Karen Wiggins on November 16, 2017 47 Comments Check the labels of your household cleaning products. You may be surprised just how many of these products contain bleach. Bleach is a highly hazardous chemical, and it can be found in many cleaning supplies, including toilet cleaners, stain removers, and tile residue removers. Many use these products without realizing the potentially harmful effects they can have on anyone exposed. Scientists continue to expose the dangers that bleach poses. Understanding why using bleach to clean can be dangerous and should be avoided will help you keep your home safe. 1. Bleach Can Be Dangerous for Children Most people understand that bleach is highly toxic if swallowed, and would certainly prevent their children from doing so. What people do not realize, however, is that bleach can have adverse effects on children who simply live in a household where it is often used to clean. When used as a cleaning agent, bleach remains on surfaces and continues to emit fumes. Recent studies have revealed that children who have had exposure to bleach in their homes are more likely to suffer from respiratory illness. In addition, various studies have linked the use of bleach in a household to a higher prevalence of asthma and allergies. By avoiding the use of this chemical, you can help keep your kids healthy. 2. Bleach Interacts With Other Household Chemicals Not only is bleach harmful on its own, but its interactions with other commonly used chemicals can produce harmful reactions. When bleach comes in contact with ammonia, it can react to form chlorine gas, which causes cellular damage in the nasal passageways and lungs. The accidental mixture of these two products in homes has resulted in death. Chlorine gas can also form when bleach reacts with acids, such as vinegar. Furthermore, the reaction of chlorine bleach and ammonia can create dangerous and toxic fumes. The hazards of bleach byproducts contribute even further to the perils of using this chemical in your home. A variety of household products, including window cleaners, dishwasher detergents, and drain cleaners can react negatively. When using bleach to clean your home, you have the added worry of an accidental reaction between cleaning products that can endanger your entire household. The potential for dangerous reactions with other chemicals is just another reason to keep cleaning supplies with bleach out of your home. 3. Bleach Has Harmful Effects on Your Body The more you use chlorine bleach, the more you endanger yourself and your family with its harmful ramifications on the body. To start off, inhaling bleach causes damage to your lungs and organs. After accidentally inhaling the fumes, some individuals have reported feeling stinging in their nose and eyes, coughing, and lightheadedness, all of which are symptoms that indicate the corrosive properties of the substance. Additionally, chlorine-based bleach can damage your skin and eyes. If left on skin, bleach can cause irritation and burning. Over very long periods of time, the chemical’s presence on skin can lighten skin pigment and permanently damage tissue. If bleach gets in your eye, it can have serious consequences. Your eye will become incredibly irritated and painful, and can suffer permanent tissue and vision damage if not completely rinsed out. Industrial bleach, which tends to be more diluted, can have these same impacts in much shorter periods of time. 4. Cleaning With Bleach Can Hurt Your Pets While individuals often take many precautions to protect their children, they sometimes forget to watch out for their pets in the same way. Household bleach can be very harmful for cats, dogs, and other pets. While they generally won’t ingest the substance intentionally due to the potent smell, cleaning with bleach can inadvertently expose your animals. The products you utilize to clean your floors or wash your bedding can stay on a pet’s paws or fur. Cats and dogs often lick themselves, which can then cause them to ingest the harmful chemicals. Due to their small size, birds can become sick upon inhaling only a small amount of the fumes. Bleach poisoning in pets can result in vomiting, convulsions, and sometimes death. 5. Bleach Puts the Environment at Risk Bleach can have harmful effects on a much larger scale than just your home. Chlorine-based bleach is often used in industrial processes and released into the environment in massive quantities. The impacts of this pollution have spurred many to argue for the restriction of bleach as an effort to protect health and the environment. Often, manufacturers release bleach-containing waste into bodies of water. Once in the water, bleach reacts with other chemicals to form, among other products, dioxins. Dioxins are known to be highly dangerous toxins that can have serious impacts on health. Bleach also puts wildlife at risk; its byproducts have been linked to cancer in studies on laboratory animals. Environmental toxins created by bleach have lowered the populations of several species of birds and fish. Bleach is especially damaging to the environment because it lingers for many years. Even small amounts of the toxic chemical can accumulate in air and water over time, which can eventually result in adverse health effects. 6. Alternatives to Bleach Can Be Just as Effective Fortunately, many alternative cleaning products are free of bleach and can clean your home just as effectively. For example, rubbing alcohol can be very effective for cleaning the plastic surfaces of electronics. Hydrogen peroxide is a nontoxic substance that can be used to disinfect household surfaces. Unlike bleach, hydrogen peroxide is safe to use around food products. Baking soda and white vinegar, which are non-toxic and non-corrosive, have been utilized to freshen fabrics, eliminate grease, and clean glass for years. Lastly, soap and warm water will clean just about anything in your home and do not present any risks to your health. Scrubbing with antibacterial soap will kill bacteria just like harsher chemicals. Using bleach to clean your home puts you, your children, and your pets at risk. Make sure you understand the danger of bleach-based products before deciding to use them in your home. You may find that using an alternative can clean your home just as well without the hazard.
