My name is Maggie, and I am a Bleachoholic...

[maggie~hamilton]

Well, I used to be, anyway. But thanks to the wisdom posted to this forum some months ago, I have seen the light.

I grew up in a household where chlorine bleach was literally Liquid Gold and used for everything from unclogging drains to eradicating mold in the shower to, yes, bleaching whites in the laundry.

There has been some discussion here about chlorine bleach vs the oxygenated cleaners, e.g., Oxy Clean. Someone posted that they got whiter whites with Oxy Clean than with chlorine bleach. I had a very hard time believing that, since I had been swearing by bleach ever since I started doing my own laundry at around age 12 - following Mama's example of course.

Well, I really had been thinking about this and finally decided to make a 60-day test. Each time I have done laundry over the past two months, I have done one load of whites with my usual mixture for "whiter-than-white Whites" : Gain liquid detergent (yeah, I know, it's White Trash laundry detergent but I love the stuff - works great and smells great); a half cup of Borax, a half cup of baking soda (deodorizer), and 3/4 cup of Clorox with a dribble of bluing (love the stuff) stirred into the bleach.

(n.b., I don't use the bleach dispenser of my washer because it's too annoying to stand there and dribble it in. What I do is put the bleach and bluing in a gallon pitcher, fill it with water to dilute, then slowly pour it in when the washer begins agitating.)

Then I did a second load each time with the same as above, except that I swapped 2 scoops of Oxy Clean in place of the Clorox, adding the bluing by mixing a couple of drops into the gallon pitcher and then adding it to the water just as the machine began to agitate.

WELL.

I have to say, in two-month's time, the loads of laundry done with the Clorox are noticeably grayer and yellower-looking than the load done with the Oxy Clean. I really am amazed by the results of this experiment! To the extent that I have decided to stop using Clorox in the washer. It is still great for keeping drains open (a cup poured down the drain every couple of weeks followed by a pail of hot water will do wonders), and for getting rid of that pesky mold in the shower. But - on my clothes? No more!

p.s. I use Zout Oxy-Foam pre-treating spray for stains - I've found it works great on just about every kind of stain, especially tomato sauce and dirt.

Just thought y'all like to know you've made a convert of me!

 

[bingwsguy]

I too, am a bleach-a-holic

I did find the same to be true about 10 years ago when I bought my ASKO machines. They force you to stay away from chlorine bleach, so shortly after I started using oxy-clean and loved it because of the unbelievable white wash and stain free wash it produced. The problem? I honestly missed that hint of chlorine in my sheets and towels...after all that is "THE" scent of clean.

 

[sudsmaster]

Next up: try using Borax to scub the mold out of the shower. I think it works as well, if not better, than bleach, plus the residual boron seems to inhibit mold growing back. Just don't eat the stuff, k?

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Borax - a tasty treat?!

Not to worry about my eating the stuff - now, the Gain ... that's a different story. It smells SO good, I am honestly tempted to take a swig now and then.

JUST KIDDING (explanation for the clueless haha)

Never heard of trying Borax in the shower but willing to give it a go. How does one use it? Dissolve in water and spray, or dip a wet brush in a small bowl containing the powder, or??

 

[goprog]

Sent this to Mom and she responded:

The bluing was not put in the wash cycle when I
was growing up, it was put in the last tub of
rinse water, but that was when we used wringer
washers and had two tubs of rinse water.

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Bluing

I have found it does not matter whether you put it in the wash or rinse cycle. The trick is not to get tempted to use too much! When I first started using it, I overdid it and got a couple washloads of baby blue sheets, socks and 'unmentionables' --- a little (just 2-3 drops) goes a LONG way.

http://www.mrsstewart.com/

 

[buffster]

Clorox

I also use Clorox in all of my white loads. And, I just learned recently that not all Clorox bleach is the same. I had been using the splash-less bleach, because, well, as the name implies, it's splash-less. However, it is not the same as the regular Clorox bleach. (Also, the splash-less bleach does not disinfect; the regular does.) I don't know which type of Clorox you're using, but this may be why your whites aren't staying white.

