Bleach why do we use so much of it?

What do you suggest we use in its place?

infoman I agree. I can’t remember the last time I bought bleach and I’m not sure whether there’s any on the house. Hate the smell of it and hate the way it ruins my clothes if I accidentally splash them. I use soap and water and general cleaning products and my kids have grown up to tell the tale. I just don’t get it and never have.

Well we don’t all use loads of bleach apart from down the toilet every now and again I rarely use it I certainly don’t clean with it
I use some eco friendly wash up and there are lots of eco friendly cleaners too

BlueBelle

Well we don’t all use loads of bleach apart from down the toilet every now and again I rarely use it I certainly don’t clean with it
I use some eco friendly wash up and there are lots of eco friendly cleaners too

Same here, we really don't use much of it at all. Are people really using gallons of the stuff on a regular basis?

Must read my toilet cleanser for content and then see if I need to up my game.

No bleach here either.

I certainly don’t use bleach but I believe there are a few bleach fans on GN!

I never buy bleach - after all, it bleaches, but it doesn't clean. The sinks, basins and loos are scrubbed with a little bicarbonate of soda or descaled with hot white vinegar. If a surface is smooth, and free of dirt, grease and limescale, there's nowhere for bacteria to lodge.

I don't use bleach at all I use eco friendly cleaners.
At one point I think the smell of bleach had people believing the home was clean and germ free,my mother was a bleach freak she used it for all the floors and bathroom it brought tears to your eyes thankfully those days are long gone.

BlueBelle

Well we don’t all use loads of bleach apart from down the toilet every now and again I rarely use it I certainly don’t clean with it
I use some eco friendly wash up and there are lots of eco friendly cleaners too

This applies to me too!

glammanana, yes, my mother was a great fan of bleach and other toxic disinfectants too (despite her asthma) as the advertising of the time was all about killing germs!

We use bleach to clean the loo and a drop in the food waste bin, otherwise the eco friendly surface cleaners for sinks, showers and worktops, unlike others I quite like the clean fresh smell it leaves in the bathroom.

I used Ecover loo cleaner (Sage and Mint- smells lovely) for several months and became increasingly frustrated that despite assiduous brushing, the loos never looked really clean.
So I switched back to my old brand - Harpic White and Shine (other brands are available) and the problem went away.
It doesn’t need a lot and it doesn’t need it as often, so I would seriously dispute “so much of it”
I think I am more concerned about the “anti- bacterial” claims made for all sorts of products even plastic chopping boards which may be contributing to bacterial resistance.
From “Scientific American”:
When a bacterial population is placed under a stressor—such as an antibacterial chemical—a small subpopulation armed with special defense mechanisms can develop. These lineages survive and reproduce as their weaker relatives perish. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is the governing maxim here, as antibacterial chemicals select for bacteria that endure their presence.
As bacteria develop a tolerance for these compounds there is potential for also developing a tolerance for certain antibiotics. This phenomenon, called cross-resistance, has already been demonstrated in several laboratory studies using triclosan, one of the most common chemicals found in antibacterial hand cleaners, dishwashing liquids and other wash products . "

(Things have changed, thank Heavens - we don't have to disinfect ourselves too!)

expressdigest.com/adverts-from-1940s-50s-and-60s-show-world-has-changed/

www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-top-10-most-dangerous-ads/

I hate the smell of bleach so I don’t buy it. It reminds me of the swimming baths having lessons as a child!

MayBeMaw, antibacterials - a good example of today's false advertising. We don't need them in hand or dish soap - and they don't work anyway, unless left on for an extended time.

Only Eco products here too.

Hetty58

MayBeMaw, antibacterials - a good example of today's false advertising. We don't need them in hand or dish soap - and they don't work anyway, unless left on for an extended time.

And any “leaving on” is in fact counterproductive as the article explains
Unlike these traditional cleaners, antibacterial products leave surface residues, creating conditions that may foster the development of resistant bacteria. For example, after spraying and wiping an antibacterial cleaner over a kitchen counter, active chemicals linger behind and continue to kill bacteria, but not necessarily all of them

Bleach is not an acid, it is an alkali (sodium hydroxide) and is not mild. In a former life I was a lab technician.

I never use bleach.

I don’t use bleach. The most noxious cleaning product I use is Harpic in the loos.

MayBeMaw, I was making a different point - that they don't kill bacteria in the short time they're on our hands.

Hetty58

MayBeMaw, I was making a different point - that they don't kill bacteria in the short time they're on our hands.

And I was merely adding to it.

Hetty58 love those links, especially the vitamin doughnuts!