Is bleach weaker today? (2023 Update)

[Donna]

Has anyone else observed that laundry bleach seems to be weaker than it was 20 years ago?

Donna

[Piper]

Don't know about that, Donna, but it still smells as bad.

-- Piper

[Sawney Beane]

It has a limited shelf life. It used to be 5.25% because that concentration had a good shelf life. Now it's usually 6%. I think manufacturing had improved so that the stronger concentration had an adequate shelf life, and it saved on shipping weight.

My last bottle was a discount brand. In time it got very weak. My new bottle, another discount brand, is much more potent, but I just noticed the concentration is not stated on the label. That convinced me to buy name-brand bleach in the future.

[Dawn]

mine is less than 5% sodium hypochlorite and it's a top brand but it is a thick bleach. I can't recall using the thick one twenty years ago

[Muvin Gruvin]

awhile back I purchased bleach at Costco. They came in a set of 2 gallon plastic containers. My utility room is small and lacks much space so I poured some of the bleach from the gallon bottle into a smaller =BD gal bleach bottle. That way I could store on the floor next to the washing machine. Well I do not use bleach all that often. When I finally picked up that small bottle the vinyl floor is totally stained yellow as if the bleach had leached onto the floor. Luckily it not an area in direct vision

[Donna in Texas]

I have had bleach kept a long (really long) time sort of eat through the plastic bottle a little bit. Now when I store it in the cupboard I put the bottle into a larger plastic bowl---sort of as a coaster. Now, having heard your experience, I think I'll start storing it in the garage.

Donna

[tom tulinsky]

It seems to me it is. I had a spot on a knit cotton shirt that wouldn't come out. I thought , a white spot would be better than a dark spot, so first I put on the pencil bleach spot remover--no effect. Then I poured pure household bleach on it, let it soak--still no effect. When I was a kid (60s-70s) I remember bleach could make holes in cloth. People splashed bleach on jeans on purpose and it made spots that were totally white.

[Amy]

replying to tom tulinsky, Amy wrote: I just found this out for myself after purchasing the "big name brand " in bleach department to attempt to reverse the dye a black shirt at full concentrate the color took about half hour and required full submersion to achieve a slight color change turning dark mauve brown color not much lighter than the black . I can remember when using it diluted to clean if a slight drop came in contact with your black clothing it was instantly changing orange before your eyes .

[Mary Bingle.]

I certainly think it is. Every year I treat mildeau on my stone patio. 10 years ago I'd mix a 25% bleach solution, which immediately cleaned it up. Now this year, I pored 100% bleach on it and saw little result. What's happening?

[Michael]

We have more color options now with modern dyes, so different blacks have different undertones. That’s why matching a basket of black socks is so madding, or why three black shirts don’t quite look the same. Also with modern weaving techniques bleach won’t affect synthetic the same as natural fibers. So when we got bleach on us in the 60s the natural fibers and weaker dyes would go white so easy.

[Hot]

**I’m sure the average bleach product (ie household bleach) is of less strength than previously, I’ve tried one or two of these to clean my toilet, but they do not clean like they used to. I reaslise it would have/has harmful effects to the environment

[Proud American]

YES!!! I thought the same thing! Its weaker and the price has skyrocketed!!