If you haven't already done so, you might try Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover to get rid of mold. I find it to be very effective; however, you need to let it sit for a good hour or so before rinsing.

http://www.clorox.com/products/

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Tilex

a former landlord told me the active ingredient in Tilex, XJ-14 (or whatever it's called), etc., etc. is ... chlorine bleach. He said, "why pay four bucks a bottle for the stuff? Get a 69¢ spray bottle and fill it with Chlorox."

He also said you can use hydrogen peroxide, but that bleach works fastest.

Was just talking to someone here in the office (yes, I am hard at work haha) - a Filipino - she said in the Philippines they use a mixture of rice vinegar and borax.

As for rats ... they eat them, she said. (Jokingly, I hope!!!)

Speaking of the Philippines, I was there with my partner back in 1987. The house we stayed in had all hardwood floors. It was the job of the teenage son to keep the floors polished. How did he do it? Split a coconut in half with a huge bolo knife, drank the milk, then turned the coconut halfs flat side down, stood on them, put on loud disco music, and polished the floor by sliding the coconut halves back and forth under his feet! It worked amazingly well, and smelled heavenly!! (Almost as good as Johnson Wax Beautiflor, hahahahaha!)

 

[scott55405]

Charles, just so you know, Gain is not white trash laundry detergent. I've used it for years, and as you KNOW I am FAR from being white trash! LOL I've been using the Oxy stuff for some time too and get great results. Our water is nice and hot here too which really helps with the whites. Plus, I'm right above the heater so I get nice hot water right away!

I use the Lysol stuff that's like Tilex for my bathroom. It can give me a terrific headache sometimes, but it works great!

 

[sudsmaster]

Maggie,

I just use the Borax like a dry powdered cleanser. Wet the surface, sprinkle on some Borax, and scrub with a good stiff brush.

 

[petek]

Aren't you supposed to wait for a couple of minutes of agitation before you add the bleach because it does lose strength fairly quickly. By letting the clothes get a bit of a wash first then adding the bleach a few minutes into the wash is supposed to help.

 

[toggleswitch]

Don't drink the bleach!

Agreed,

Bleach gets in the way of detergent's job.

Euro-designed front-loaders in the Americas [like my FridGeMore] generally dispense bleach into the first rinse. Better washing, better sanitizing, poorer rinsing

The good thing about this is that I can use the bleach dispenser for my cheap, watery softener. Gets into first rinse such that suds are killed earlier and the chemical is ostensibly rinsed out in subesequnt risnes. Makes me feel like /believe later rinses are more effective and cleaner.

 

[toggleswitch]

If dont i'll be scratching embarassing places.

Who else here adds addtional rinses after chlorine bleach?

I have been known to add white vinegar to the rinses (not with softener) to chemically neutralize the basic/alkaline chemicals such as bleach.

base + acid => salt + water.

CAREFUL: will eat porcelain over time.

 

[toggleswitch]

....upon direct, undiluted contact.

 

[polkanut]

Maggie dear,

The directions for the various uses of borax should be on the box. At least it is on the 20 Mule Team brand.

 

[frigilux]

I stand, bloody but unbowed, in defense of good old liquid chlorine bleach---despite the ever-increasing evidence that Oxy-style products do the job as well or better. And as Joe mentioned, the smell of LCB and Tide wafting from the laundry room is inextricably tied to 'clean' in my middle-aged mind.

I've marveled at the results when soaking highly-stained items in a super-strong Oxy solution in a bucket, but I still want the disinfecting properties of LCB, especially now that I'm line-drying and not killing the little buggers off in the heat of the dryer.

Adding even a single scoop of Oxy to my front-loader in a regular load spells suds-o-rama, so I only use it when soaking---or in the top-loader on those occasions I've introduced my lunch to my dress shirt...

But you're right; Oxy is hard to beat for whitening and removing stains.

 

[dj-gabriele]

Ciao Maggie!

...Gain liquid detergent (yeah, I know, it's White Trash laundry detergent but I love the stuff - works great and smells great); a half cup of Borax, a half cup of baking soda (deodorizer), and 3/4 cup of Clorox with a dribble of bluing (love the stuff)...

I was reading this huge list of things to put in the washer when doing the laundy!!! I can't believe that you don't have powders with oxigen bleach in them and also optical whitener (bluing agent) and backing soda are always there as standard.
I use regular (European) Dash for my whites and get them white as they where brand new. As standard it contains all the stuff you mentioned separately.

