Exposing Household Products: Part 1 - Bleach.

I live in a no-bleach zone. I’ve always trusted my instincts, and my instincts have always told me that bleach is not to be trusted. I admit, I haven’t always been successful at keeping one of North America’s most dangerous chemicals from my doorstep, but I am more vigilant now!

The fact is, I haven’t allowed bleach in my home for over a year, and yet I can still smell it leeching out of my counters when I wipe them down with plain hot water. I knew there was more to it than just a bad smell, so I looked for more information. Here’s what I found out:

Why it’s bad for you

Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite (chlorine added to lye) which is highly corrosive, and causes burns and caustic skin irritations. Studies have also shown a relationship between bleach and cancer, birth defects and many other ailments.

Sounds bad enough, right? Well that’s just bleach on its own. The truth is, most people use several different products when cleaning house. Windex for the windows, Bowl Brite for the bathroom, Fantastic in the kitchen, need I go on? The problem is, many of these cleaners contain an ingredient that is sometimes left off of the label: Ammonia. When bleach comes in contact with ammonia, it can have one of three reactions:

1. Chlorine Gas (Cl2) - “The gas tears into your nasal passages, trachea, and lungs by causing massive cellular damage.” - source
2. Nitrogen Trichloride (NCl3) - “even if you did get close enough to ingest it, it would probably explode in your face first,” - source
3. Hydrazine (N2H4) - “The heat is so great that it usually leads to an explosion.” - source

Who else is it bad for?

Your cat may be one of many who are actually attracted to bleach. Maybe it’s because I’m such a cat person, but while researching this article I decided to search for cats and bleach. What I found horrified me! Apparently, many cats are attracted to bleach, and will roll in it, and lap it up if given the chance. Part of me wasn’t surprised because I’ve heard too many times about animals dying after drinking anti-freeze. What really horrified me was that so many cat owners think that this behavior is adorable, and will give their cats little puddles of bleach to play in.

People also clean their litter boxes with bleach. They think the bleach will kill any kittie poop bacteria. Did you know that cat urine contains ammonia? What did I just say about ammonia?

You’ll be much better off cleaning your kitties commodes with a lot of hot water, and a little bit of hydrogen peroxide (which breaks down into water/oxygen in wastewater). Which leads me to my next point:

What to use instead

Have I mentioned that I use three basic ingredients to clean my whole house? They are: Water, White Vinegar, and Baking Soda. Here are a couple of great little recipes that you can use in lieu of bleach:

Drain De-Clogger

1. Boil 10 cups of water
2. Add 1 cup of white vinegar
3. Add 1 cup of baking soda
4. Pour solution down drain while fizzing

Cutting Board Sanitizer (Can even be used after cutting meat)

1. Sprinkle backing soda over cutting board
2. Spritz vinegar over baking soda
3. Pour a bit of boiling water over all
4. Watch it fizz, then wipe it clean with a cloth

4 ways to get your whites whiter.

1. Pour 1/4 cup of Vinegar into your load
2. Squeeze some lemon into your load
3. Use a homemade eco-friendly laundry detergent that contains baking soda
4. My personal favorite Hang your clothes out in the sunshine to dry!

In conclusion

A lot of the points in this article seem harsh or extreme. Of course you’re not going to drop dead the second you open the bottle. Many people use bleach “properly” (read:extremely diluted) and suffer no side effects. However, there are thousands of .

Besides, we need a certain amount of germs around to keep our immune systems up to snuff. As babies we were exposed to all kinds of great immune system building germs and bacterias. Sure we may have caught a cold, or even the flu, but this is far safer than the completely germ free world that we’re sold nowadays.