The Myths of Bleach

Did you know chlorine bleach does not kill mold, it merely bleaches it!

Other tips and facts …

Some cleaning products contain ingredients banned in 8 countries!

One of the main active ingredients in many household cleaning products is a surfactant. A surfactant makes water wetter. Wetter water spreads across and wets surfaces better, to make cleaning easier.

For decades, common surfactants have been derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. One of these is nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), and then there is the whole class of alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants (APEs). Use of these chemicals is severely restricted in virtually all western nations except America. An enlightening analysis of their potentially adverse affects on the environment and the human body can be ordered from the Washington Toxics Coalition (watoxics.org).

So why do many cleaning product manufacturers in America still insist on using NPE and APEs even though they don’t use them in other western countries? Because they’re cheap!

There are alternatives. Cleaning products that use bio-based surfactants. Bio-based surfactants are made primarily from renewable resources such as coconuts, corn and oranges and have a much better health, safety and environmental profile.  We recommend Imperia Cleaner biodegradable cleaner from the makers of D’Sapone.

Disadvantages of Using Chlorine Bleach as a Disinfectant

More and more institutions are not using chlorine bleach products because they:
1. Lack detergency – Contain no wetting agents to allow the disinfecting agent to penetrate soils, so surfaces MUST be pre-cleaned before the chlorine bleach will effectively kill germs.
2. Very caustic to human tissues – Can burn eyes and skin.
3. React with other chemicals to create toxic byproducts and gases – Incompatible with products that contain ammonia, hydrochloric acid and acetic acid (vinegar).
4. Fumes can be irritating – Occupants of building frequently complain about bleach and bleach related odors migrating into their work areas.
5. Can emit a carcinogenic gas if it comes in contact with formaldehyde, or is hyper-chlorinated by hot water.
6. Extremely corrosive to metals – Chlorine bleach can attack and corrode metal surfaces as well as permanently discolor countertops, grout and some natural stone.
7. Discolor fibers and colored surfaces – Carpets, entrance matting and clothing are just a few of the fibers that can be damaged when contacted by chlorine bleach solutions.
8. Damage floor finishes – Chlorine bleach can attack the floor finish coatings on the floor requiring them to be removed and replaced. This is an expensive process.
9. Rapidly inactivated by organic debris (blood, tissue, saliva, microbes).
10. Diluted solutions quickly lose their effectiveness. Chlorine bleach is unstable and can lose its oxidizing and disinfecting strength rapidly compared to “quat” based disinfectant-cleaners and/or sanitizers.

D'Sapone Cleaners versus Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine is widely used as a bleaching agent in the manufacturing process of paper and cloth. When released into the air, it reacts with water to make hydrochloric acid. The most common place you will come into contact with it is at public swimming pools. You can also find it in everyday household bleach.

Household bleach is alkaline and has a pH around 12. This means when multiple cleaners are used for cleaning, it is possible for a chlorinated liquid residue to become acidic and thus corrosive. This can happen, for example, when a vessel is cleaned with a chlorinated cleaner followed by an acid-based cleaner or sanitizer. Accidentally mixing chlorine bleach with acid- or ammonia-based cleaners (so commonly found in households and institutions) can release very harmful gases.

Chlorine at room temperature is a gas. Chlorine gas can effect your health, depending on how much of it you have been exposed to and for how long. It is corrosive and irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Exposure to low amounts may cause a sore throat, eye and skin irritation and coughing. Exposure to higher amounts of the gas can cause narrowing of the bronchi, burning of the eyes and skin and a blue coloring of the skin. It can also cause a build up of fluid in the lungs and pain in the chest.

D'Sapone's Imperia Cleaner in low concentrations works well as a disinfectant and antiseptic without the smell and potentially harmful effects of chlorine bleach.

We carry Imperia Grout Cleaner!  (click on the picture below)