Is you that likes doing her laundry that way or you really miss a "complete" detergent? I'm simply amazed!
Thanks!

 

[launderess]

Chlorine bleach does not rinse out of textiles, and must be neutralised instead with one of the various anti-chlorine substances. This is why commercial laundries use such compounds.

Chlorine bleach just loves cotton fibers and even after multiple rinses traces still remain. Residue from chlorine bleach is what eventually destroys textiles, causing holes, greying, yellowing and so forth.

When buying chlorine bleach it is wise to purchase a small amount and use it quickly, as LCB looses it's strength sitting in storage/store shelves. It is also wise to purchase LCB from a source that has large turnover of the product for the same reason. You don't want LCB that has been sitting around on shelves for ages. An alternative is to go the way of commercial laundries and use dry chlorine bleach, which keeps it's bleaching power longer.

Chlorine bleach achives most of it's whitening/stain removal results in about five minutes, less in hot water. Longer contact time will not achieve better results, and only leads to textile damage. Commercial laundries have a saying: wash cycle is for washing, bleach cycle is for bleaching. That is chlorine bleach is most always added to the "wheel" after the main wash cycle in what some would call the first rinse. Laundry is then rinsed once or twice, then a final rinse with anti-chlor. If one can still smell bleach after the cycle is done, then there is still bleach in the textiles.

Chlorine bleach works best in alkaline pH, but too high a pH will cause more aggressive bleaching and perhaps textile damage. Commercial laundries use pH papers or sticks to test the bath and also triate the amount of bleach to suit weight of laundry.

As for using bleach to kill germs/mould, one must look for the EPA registration number on the label. No EPA number means the product is not a disenfectant. As another poster stated, more and more bottles of not only Clorox and it's variations are not EPA registered, nor are many other brands as well. Yet many people still buy any old LCB and assume it will do the job.

While one does not use LCB (a big no no in my Miele), for the odd stain that can only be shifted by bleach, prefer to use a Clorox bleach pen, then launder with oxygen bleach. Long as there is only a small stain/amount of chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach will neutralise the former so don't have to worry about adding an anti-chlor. Still, often add a dash of white vinegar to the second to last rinse just to make sure.

L.

 

[oxydolfan1]

"you really miss a "complete" detergent?"

We have them (Tide with Bleach and Arm and Hammer with Bleach are excellent examples) but they never really caught on here the way they've always dominated in Europe...

Powders are disappearing from American supermarket shelves in general.

I've tested extensively with loads of whites washed in hot water, chlorine bleach, oxygen bleaches, etc. and still proclaim faithfulness to chlorine bleach, even though I've found "oxy" additives can also be helpful with stain removal.

I launder in soft water and reasonable amounts of chlorine bleach, IMHO, work far better for me. I also believe the white laundry isn't really "clean" unless some traditional chlorine bleach has been thrown in for good measure.

Another oddity....I've found the everyday, inexpensive powdered dishwasher detergent Venus recommended to be far more useful and cost-effective in a pre-soak than any of the "oxy" products advocated for soaking purposes!

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Complicated detergent compounds!

I use the mix of compounds in my wash that I do simply out of habit I guess, and maybe a bit of OCD hahaha.

Seriously, I do have a "thing" about my whites being "whiter than white." (Despite vulgar rumors to the contrary, I do not have a "thing" for soiled, well, you know...) The combination I've worked out, especially with Oxi-Clean now, really does the trick. I like wearing white t-shirts (Dickies pocket-Ts mostly), but the minute they start looking gray or yellowed, into the rag bin they go.

According to my mom, laundry bluing works best with clothes that dry outside in the sun, but the heck with that! Laundry is among my least-favorite household duties, so the less work it entails the better! Especially since I am still scarred for life from my childhood, when hanging clothes on the clotheslines for a family of 7 (5 kids) was one of my chores. To this day, wooden clothespins give me the willies!

 

[polkanut]

In 1975 when my great-aunt Helen passed away, my Mom & uncle inherited the entire contents of her home. She was a big user of Hi-Lex bleach. After several years when the bath towels, washclothes, etc. started to wear out, you could feel and hear the fibers breaking when you would either untangle them out of the washer or wring them out when washing up. Have never been a big fan of bleach because of this. Just my $.02 worth.