Alfred says February 18, 2018 at 5:56 pm Hello Karen! Thank you for sharing your knowledge about the use of bleach at home. I used pure bleach to clean the kitchen and bathroom, floors and countertops. Well, I will never use it again the same way. What product to use for decinfecting the basin toilet, the mops? Reply
Julie Prince says May 4, 2019 at 8:40 am baking soda and vinegar works well, also there are chemical cleaners made just for bathrooms and toilets that do not contain bleach. just read the labels.Good luck. Reply
Susan Wilson says October 1, 2019 at 12:35 am Hi Karen, Thank you so much for sharing the “perils” of bleach. I have always been very sensitive to inhaling it. I’ve been a hospital nurse for several years, but for about the last 7 years, bleach has been used extensively to clean in some of our patient rooms, daily on our countertops, phones, and computer keyboards. I’m retiring very soon, but have asthma now, and know that has been a big contributor to my poor lungs. To it unfortunately. Reply
Karen Basrhart says December 31, 2019 at 9:54 pm Hello I am a housecleaner I use alot of distilled white vinegar and seventh generation products smells and cleans good. Reply
Dorothy says April 16, 2020 at 12:59 pm Thank you for information. I bought a beverage from a machine. I tasted faint smell of bleach could the have created a problem in my stomach. It has felt on fire and severe pain just touching it Dorothy Reply
Rosetta mosby says July 19, 2020 at 11:17 pm I cleaned my whole house yesterday using Clorox bleach now i keep coughing and sneezing and when I take a deep breath it makes me cough harder I’m scared cuz I can feel it in my lungs and all I did was clean my house Reply
Bill says March 10, 2018 at 6:55 am They have new less harm full chemicals. The one I use at work is called Microkleen. Reply
John says April 1, 2018 at 11:46 am Well, the question about cleaning the toilet bowl was not answered. I am sitting here having a discussion with my wife about natural cleaners and she couldn’t answer my question regarding cleaning the toilet. So, are you really saying that hydrogen peroxide and dish soap will do the trick? I’ll try it this week, but am skeptical. Reply
Amy says April 2, 2018 at 10:09 pm Lysol makes a hydrogen peroxide cleaner, which is what I use. It’s the best thing I’ve found so far, and it doesn’t irritate my sinuses like bleach. I haven’t tried dish soap personally Reply
Amara says June 6, 2018 at 7:16 pm I have stopped using bleach in my home because it hurts my lungs instantly. Vinegar is an amazing alternative. I put lavender in a bottle with vinegar and clean my whole home. Look up at natural cleaners and you will see the benefits. Reply
Norma Rouse says October 11, 2019 at 11:41 am I use vinegar. The bleach destroys the porcelain after a long time use..a sight you do not want to see. Reply
Marlene Tuitt says April 13, 2020 at 7:45 pm If some someone accidentally dring clorox liquid bleach.,dilute in water. What effect that can produce in side the body. Reply
Justyn Tandy says January 15, 2020 at 12:02 pm Use cheap cola to clean the toilet. Leave overnight and rub off. Works fine. Even just used a wipe. Bleach only whitens limescale and doesn’t remove it anyway.. Reply
Trisha says February 6, 2020 at 11:32 pm I know it’s been a long time since your question…but dis you find a safe alternative? I live with a septic so have never used bleach in this house. If your loo is really bad, turn water off and flush. Then pour 1 or 2 cups white vinegar inside bowl. Add bicarb soda and while it fizzes, use the toilet scrubbing brush to remove any build up. Turn water back on, and flush. Once a week, pour a small cup of white vinegar in the top of your cistern. Leave to sit overnight. Next morning, it will be put through to the bowl with the first flush of the day. Reply
Sherry Frye says April 9, 2018 at 5:06 pm I am housekeeper for over 20 years and have use bleach and bleach products that sting my eyes burn my throat and make me cough I was wondering if it’s going to hurt my health in the long run for so many years being exposed to it I’m almost 60 years old and it’s really starting to hurt bother me Reply
Becca Becker says May 8, 2018 at 9:50 pm Sherry, they just released a 20-year study in Europe (ECRHS III) and concluded that using cleaning products with harsh chemicals once a week leads to a cumulative decline in lung function similar to that of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Yikes! Reply
