If you suffer from environment asthma like me, you may have noticed that bleach will cause you to have tightness in your chest for days. Yeah, I hate that feeling too. That’s why finding a bleach alternative should be on your radar since cleaning or using bleach is something you should avoid.
Our habit when we do our laundry is, we splash bleach to make our clothes whiter and brighter lest of what we know that the bleach you are using is carrying various threats and risks.
Open the kitchen cabinet and check the labels of your household product. You may be surprised that all our products contain bleach. Bleach is a popular solution that can be found in almost all cleaning supplies in the market. It is commonly used as a toilet cleaner, stain remover, and removing residues in your home or bathroom tiles.
Sadly, if you or your children are overly exposed to bleach, it can bring harmful health effects. When bleach is accidentally mixed with other solutions or elements, it can pose accidents and hazards.
Indeed, there are bleach alternative for cleaning effective you home and clothes without taking the health risks.
Why Should You Stop Using Bleach At Home?
1. Bleach is dangerous for your kids.
Of course, we all know that when bleach is swallowed, it is highly toxic and can even lead to death. However, many of us do not appreciate that the bleach you keep inside your home does not need to be swallowed to cause a health risk; the emission of the fume is causing danger.
When you are cleaning your floor with bleach, the residues and surface continue to emit fumes that can bring bleach health effects. Recent studies claim that children exposed to bleach at home pose a high rate of respiratory illness. The homes that use much of bleach have a high prevalence of asthma and allergies.
2. When bleach gets contaminated with other household chemicals, it can pose a danger.
Another hazard of bleach is when it gets in contact with other chemicals like ammonia, it will react and form into chlorine gas. When the chlorine gas is inhaled, it can cause cellular damage in the nasal passageways and lungs.
Also, when bleach is mixed with acids like vinegar, it can create chlorine gas that can potentially cause suffocation and lead to death. Keeping bleach in your cabinet and using them in cleaning windows, dishwashing, and washing your clothes is an added worry for you.
3. The high rate of usage of bleach can endanger yourself and your family due to harmful complication on the body.
Inhaling bleach fume does not only pose damage to lungs but can also lead the feel of stings in your nose and eyes, which may result in coughing and lightheadedness. The corrosive properties of the bleach are harmful to the human body.
Moreover, the bleach can cause damage to eyes and skin. It can cause skin irritation and burning that cause damage to skin tissues. When it gets to the eyes, the damage of eye tissues will lead to loss of vision.
4. Bleach can hurt your pets.
We may be cautious that our kids will not reach where we store the gallons of bleach. Sometimes, we forget to watch out our dogs and cats. Likely, when our pets are playing, they might accidentally ingest the material and can cause death.
Likewise, when you are using bleach to clean the floors, the fumes can also be detrimental to the passage of airways of your cats and dogs and may lead to health risks.
The bleach residue that was left on the floor will possibly stay in your pet’s paw and fur. As these animals will start to lick themselves, they will directly ingest the harmful chemicals. It may result in vomiting, convulsion, and death.
5. Bleach is harmful to the environment.
Bleach is one of the causes of environmental damage to bodies of water. For years, environmental advocates and even governments are finding ways and means to eliminate the use of bleach because of the detrimental effects on the environment.
When bleach that is washed-away from our homes and traverses through canals and streams and reacts to other elements and forms to other dangerous solutions like dioxins. Several species in the environment are dying because of the ingestion of these toxins. In the long term, it disrupts the food chain and damages the entire situation and brings a long-term negative impact.
What Can Be Used Instead Of Bleach To Whiten Clothes?
1. Hydrogen Peroxide is my favorite bleach alternative
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleaching solution that is often used to make summer blond highlights. It is useful in removing stains and whitens clothes with less impact on the environment compared to chlorine bleach products.
When Hydrogen peroxide is exposed to sunlight, it will eventually break down to water and oxygen to become a biodegradable oxygen-based bleach solution. If you add once cup of Hydrogen peroxide to a one washer load of laundry, it can effectively whiten and brighten your clothes.
It is highly recommended to use Hydrogen peroxide if you are washing a load of white clothes separately to colored clothes to avoid color contamination.
Hence, better to place the Hydrogen Peroxide in the automatic bleach dispenser to evenly disperse the solution to the garments. Never pour the solution directly to the dry clothes or fabrics because it can cause spotting and removal of color for colored garments.
Side Note: Many dental offices use hydrogen peroxide to remove blood splatter on the clothing of patients during procedures.
2. Baking Soda
A one-half cup of this kind of baking soda will boost your detergent’s cleaning power and whitening power. In high- efficiency washers, baking soda is one of the highly recommended additives for better results.
When you are in your laundry washer, just add the baking soda directly to the wash drum and let it dissolve before putting the dirty clothes and fabrics. Do not add the baking soda in the automatic dispenser because it can hardly dissolve.
Although some still feel the use of bleach, which may be fine but adding baking will the need for bleach will be less.
3. Oxygen-based bleach alternative
It is a gentler laundry solution that is safe for the environment and clothes you will wear. The oxygen-based bleach is an extremely active whitening agent and stain remover.
