Clorax 2 Active Oxygen

[stan]

Noticed this on the shelf today..wonder if it would work as well as my non ativated sodium percarbonate?
Has anyone used this or have info?
Dear! Come out come out! Tell us what you know!

 

[launderess]

Doesn't seem to be anything more than *another* variation of Clorox II liquid hydrogen peroxide bleach. No enzymes (it can't have, peroxide would kill/denature), and no activators.

Liquid hydrogen peroxide is a decent and gentle enough oxygen bleach. Though often takes higher temps to really get going. OTOH if one wants less aggressive and or more control over things, it isn't a bad way to go. Because it is in liquid form less rinsing compared to powdered oxygen bleaches is necessary.

Power wise sodium percarbonate is still stronger IIRC.

Consumer Reports many, many years ago tested liquid hydrogen bleaches (Clorox II, Snowy, and some others whose names escape me),and found them wanting even when compared to powdered (then still sodium perborate) bleaches.

Thing about Clorox II liquid oxygen bleach is that they found out not long after invention what professional laundry persons knew for ages; the addition of small amounts of an alkaline substance (laundries/dry cleaners often use ammonia) increases the bleaching action of hydrogen peroxide.

At first Clorox II used STPP (have a bottle of the stuff), now they've moved onto sodium hydroxide (lye) as a "pH balancer".

 

[stan]

Thanks for coming out

Had a feeling I might be too good to be true.
My first thought was, how would the H2O2 be stablized in a liquid?
And figured maybe the same way delvoper for haircoloring would be?
The next thought was..why not use Miss Clairol liquid developer! LOL
Short of that, I'll keep my powdered sodium percarbonate, sodium percarbonate STPP and call it good.

 

[launderess]

Stablizing Peroxide isn't a new thing

As noted has been done for years as any bottled blonde can attest.

Problem is getting liquid oxygen bleach to perform well at low temperatures.

Much like sodium perborate, liquid hydrogen peroxide bleach really needs temps >120F or even at or > 140 to get going. Again the whole "color safe" bleach thing is a marketing ploy. Few if any who know what they are doing are going to wash colors in very hot to boiling water temps, thus the oxygen bleach is controlled.

In France and elsewhere commercial/industrial laundries love liquid oxygen bleaches because the thing is easier to rinse then perborate or percarbonate powders. It just breaks down into water basically after all the oxygen has been used.

Miele's Ultraphase II takes advantage of liquid oxygen bleach technology. It isn't that much different than Clorox II.

 

[supersuds]

I have low sales resistance, so of course I bought some. I use the regular Clorox 2 as a spot treatment for bloodstains, primarily -- have never been able to tell if it made any difference just added to the washload, but as a spot treatment it's useful.

Now putting the regular Clorox 2 on a bloodstain, it will immediately start to turn it white. Oddly, the "40% more oxygen power" in the new stuff didn't seem to do much of anything! I've only used it once, however.

 

[launderess]

Normal 3% hydrogen peroxide sold at chemists (in those brown bottles) would serve same purpose (spot treatment) for less money. Have been doing so for yonks, and of course so have professional laundries, dry cleaners, etc....

Again if you want to speed up the reaction, simply add a drop or two of normal household ammonia.

Professionals like liquid hydrogen peroxide because it is gentle, and can be controlled. While it will take longer to bleach in cooler or warm water, that can be a benefit when dealing with fragile textiles or fabrics such as silk or wool.

Since hydrogen peroxide is slightly acidic, it won't harm silk or wool the way say sodium percarbonate or perborate can. This again is why some professionals like the stuff.

Won't blather; but liquid hydrogen peroxide is a valuable thing to have in one's laundry kit. Works on stains and even scorch marks.

 

[supersuds]

Thanks for the info, Launderess. At the slow rate I use the Clorox 2, it isn’t all that expensive, but good to know there’s a cheaper alternative.

Still not sure what’s up with the black bottle stuff. It must be good for something or other!

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Normal 3% hydrogen peroxide sold at chemists (in those brown bottles)..."

I wonder if you could use that in place of Miele's Ultraphase II? (provided that the user-refillable cartridges are available...)

 

[launderess]

Miele Ultraphase II contains:

Hydrogen Peroxide
Alcohols C10 - C18 Ethoxylated
Sodium diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate
Disodium Distyrylbiphenyl Disulfonate
Citric Acid
Aqua

So you've got hydrogen peroxide, surfactant (ethoxylated alcohols), chelated agent (sodium diethylenetriamine......), OBA (disodium distyrylbiphenyl.....) a pH adjuster (citric acid) and water.

If it is bleaching/mark removal that is wanted, then yes, peroxide sold by chemists would be fine. Though you'd probably need to work out the dosage as we don't know what strength (20 volume or greater) of the Miele product.

IIRC four to eight ounces per wash load of 3% hydrogen peroxide per wash load seems right. Mind you unless using temps >120F to maybe 140F or boil washing you might not see huge results.