to use it as a regular cleaning product around the house.
Here’s what you need to know about the best way to use bleach and when easier-to-handle alternatives work best.
By the way, what is bleach?
Bleach, the chemical compound sodium hypochlorite, is a disinfectant. There’s a difference between cleaning and disinfecting, says Katie Sullivan, communications director at the American Cleaning Institute, an industry trade group. “Cleaning involves physically removing dirt, germs and debris by scrubbing, washing and rinsing,” she says. Disinfection involves killing any germs remaining on a surface after it has been cleaned.
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When you clean your home regularly, soap and warm water are almost always enough, says Rebecca Fuoco, director of science communications at the Green Science Policy Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for safer chemical use. “At the end of the day, you often don’t need to disinfect your home,” she says. “You just need to clean your house.”
When to use bleach
There are a few cases in which bleach is worth using. Fuoco says bleach disinfection is warranted for disinfecting surfaces contaminated with bodily fluids, feces or vomit from a sick person.
Hot, soapy water is usually enough to clean up everyday messes on kitchen counters, cutting boards and kitchen sinks, says Taylor Dunivin, a toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group, an environmental health nonprofit. Highly diluted bleach can be used to disinfect surfaces where foods containing potentially harmful bacteria, such as raw chicken, have been prepared, but Dunivin recommends using other food contact disinfectants instead. She adds that you should avoid using general household disinfectant products that aren’t designed for food surfaces, as they can leave harmful residue.
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Bleach isn’t even necessary or recommended for cleaning your bathroom or shower. “If you notice a little mold in your shower, you can scrub the area with detergent and water. You don’t need to use bleach,” says Dunivin. For toilets, she recommends using lactic acid-based cleaning products.
If you must use bleach, avoid using it near children and people with asthma, says Dunivin. “Children’s lungs are still developing and may be more sensitive to breathing bleach vapors.” Additionally, people who use bleach frequently are at increased risk of developing asthma and other respiratory problems, she says.
If you’re disinfecting a surface, bleach isn’t the only option. Instead, you can use disinfectants that contain citric acid, ethanol, or acetic acid as active ingredients, says Dunivin. Fuoco recommends avoiding products containing quaternary ammonium compounds, as they have been linked to various health problems.
How to Use Bleach Safely
Bleach can be a powerful disinfectant, Sullivan says. “It just needs to be used correctly.”
When using bleach, keep these best practices in mind:
- Do not mix it with other chemicals. You should never mix bleach with other cleaners or disinfectants, especially vinegar and ammonia, because the mixture could release a toxic gas, says Sullivan.
- Store it safely. As with all household cleaners, bleach should be kept out of reach of children and pets.
- Protect yourself. Bleach can irritate eyes and skin. If you must use it, experts recommend opening windows or doors, turning on household fans, wearing gloves, and even wearing protective eyewear.
- Use soap and water first. If you use bleach to disinfect a surface, you should always clean that surface with soap and water first. If you don’t clean the surface first, the disinfectant won’t be as effective.
- Always read the product label. Bleach usually needs to be diluted with a certain amount of water before use. “I encourage people to always read the label, because different brands of bleach may have different concentrations of bleach in the bottle,” says Lillian Nabwiire, a food safety extension trainer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- Don’t save it. You should always throw away diluted bleach immediately after using it, not only because it’s toxic, but also because it loses its effectiveness over time, says Nabwiire.