You can use oxygen-based bleach in all washable fabrics but not on silk, wool, and other leather trim clothing. However, it is safe to use in color clothes to brighten the material and remove stains, unlike the chlorine-based bleach that can remove the color permanently.
The downside is that oxygen bleach works slowly compared to chlorine bleach. You need to soak the clothes in about two hours or overnight in the water before washing them. Do not forget to follow the instructions in the package to know the appropriate ratio of water to use.
Powdered oxygen bleach is activated by adding water. It becomes more stable and can produce better results compared to pre-, mixed liquid oxygen-bleach.
It is observed that the pre-mixed liquid type quickly lost it’s effective whitening overtime once you open the container. Meaning, when you open the container, you have to use it all at once. It’s a bit costly.
4. Distilled white vinegar
The best way to use distilled white vinegar is to pre-soak the white items in a solution with a mixture of one part of white distilled vinegar and six parts of warm water. Mix them in a large bucket, tub, sink, or washer drum. Make sure that you completely submerge the clothes, and all surfaces are wet.
Let it sit overnight and wash the clothes the usual washing you always do with the appropriate water temperature. Do not worry because vinegar odor will typically disappear.
5. Hypochlorous Acid
Hypochlorous Acid (HOCL) is a perfect weapon that we must harness to fight against germ-causing illnesses. It can hit hard to pathogens like Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeroginosa.
This powerful and germ-killing weapon is impressive. It is non-toxic, 100% safe to humans, no chemicals, and 100% natural. It has been used in the field of medicine for almost a century.
One of the new HOCL products is the ULV500 Hypochlorous Acid, the professional cleaner that can correctly clean and disinfect any surfaces in schools, healthcare facilities, vehicles, food processing, clothing, and fabrics. ULV500 is a potent killer of germs and viruses. It is proven to be 80 times effective than bleach. It is all-natural and organic. It is scent-free, no residue, and easy to use.
Will Hypochlorous Acid Bleach Clothes?
Yes, hypochlorous acid will bleach clothes. It is a strong oxidizing agent that can cause bleaching and fabric damage. For this reason, it should be used with caution and only in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Hypochlorous acid is a weak organic acid, which is formed by the dissolution of chlorine gas in water. When used as a laundry disinfectant, it is often called bleach.
Does Hypochlorous Acid Ruin Clothes?
Generally speaking, no. Hypochlorous acid is an ozone-safe alternative to chlorine bleach and is used in many eco-friendly cleaning products. It is also used in some contact lens solutions. That said, as with any cleaner, it’s always best to test it on an inconspicuous area first just to be sure.
6. Lemons
Lemon juice is acidic like the vinegar. Therefore, it also can give the same natural bleach alternative result.
Add a cup of lemon juice to the washer when washing white clothes to keep them brighter. For cotton clothes and socks that are heavily stained, add one lemon cut into slices to a pot of boiling water and place the socks as you turn-off the heat. Allow soaking overnight before you wash with detergent.
Bleach Alternative You Can Use To Disinfect Clothes
7. Solar power
The power of the ultraviolet rays of the sun does not only whiten and fade the stains but also disinfect the fabrics while you dry. However, you must be careful because colored clothes can disappear with the rays of the sun.
Do you know that ultraviolet rays of the sun are a robust whitening solution for your clothes? The cheapest way to whiten your clothes is the use of solar power energy. You bleach your clothes without using a clothes dryer. No carbon footprint—nearly zero.
8. Tea tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is one of the top essential oils that are capable of disinfecting your home. It does not leave any harsh smell of chemicals. You can add a few drops to your laundry. Tea Tree Oil has an anti-fungal capability that will beat any bleach brand.
9. Castile Soap
Castile soap is a vegetable-based and all-natural detergent that is gentle and safe to use even around with children and pets. It is a popular cleaning soap that is used for various purposes.
What is a bleach alternative for disinfecting laundry?
To disinfect laundry without the aid of bleach, you must make a liquid chlorine solution.
Here is a basic recipe for a chlorine solution for laundry:
1. Use one-half gallon of water (2 quarts) per load of laundry to be disinfected.
2. Add 1/4 cup of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach to the two quarts of water before adding clothes to the washing machine.
3. The chlorine solution should not be put in the washer with detergent. (It will mix with the detergent and create a thick, white foam.)
4. A load of laundry should be allowed to soak for at least 20 minutes before washing so that all the clothes get wet.
5. Use chlorine bleach only as a disinfectant in laundry water when washing sheets work clothes and other absorbent fabrics.
The use of chlorine bleach is not recommended to disinfect clothing that can be laundered in hot water (140 degrees F), such as denim, corduroy or wool. When washing these types of clothes, always use laundry detergent with a bleach alternative.
In Conclusion
You may want to give one or more of these bleach alternatives a try until you find the one that works best for you. If you need to pre-treat tough stains, try squeezing lemon juice sprinkled with some salt, and it all it to sit overnight.
Lastly, for home styling tips and tricks drop by anytime. Hey, we’re always up for company. In the meantime head over this post, Best Smelling Laundry Detergent Combos Hands Down these tips really work!
Happy Laundry Day!
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