Bleach Alternative – is there really such a thing? By now, you may be wondering about this. It’s important to know, since you probably have various forms of this cleaning product in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room.
Risks That Show We Need A Bleach Alternative Routine
Bleach is a highly hazardous chemical, yet many people consider it as safe as having salt on the table. Bleach poses a few risks….and those risks are noteworthy of attention.
- Bleach Can Be A Threat For Children-swallowing this chemical can be deadly, so most adults will make sure the kids don’t do it. However, it is also a threat of adverse effects on children if they live in a home where bleach is frequently used to clean. The fumes bleach emits brings the risk of childhood respiratory illness, asthma, and allergies.
- Bleach Interacts Badly With Other Household Chemicals-“Bleach doesn’t play well with others”, such as ammonia, alcohol, other cleaning products, or acid based cleaning products (vinegar & lemon juice). When bleach mixes with other chemicals, it can turn to toxic chlorine gas, which causes cellular damage to the lungs and nasal pathway.
- Bleach Brings Harmful Effects To Your Body-The more you use this chemical, the more risks for yourself and your family. Inhaling bleach can damage the lungs and organs. An accidental whiff of the fumes can mean stinging eyes and nose, coughing, and feeling dizzy. Bleach can damage/burn/lighten your skin, if it remains there for long periods. Eye damage can happen in terms of tissue and vision damage. All of these are symptoms show the toxic properties of bleach. Read more about How Bleach Affects Your Health.
- Bleach Can Impact Your Pets-Don’t exclude your furry, feathered pet. They have many of the same risks. And consider the pet is closer to the floor, where bleach cleaners can get on their feet. Animals can lick the bleach residue that has stuck to their feet. Perhaps you wash the pet bedding with bleach, and the pet has gotta lay on it. Birds are so small, that just one exposure to bleach fumes could be enough to kill them. Pets can have bleach poisoning with vomiting, convulsions, and death as the symptoms.
- Bleach Poses Environmental Risks-Chlorine based bleach is frequently used during industrial processing and get released into the environment in huge amounts. If a manufacturer releases bleach industrial waste into bodies of water, the bleach may react to form Dioxins. Dioxins are highly toxic and hold their own dangerous risks. Bleach can accumulate in the air and water, remaining for year, and posing cancer risks to wildlife.
Is It Worth The Effort To Try A Bleach Alternative?
Absolutely….YES!
I will grant you this – Bleach seems to be everywhere! Yet we can take a few steps that will mean a HUGE improvement for our Happy Healthy Lives!
Consider One Of These Bleach Alternative Routines:
- Vinegar: This product helps brighten clothes and removes body oils, and soap residues. For heavily dirty clothes – Add 1 cup of distilled vinegar to a pot of hot water, add the clothes to the liquid, and soak overnight. For normal laundry loads – add 1/2-1 cup white vinegar to the laundry load. Vinegar can also be used in place of fabric softener. Kitchen-spray clean surfaces, use a mix of water/vinegar to wash produce.
- Vinegar with Borax & lemon juice: This is a “bleaching” or whitening replacement. Mix 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of borax, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Use this as a gentle alternative whenever you would use bleach with your laundry.
- Baking Soda: Add 1/2-1 cup baking soda to the regular laundry detergent to help remove dirt and odors.
- Vinegar With Baking Soda: Do you remember that mixture that turned into the “volcano experiment” at the Science Fair? That is what this does in helping to unclog drains, clean the toilet bowl, clean the stained sink. First pour 1 cup vinegar in the container, letting it sit for 30 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup baking soda, and step back. 🙂 Then scrub the surface, and rinse clean.
- Hydrogen Peroxide: Brighten laundry by adding ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide with laundry detergent before a routine wash. Kitchen-Use a spray bottle with a mix of water to clean cutting boards, sponges, and even vegetables of bacteria. Bathroom- dilute with water for whiter nails and even as a mouthwash to kill bacteria.
- Lemon Juice: Cut the lemon in half and rub it on to the stained clothing or surface. You can also drain the juice and mix it with water in a spray bottle. Consider tossing the lemon rinds in the garbage disposal to remove odors and muck.
- Castile Soap: Dilute the Castile soap with water to clean bathrooms, dishes and cookware. For a great laundry detergent, combine with white vinegar, baking soda, washing soda and borax. Combine a tablespoon of Castile soap with several cups of water in a spray bottle and safely clean your produce.
- Borax: Mix in with laundry detergent to give it a cleaning power boost and disinfectant. It’s an ideal ingredient for scrubbing and cleaning dirty and stained surfaces. Mix with Castile soap and water to scrub sinks and toilets clean. Combine 1 cup Borax and 1/2 cup white vinegar in a spray bottle to clean toilet bowls, showers, sinks, and tubs.
- Borax and Essential Oils: Here is an all natural easy and effective household cleaner, that is a gentle and safe alternative. It has deodorizing and effective germ killing properties. This combination is great for kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. Combine 1/2 cup borax and 1 gallon of tepid warm water. Then add 20 drops antibacterial essential oils (bergamot, orange, lemongrass, tea tree, juniper, pine, citronella, peppermint, lemon, sandalwood, eucalyptus, lavender and rosemary).
Don’t Be Afraid To Try A Bleach Alternative…Be Excited
Trying something new can be FUN! Think of it as a game, such as a video game, where you get to move around obstacles and eventually win. Our challenge is to reduce toxins. If we miss some of the obstacles (toxins), we have to find excitement in the areas we are actually conquering.
“The most unfortunate thing that happens to people is that they limit themselves by becoming afraid to try anything new…give yourself a chance!”
— Nishan Panwar
Are you ready to take a chance to get rid of bleach and start using a bleach alternative?
Pam Schmidt
Chemical Minimalist
Mindfulness Mentor
Find more articles about reducing toxins or join our community…. https://ChemicalMinimalist.com
P.S. Get the support you need to get things rearranged and reduce the chemicals in your home, food, cleaning supplies, and healthy supplements. Request a private consultation with me.
