Uses For Bleach?

[GB]

I have never kept bleach around my house and am now thinking I should be using it. I would like to soak my plastic cutting boards in it. My question is, what other uses can I use it for and how much do I use? How much do I dilute it? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Also my wife is nervous of the fumes around our baby. Is this something we should be concerned about?

 

[kitchenelf]

Pour one cup of bleach once a month down every drain in your house before you go to bed. It really helps keep them flowing!!

You didn't mention washing clothes - don't know if that's a given or not. Whites, one cup per load, hot water.

I dilute it 1 part bleach 10 parts water and clean my chopping block.

 

[GB]

Thanks Kitchenelf. No that was not a given. When it comes to bleach I know almost nothing!!! ANY suggestions are very helpful at this point. Thanks

 

[kitchenelf]

If any of it splashes on your clothes you will have these cute little bleach spots so be careful. You can buy the stuff that doesn't splatter but that's up to you.

If you have stubborn stains on your white countertop or in your white sink it will help with them too - just don't lean on the counter while you are wiping the back - I have several shirts with a nice white horizontal stripe on the tummy.

 

[luvs]

i know you can clean baby toys in a very dilute solution of it. i'll go to the Clorox site and see if i can find the exact ratio for you.

 

[luvs]

here you go!

http://www.cloroxchildcare.com/childcare/clean_when.html

i couldn't find the ratio, though, darn it!

 

[ronjohn55]

A note on cleaning with bleach - it's great for many things, but keep it away from all things stainless steel. Over time, aka prolonged contact, it will cause pitting and corrosion (not good for those of us with SS sinks....). A quick wipe and rinse is no problem, though...

John

 

[GB]

Thanks Guys!!! You are the best.

 

[GB]

Ronjohn that is very good to know since my sinks are SS. so to soak my plastic cutting boards I would want to do that in something else then?

 

[ronjohn55]

Ronjohn that is very good to know since my sinks are SS. so to soak my plastic cutting boards I would want to do that in something else then?

Yep, something plastic or otherwise (Do you have a laundry tub?) will work. It stinks that bleach messes up stainless, since it is a great cleaner for around my homebrewery - except that it would mess up my SS 5 gallon kegs....

I clean all of my plastic brewing buckets and such with bleach fairly regularly. I just do it in the laundry tub down in the basement.


John

 

[GB]

The only thing I can think of that is not stainless and that could hold my boards (I think) is my roasting pan which is non stick. Would that work or would it ruin my roasting pan?

 

[Andy M.]

I keep a bleach solution in a spray bottle. I use it to spray the counter and sink after processing raw poultry.

I use it to de-stain my plastic cutting boards. It sanitizes them as well. I also use the sanitizing cycle on the dishwasher for that.

I wash all dish cloths, towels and cutting board pads in a separate load with a heavy dose of bleach. I let it soak for an hour then finish the wash with a double rinse.

It also purifies the water in your swimming pool.

BTW, setting aside the specialty bealches for a moment, all bleach is the same. If you buy Clorox over the store brand, you're paying extra for the label.

In addition to making pretty little white stains on your colored clothing if you spill it, It will eat the fibers in the fabric and cause holes. It's potent stuff!

Never mix it with ammonia!​

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[Andy M.]

A note on cleaning with bleach - it's great for many things, but keep it away from all things stainless steel. Over time, aka prolonged contact, it will cause pitting and corrosion (not good for those of us with SS sinks....). A quick wipe and rinse is no problem, though...

John

Bleach is an oxidizing agent. It will accelerate rusting in rust prone metals. However, for bleaching my cutting boards, I use a diluted solution in my SS sink. Never had a problem.

I don't fill the sink with bleach and water. I layer my cutting boards in the sink with 2-3 layers of papertowel in between boards and on the top board. I soak each paper towel with a 50/50 bleach solution and leave it for an hour or so.

The papertowels hold the bleach on the board surface and delays their drying out and allows me to bleach both sides of the boards at the same time. At the end of that time, the papertowels have disintegrated and I wash them down the drain.

 

[HanArt]

If you use hummingbird feeders they should be cleaned (soaked) with a weak bleach water solution, then rinsed well before refilling.

 

[crewsk]

If you have a thermal coffee jug(I know there's another name for these but I can't think of it), pour about 2 or 3 Tbsp. bleach into it & fill with hot water & let it soak. Dump the bleach water & wash with hot soapy water. It will remove any coffee residue in the jug.

 

[HanArt]

If you have a thermal coffee jug(I know there's another name for these but I can't think of it), pour about 2 or 3 Tbsp. bleach into it & fill with hot water & let it soak. Dump the bleach water & wash with hot soapy water. It will remove any coffee residue in the jug.

If there really is an issue with bleach and stainless steel, that may not be such a good idea especially if the carafe is stainless. I use baking soda to clean mine.

 

[crewsk]

HanArt, the inside of all mine are glass.

 

[HanArt]

HanArt, the inside of all mine are glass.

Then you're cool.

 

[kitchenelf]

crewsk - is Thermos the word you're looking for?

 

[ronjohn55]

Hi All,


Andy's post got me to thinking - when homebrewers (of which I'm a guilty party) talk of cleaning things with bleach, we're usually speaking of concentrations that are more closely aligned with a caustic cleaner than a dilute solution.

As an example, my brewing buckets and such are usually cleaned and soaked with a solution of 1 cup (or more) per gallon of water. The smell of bleach in the solution is very pronounced. This type of solution can start to react with stainless after about an hour or so of contact time (and homebrewers are notorious for letting things soak overnight...).

A more reasonable houshold type of mix wouldn't cause any damage, especially if it was a short soak followed by a rinse. After all, most municipal water at one time used chlorine (many have now switched to chloramine), and many - mine included - still do, and it has't ruined my sink.

So - short version, don't overdo it, and even your stainless should be OK. (But I'm still not putting bleach in my kegs! )

John