A reader recently asked us some good questions about bleach. We thought the information worth sharing more broadly, so here you go: a few useful facts about bleach.

What’s wrong with bleach? Well, it depends whether it’s chlorine bleach or not…

Chlorine bleach, a common disinfectant frequently found in scouring powders and cleaning solutions, is highly caustic, meaning it can burn skin and eyes — plus it can be fatal if swallowed and in high concentrations can aggravate asthma symptoms. When it travels from your drain into the natural world, it can create organochlorines (furans & dioxins), which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins. You also never want to mix chlorine with ammonia, which can accidentally happen if you mix conventional cleaners—it creates a very toxic gas.

A more healthy alternative is non chlorine bleach, made usually from oxygen based bleach or even hydrogen peroxide (which breaks down safely) from Ecover, Oxo-Brite, or Seventh Generation. The popular cleaner OxyClean actually falls into this category as well. They are not quite as powerful as chlorine-based bleached, but are considered less toxic, very effective for household use, and safer for your family and the environment. Even safer alternatives include Borax for laundry and white vinegar is safe and very effective for most stains (I can vouch for vinegar’s ability to get out red wine).

With as many effective alternatives to bleach out there, I think it’s fair to say that where there is a stain, there is a less toxic alternative to get it out and it’s good to throw out (or at least reduce) the chlorine based stuff.

Any other recommendations anyone?

To learn more about cleaning green in general, here is a good summary.