Allen says April 19, 2018 at 10:16 pm You are are giving dangerous advice….if used properly bleach is the only antibacterial that will kill ecoli, a seriously dangerous threat, as well as being 100% effective on all other bacteria and viruses…although all your suggestions are meant well and have their place in certain situations, properly diluted bleach is absolutely required for complete safety…..please research this further on the internet. I do not have the time to fully explain…for general cleanliness what you suggest is fine….for very young, old, or immune compromised, in medical facilities or already infected environmements always use bleach.At home use on kitchen counters for instance then rinse with watered cloth. Reply
Simon says March 30, 2020 at 4:29 am Hi Allen- just because something kills a bacteria you wish to kill doesn’t make it safe to use. My unerstanding is that dilution is the key to reducing bacteria numbers to safe levels. That along with maintaining a good human microbiome via diet and not using harsh chemicals. For instance the skin micobiota compete with incoming bacteria to exclude or limit them. If you kill your natural biota it leaves an open field for potential toxic invaders. Of course there are times when a vulnerable person needs extra help or a particularly dangerous bacterial risk is present. Then one has to make a judgement. The vulnerable person may however be more harmed by the cure sometimes. What is clear is that bleach harms the lungs- i have asthma and the slightest whiff of bealch gives me an instant attack- nothing else that I’ve ever experienced does so. I’ve worked in care and seen how others are careless with their own health regarding cleaning products and are required to use them by the employers. A toilet bowl or kitchen floor will never be sterile- not it they are used at all. So sterility isn’t relevant there- just risk reducion. That mainly means dilution- and that means thorough rinsing after making any attached ‘dirt’ mobile- say through soap or bicarbonate. In short using even dilute bleach, far from being ‘absolutely required for complete safety’ is guaranteed to be immediately unsafe for an asthmatic like myself and over the long term for others exposed as outlined in the article. If the person vulnerable to bacterial infection then has lung damage added to their burden- how can that be considered ‘complete safety’? Reply
Jamie Boxey says June 18, 2020 at 8:25 am Bleach is NOT the only antibacterial that will kill e-coli. Shaklee’s Basic G does and is safer for sure! Reply
L. J says May 23, 2018 at 12:38 pm Can using bleach cause vertigo? I have the feeling as if I am rocking on a boat non-stop. I use bleach all the time when cleaning anything, including my dishes that I hand wash. Reply
MPH125 says October 10, 2018 at 6:33 am As someone who’s Grandad always washed dishes with bleach because “it never did his parents any harm” and then subsequently died at the age of 74 with multiple organ failure, please for the love of god stop washing your dishes with bleach. Every time you do, you leave trace amounts, which then get ingested when you eat off the dishes.You might not notice now, but down the line, you’ll regret it. Reply
Kris says December 27, 2019 at 12:36 pm However it is required in commercial kitchens to do the final rinse in a diluted bleach solution. 😮 Reply
Nina says December 23, 2019 at 9:50 am Please do not use bleach for dishes you are poisoning you and whoever uses those dishes. It clings on metals, glass and anything else you use it on. This residue is toxic and carcinogenic. Please do some research on food and health safety guidelines. Reply
Katrina C Williams says January 31, 2020 at 11:22 am Than you, I was looking for a answer to, “Does danger persist after cleaning on furniture and glass or floors?” Reply
CRichards says May 26, 2018 at 8:46 am Well I think I do not have any alternative but to use bleach. My mom lives with me and she Has C-Diff with lots of diarrhea . Is there anything else that can kill the C-Diff bacteria? Reply
Yulanda Bennett says November 6, 2018 at 7:42 am Try Neolife cleaning products. All are biodegradable, non toxic, concentrated and cost effective. I will not allow any toxic cleaning products in my home. Everything you touch is absorbed by the skin. Very scary. Reply
Trisha says February 6, 2020 at 11:35 pm Oregano and Clove oil. Oregano is safer on your surfaces, as clove oil can leave grubby stains. Reply
Vinnie DiSano says April 1, 2020 at 2:41 pm You Need to see a doctor I had C- diff For two months. They had me on the wrong medication finally they put me on vancomycin extra strong antibiotic finally the diarrhea stopped after two weeks it was a horror show for two months get some vancomycin from your doctor Reply
