Bleach???

[Beeman]

Is there any difference in household bleach? Stores sell Clorox and a couple of generics. Nothing on the label as far as strength. Is there any difference at all?

[glenn amolenaar]

When we had the dairy we were using Clorox, A friend who worked at the city water plant said save your money buy generic as it is all the same. The milk inspector said we could only use the approved brands. We saved the high cost bottles when empty and dumped the cheap brand into those bottles.
Inspector never said a word.

[therunbunch]

Glenn.. that's pretty smart lol. I think it is all the same too. I like the stuff that has the scents added in.. like the lavendar bleach.. for household cleaning and such.

[Harry Chickpea]

There is a slight difference. The generics are more likely contaminated with trace amounts of iron. Dunno why, haven't researched, but was told that long ago by someone who should know, and I have noticed some staining. The iron won't hurt you if it is there.

[AR Transplant]

I don't know a lot about bleach. But I keep more than I need around in case I need to make water safe to drink. Because of that I only buy plain clorox.
Obviously, you can't use "flavored" bleach for that.

[Use Less]

The age of bleach matters more than the brand name. It loses strength over time, not all that long.

[Forerunner]

Bleach is of the devil.

35% peroxide will do the same things without the environmental holocaust.

[bruce2288]

On all bottles I buy they list the % of sodium hypochlorate. Look for that.

[Wolf mom]

Bleach is bleach - BUT the strength may differ - I go to HD & buy their Clorox Commercial Germicidal bleach - that NEEDS to be diluted - much cheaper....

[volleypc]

Depending on what you are doing it may be fine. Chlorox is 6% chlorine.. Some of the generics are only 3% so you would need to use twice as much. The thing about Chlorine is that you can not just automatically assume you are disinfecting. Cooler temps require more chlorine, higher or lower PH's require more chlorine, etc.

[hippygirl]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

There is a slight difference. The generics are more likely contaminated with trace amounts of iron. Dunno why, haven't researched, but was told that long ago by someone who should know, and I have noticed some staining. The iron won't hurt you if it is there.

Which probably explains why my whites turned yellow the one time I tried a generic brand.

[littlebitfarm]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Bleach is of the devil.

35% peroxide will do the same things without the environmental holocaust.

Do you have an on-line source for the 35% peroxide?

Kathie

[arabian knight]

Bleach is good stuff. I use the generic brands to clean out my water tanks. And put in some directly in the water tanks to keep it clean longer. 1/4 cup of bleach in a 150 gallon water tank keeps it cleaner longer.

[mnn2501]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Bleach is of the devil.
35% peroxide will do the same things without the environmental holocaust.

bleach is NOT 'of the devil' and no health department I know of will let you use peroxide as a sanitaizer in a restaurant even if you could afford the cost.

bleach is bleach -- watch the strength as has already been said.

[TacticalTrout]

From what I understand 5.25% maintains somewhat stable for a longer period of time. I sell products to a food processing facility that uses 10% bleach which they say is required by their USDA inspectors. I looked at bringing in the 10% for them but found that the quantity I had to bring in to get a decent price would weaken to the 5.25% mark by the time I sold it all based on their usage. I couldn't justify the liability or risk and bleach is heavy and a slim profit margin anyway.

I always assumed that the Clorox was more pure than off brand as Harry mentioned above. Similar to Forerunner, I also don't care much for bleach. I keep a little at the house but don't use it. It is very easy to misuse and many folks do. Bleach dissipates quickly in higher temperatures, but is often used in hot water applications. In the foodservice business some folks still rely on bleach for cleaning and sanitizing, but few take the time to dilute properly. It's tough on material and tough on hands. At home, overuse can destroy your septic system environment by killing the bacteria and enzymes needed to keep it working.

[TacticalTrout]

Originally Posted by mnn2501

bleach is NOT 'of the devil' and no health department I know of will let you use peroxide as a sanitaizer in a restaurant even if you could afford the cost.

Many restaurants are using a quaternary ammonia or iodine based sanitizer now and have been for years. Yes...bleach still has it's place when used properly, but especially in restaurants with high employee turnover it is tough to train and monitor proper use with a jug of bleach. A teaspoon per gallon is all that is needed, but I have seen too many folks dumping a half a cup or more in a gallon bucket for wiping down tables and stuff.

[GoatsRus]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

Bleach is good stuff. I use the generic brands to clean out my water tanks. And put in some directly in the water tanks to keep it clean longer. 1/4 cup of bleach in a 150 gallon water tank keeps it cleaner longer.

We do the same thing!

[Forerunner]

Originally Posted by littlebitfarm

Do you have an on-line source for the 35% peroxide?

Kathie

Nope. I get mine locally from a health and nutrition-conscientious livestock supplement dealer. It runs about 8 bucks a gallon.
I try to get it five gallons at a time, and have been known to get a 35 gallon drum of the stuff..... cuz you know.... bleach is of the devil.

I'm sure an online search would turn up something. Price might be higher though, especially per gallon.

[littlebitfarm]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Nope. I get mine locally from a health and nutrition-conscientious livestock supplement dealer. It runs about 8 bucks a gallon.
I try to get it five gallons at a time, and have been known to get a 35 gallon drum of the stuff..... cuz you know.... bleach is of the devil.

I'm sure an online search would turn up something. Price might be higher though, especially per gallon.

I used to get it online. A couple gallons in the cistern, once a year, really cleans it up nice. Haven't found any online since some idiot tried to make a bomb out of it.

Kathie

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by littlebitfarm

Do you have an on-line source for the 35% peroxide?

Kathie

Hubby purchased very concentrated hydrogen peroxide for his photography business. Please know that that stuff can burn your eyes and clean out your sinuses like nobody's business.