Wiki: Bleach

NT · 2011-11-29T00:16:15+00:00

More info welcome....NTBleaches:---------Bleaches sterilise and remove dirt's colour, but don't remove the dirtitself. The remaining bleached dirt acts as a lodging place for moredirt, hence items cleaned with bleach get dirty quicker. Bleaches areuseful when all other attempts to remove the dirt have failed.Bleaches are also to some extent toxic and antibacterial.===Chlorine bleach===The most common household bleach. Irritant to lungs, exacerbatesasthma.Contact with acids releases toxic chlorine gas (chlorine was used forchemical warfare in WW1). Toilet cleaners are usually acidic, and mustnot be mixed with bleach.Discolours and damages many fabrics, particularly natural fabrics andnatural dyes. A mild environmental toxin. Kills bacteria and moulds.Thick bleach is not a stronger bleach mix, it is bleach withdetergent, thickener and pH buffer.Minimum cost bleaches lack the pH buffer usually addded to otherbleaches. The buffer minimises release of chlorine gas when mild acidis added.If you ever encounter unpleasant or choking fumes from bleach, leaveimmediately. Don't wait to work out what happened or sort it out, aslittle as a few breaths can kill.[ Material Safety DataSheet]===Milton===Milton solution is 1% chlorine bleach, 16.5% salt. Tablets are SodiumDichloroisocyanurate. Kills bacteria, fungi, viri and spores. Tabletscan be used to disinfect drinking water, 1 tablet in 32 litres. Miltonis a higher purity grade than basic cleaning bleach, intended for foodhandling equipment.===Hydrogen Peroxide===Hydrogen peroxide avoids most of the downsides of chlorine bleaches,and does not discolour fabrics. Oxygen bleach can be used in laundry &hair bleaching. Not as powerful as chlorine bleach, and not such aneffective antibacterial.Forms toxic compounds when combined with many common materials: avoidcontact with wood, asbestos, soil, rust, copper, iron, steel, alcohol,and other cleaning agents. Rinse away well after use. Can causeserious eye injury.===Sun & soap===Soaping...

Wiki: Bleach

Nov 29, 2011 23 Replies

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stuart noble 14 years ago

What you have demonstrated is how difficult it is to keep something intrinsically complex and specialised within the confines of d-i-y

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Alan Braggins 14 years ago

Bleach removes the colour of things by breaking chemical bonds, which might well affect their solubility.

As other people have said, household bleach is strongly alkali. So if the dirt includes oils or fats, they might undergo saponification (get turned to soap).

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"Household bleach and pool chlorinator solutions are typically stabilized by a significant concentration of lye (caustic soda, NaOH) as part of the manufacturing reaction. Skin contact will produce caustic irritation or burns due to defatting and saponification of skin oils and destruction of tissue. The slippery feel of bleach on skin is due to this process."

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NT 14 years ago

I've not got round to doing this yet. 'will produce irritation or burns' doesnt seem too realistic for domestic bleach.

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The Natural Philosopher 14 years ago

oh it does, as does caustic soda solution on yer hands. Unless you have nerve damage you will notice it pretty quick too in the case of caustic..

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