 

[frigilux]

Launderess----I've noticed that many chlorine bleaches don't list 'disinfecting' in its list of household uses. When I was managing a restaurant kitchen a number of years ago, we could only use Hilex brand bleach to disinfect----Clorox wasn't acceptable by state inspectors.

The last time I was at Wal-Mart, there was only one version of Clorox that said "Great For Disinfecting" or something like it on the label.

I was excited to see Quixtar (ne Amway) had powdered chlorine bleach when I ordered my box of SA8 last summer. When I ordered another box last week, their website said the powdered bleach had been discontinued.

 

[sudsmaster]

Once upon a time, Costco carried a fairly pricey gadget that ozonated ordinary tap water about 1 liter at a time. I think the price was close to $200 - to rich even for my blood ;-).

Anyway, there was a lot of literature accompanying the device, which I perused at length (being unemployed at the time meant I had plenty of time so to do). This literature claimed that the ozonated water would disinfect a surface in a matter of seconds, whereas a chlorine bleach solution could take much longer - up to 2 hours - to achieve the same level of disinfection. I was impressed with this but not that much of a germophobe to plunk down a chunk of my already dwindling savings account for that bit of peace of mind. And I figured if the idea was so good, we'd see cheap knockoffs at some point. So far that hasn't happened.

 

[sudsmaster]

Maggie,

Suggest that if you haven't tried it already, give some Mexican phosphated detergents a try. Ariel should do wonders plus it has a delightful aroma (in my opinion, I like bubble gum). Since you're in Southern California you should even be able to find the HE version of Mexican Ariel, "Bajaespuma", should you wish to front load some day.

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Ariel

I do see it in the stores and like the scent but have never tried it.

The best-smelling laundry detergent I've ever come across is called "PRIDE" - made in the Philippines. It absolutely is not availble in the U.S.; you can only get it over there. So whenever I hear that people are going there I prevail upon them to bring me back some. I have contacted the Filipino markets here in L.A. a number of times asking if they would start carrying it along with other imported sundries, but they don't seem interested for some reason.

http://www.acs-manufacturing.com/prideallpurpose/

 

[maggie~hamilton]

The correct link for PRIDE

is this one. I've never tried the other stuff, the "all purpose detergent."

http://www.acs-manufacturing.com/pride/

 

[brettsomers]

Funny how laundry habits, like most habits, are formed early. My mother NEVER used chlorine bleach. Whites were usually washed in warm water. If stains or heavy soil were present she would soak, maybe. Our whites were very white. I never use lcb and my white shirts are whiter than many others i see. Am i filthy? Am i uncivilized?

Btw, i think if i was doing a load of cloth diapers, maybe i WOULD use a smidge of lcb. i suspect the popularity of cloth diapers in the old days is what got people hooked on bleach.

 

[magic clean]

Don't add bleach too soon!

Clorine bleach will deactivate the enzymes and other detergent cleaning agents. So, it is advised not to add the bleach until 5 minutes after wash agitation is underway.

 

[~sudsshane]

Clorox Ultimate Care Bleach

I don't use standard liquid bleach for my whites because of the reasons mentioned by other posters. Like Joe, I do like that "hint" of chlorine scent in my sheets & towels. I have been using Clorox Ultimate Care Bleach for about 6 months now and I am very impressed with the product. It works great for pre-treating stains,is very gentle on fabrics and leaves that "hint" of chlorine scent in my white wash.
My LG dispenses the bleach in the first rinse cycle,so I don't have to worry about it affecting the performance of my Tide w/bleach powder.

 

[launderess]

Actually LB is the worst thing for cloth diapers, and many diaper sites will state this.

As previously mentioned, chlorine bleach will wear out fabrics, especially cotton. LCB is difficult to rinse out and really does need some sort of anti-chlor rinse. Finally if there is LCB residue in the diapers, and baby wees,the ammonia and urine are not a great combination.

European mothers and else where, including commercial laundries boil washed nappies or boiled freshly laundered nappies. There are also products like Napisan, which one adds to the wash and or can be used as a diaper soak to sanitise diapers. Commercial laundries/diaper services have access to various final rinse products that soften and or sour, and sanitise in one step.

L.