Ram says July 13, 2018 at 2:28 am Recently we used bleaching powder to clean to clean dirty floor area in toilets .unfortunately fumes are inhaled by us getting cough and drowsiness.please suggest remedy to come out from this. Reply
Don Herington says August 12, 2018 at 6:18 pm I just used bleach to get stains out of porcelain sinks and tubs and noticed i felt lousy and my sinuses were uncomfortable. I now know it’s not worth it to get those stains out with bleach. Is there anything else that magically removes those stubborn sins stains? Reply
Trisha says February 6, 2020 at 11:37 pm Have you tried plain bicarb soda? I like bicarb and DõTERRA Lemon oil mixed together Reply
Kevin says September 12, 2018 at 9:17 pm My bathtub and toilet not working I try to mix some bleach together right now it’s smell like the gas it’s ok or anything poison or harmful my children Reply
Amanda Armstrong says October 9, 2018 at 11:31 am It is incredibly harmful. Have you every heard of melaleuca products? Switch them out asap. Reply
Lourdes Martinez says December 2, 2018 at 5:46 am I used OddOBan and Lysol.. Both are antibacterial. Reply
Sara says December 7, 2018 at 5:52 pm Bleach is important to use if someone has C. Diff GI infection. You can get hospital grade Clorox for this on Amazon. Spray and let it sit for at least a minute and then rinse. Nothing else will kill the spores. Reply
Kris says December 27, 2019 at 12:38 pm Even hospitals are moving away from bleach. Many have switched over to peroxide based cleaners and silver. Reply
Cheryl says April 15, 2020 at 4:28 pm Hi Sara Do you live in America only asking as I’m in ashford kent ( United Kingdom) and I’m unable to find or get hold of clorox products or Lysol do you where else other than amazon I can get some Or any other product I can use that will kill bacteria and viruses thank you Reply
Saheb says November 3, 2019 at 9:33 am Thank you for enlightening me . I too will never use it. Reply
Vikas Hari says January 22, 2020 at 2:17 pm I have put bleaching powder in my plastic tanks despite and changing them once draining the tanks twice there is very foul smell and heaviness in the water When the water has been checked before entering tanks it is perfect Kindly advise immediately Reply
Zach says February 3, 2020 at 8:39 pm You may want to revise this article a bit. For instance industrial bleach is more concentrated, not more dilute as you wrote it to be. That is completely counter to the point you are trying to make in the first place. I agree overall with limiting the use of bleach, but as others have said, there are certain situations where bleach is the only thing that works to kill off harmful pathogens. That said, a dilution of 10% bleach is typically plenty concentrated to kill most any pathogen. I work in a biomedical science lab and we try to severely limit our use of bleach, but for some things it is unavoidable and would be dangerous to omit its use. Reply
luis X says March 4, 2020 at 6:07 pm HI, One question . if one person cleans (or disinfects a stainless steel surface with beach, how long does the antibacterial or antiviral effect last? Several hours, days, or only a few minutes? Reply
Abe says April 7, 2020 at 6:36 pm I used bleach Clorox in the past it made me sick. At first didn’t bother that much .but now a simple spray or few droplets will irritate my eyes ,throat and drowsy and dizzy. Also, effects my breathing. Its poison. Some experts found out and reported that kids were more susceptible to Influenza virus and weak immune systems because their families used bleach in their house . There plenty of alternatives and way better and kill viruses . And during this coronavirus pendamic you need every bit of your immune system so you can fight viruses. Reply
Sherrie' says September 14, 2020 at 7:08 pm I’m so concerned because I have developed a nagging cough the past week and 1/2 after dumping 2 cups of straight bleach into the toilet bowl that had urine, blood, and mitomycin-C (a chemotherapy drug). I was to dump the bleach into the toilet right after my husband urinated in it (which was about every hour), keeping the lid down for 15 minutes, and then flushing the toilet with the deactivated hazardous material. I have had breathing problems for the past few years, and now that has worstened. I was not advised to use a mask or make sure the bathrooms were well-ventilated. I also soaked all the bloody towels that he used in bleach water. My head was in the bathtub as I bent down to soak these towels. I’m furious, but disappointed in myself for not being more cautious about toxins from this mixture. Think I should have been forwarned by the hospital. Reply
