How green is bleach?

[science_spot]

Many people have seen the advertisements proclaiming bleach to be a "green" option for cleaning and disinfecting in our homes.  I see alot of skepticism about this claim, so I set out to do another product review.  If you like this post, you may be interested in my past product reviews (Intelligender Kits, natural disinfectant, cleaning wipes, and antiviral tissues) or my going-green blog on the Healthy Living BUZZ "It's Natural".

There are many options for cleaning and disinfecting our homes (see How to Kill a Virus).  Some people prefer something more natural because it could be safer for our families and homes, and safer for the environment when the residues are rinsed down the drain, out into the public water system.  The last few decades, many companies have introduced synthetic cleaners composed of a complex assortment of complex chemicals.  These chemicals have mostly unknown effects on humans and the environment.  Recent observations and scientific data indicate the volume of these synthetic agents making their way into the water supply does have negative effects on both humans and animals. These concerns have led to a recent explosion in the number of cleaners being labeled and marketed as "green".  The only way to know for sure what you are getting is "green" is to read the labels, understand the company's definition of "green" and make informed choices about your cleaning products.  A product you are using sparingly in the home, but washing down the drain, directly into our water supply, should be biodegradable.

Bleach has a very strong odor and needs to be used with caution in the home (especially around the younger ones).  Despite the need for some caution, bleach is actually a very good option for cleaning and disinfecting in the home, particularly because of its effectivess, and the lack of chemical residue it leaves on surfaces and in the environment.  Understanding the chemical makeup and dynamics of bleach makes the "green-ness" of it more clear.

The many uses of bleach over many years are an indication of its green-ness. We use it to disinfect swimming pools, disinfect water to make it drinkable, and as a disinfectant in hospitals.  Actually, the reasons why it has these remarkable uses is due to the fact it readily breaks down in dilute solution, which is why it is so green!  It just doesn't stick around very long, like complex chemical cleaners do.

 

QUICK CHEMISTRY LESSON ON BLEACH:

Regular Bleach is made of 6% sodium hypochlorite (chemically ClNaO) and traces of sodium hydroxide (OH-) in H2O.  In the jug of bleach, you will have ClNaO molecules dispersed with some OH molecules in many many water molecules.  At any given time, any water sample consits of H2O molecules, but also OH- and H+ ions as well.  These ions and water molecules are constantly hooking up and splitting apart, pretty much at equilibrium.  There is also some dissociation of the sodium hypochlorite, but not much.  So the jug of bleach looks something like this:

 

 

When this regular bleach is diluted in water at the time of use, the excess water drives the dissociation of the sodium hypochlorite into its parts, while combining with some of the free H+ ions to form HOCl and NaOH-.  The HOCl further breaks down spontaneously in solution into HCl and O (oxygen).  So a jug of diluted bleach will look like this:

 

 

As you can see in the image above, after decomposition (which occurs naturally in a short period of time), the  bleach degrades to just water ions, oxygen, sodium and chloride (which together form sodium-chloride, or table salt).  Essentially, bleach degrades to simple salt water which is not toxic to humans, animals, or our water supply.

The key to disinfecting with bleach (and hydrogen peroxide) is that free O (oxygen) atom, as shown above.  This free oxygen is very reactive, and when it comes into contact with bacteria, it forces open their cell walls, killing them.  As this disruption is a chemical/physical process (not mediated by protein or gene expression), bacteria do not generally acquire resistance to this mode of cell death, making it one of the safest products to use for disinfecting because it eliminates the concern of antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria.

I personally don't use much bleach in the home due to the strong smell and slimy feel, but that is just a matter of personal preference.  I no longer use strong chemicals with poor biodegradeable profiles; I have recently been exploring the use of vinegar as a more natural cleaner in the home.  I also hate the smell of vinegar, but I am hoping to gain some immunity to it (soon).

 

Tonya

The Science Spot 

 

 

[MSugarKane]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 7:01 AM

Bleach sure has a strong odor. I use it when my husband isn't home, he hates the smell.  It sure does well for toilets!

[auroragold]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 7:43 AM

Thanks for the post.  I am a bleach (diluted) user and have tried vinegar too.  Funny but the vinegar smell bothers me more than the bleach smell!

I will continue to use both until I find another alternative AS effective and AS cost efficient!

[auroragold]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 7:44 AM

p.s.  I use vinegar as a weed killer as well (just not near anything I want to keep!)

[aurorabunny]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 9:36 AM

Put a few drops of your favorite essential oil into your vinegar cleaner!  I add tea tree for the nice anti-fungal properties.  It will make the vinegar smell much more tolerable. :) 

Thanks for the journal, we don't use bleach in this house either.  I can't take the smell it gives me an instant headache.

[science_spot]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM

aurorabunny - good idea about the essential oil!  I didn't think of that.

(Original Poster)

[aenima49]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 10:36 AM

That is really great info!  I still wonder if all the chemicals (not to mention the garbage we eat) is partially to blame for the huge surge in food allergies & autism.

[MotherofIreland]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 10:44 AM

This is awesome!  Thank you!

Voted popular =)

[aurorabunny]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 11:20 AM

You're welcome!  You will get used to it too.  When we first started cleaning everything with vinegar my husband was annoyed that the whole house "smelled like a foot" as he put it, haha.  But now we don't even notice.  Eucalyptus EO goes really nice in it too.

[arthistmom]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 1:03 PM

Great stuff, Tonya! LOVE the visual aid. :) I use diluted bleach every so often but the smell, even diluted, can be a bit much. Great idea about adding essential oils, aurorabunny. I'll have to try that!

[Mama0f3grlz]

Dec. 22, 2009 at 5:36 PM

Bleach is the only thing I've found that can clean my kitchen floor after my kids get a hold of it. I've tried lots of thigns, including vinegar and it still feels sticky. So bleach is what I'll use on that and then clean my bathrooms with it. That's the only way I really trust them to be clean. I absolutely hate the smell of it but I can stand it if it means a clean house.