Questions About Chlorine Bleach

[frigilux]

1) Why do containers of Clorox no longer mention disinfectant/sanitization uses? Has their formula changed? Have they added other chemicals? I ask only because....

2) I ran a friend's restaurant for a couple of weeks over the summer and we had to keep a container of a Hilex and water solution at every sink to disinfect the pan scourers, etc. I was told that only Hilex bleach was allowed under Minnesota food service regulations; Clorox was not an acceptable substitute.

3) I've always used chlorine bleach on whites, but now that I'm washing in cold water with Tide CW, I want to make doubly sure I'm disinfecting the whites load. Is Clorox doing the trick or do I need to find a store that continues to sell Hilex and go with that?

Thanks to anyone who can provide info!

 

[toggleswitch]

Regular Clorox too?

Perhaps to be able to scent them or make some ("max or ultra?") more like a gel, they have been diluted.

 

[petek]

I don't have any bleach to check the labels..but if the main ingredient is sodium hypochlorite in the same percentage then they are identical. A chemicals a chemical regardless of the name brand other than added extra ingredients such as scents or gelling compounds. The addition of scents etc could make a product unsuitable for food use etc while still being able to disinfect.

 

[spiraclean]

Chlorine Bleach & Tide Cold Water

Hi Pete,
I could not have said it better myself.

frigilux I would be careful not to add chlorine bleach to the wash cycle to early when using Tide Cold Water as chlorine bleach is an oxidizing agent and will destroy the enzymes in Tide Cold Water this will greatly effect its cleaning performance.

Tide Cold Water is simply amazing I conducted a stain test with a white cotton towel in my Whirlpool Top Loader using Tide CW and a cold cycle; it totally removed all the stains deliberately stained the towel with (Tomato Puree, Soy Sauce, Tomato Ketchup, Coleman's English Mustard, Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice, Blackcurrant Cordial Coca Cola and Grass) I was highly impressed.

Another additive you could consider is Borax it keeps everything fresh and somehow it makes towels feel softer.

All the best.
Hugh

 

[frigilux]

Thanks for the info, guys. Hugh--I use a front-loader which dispenses bleach into the first rinse cycle, so I don't have to worry about that issue. I, too, am amazed at Tide CW. I still have to force myself to leave the temp dial on COLD for whites---it just seems counterintuitive to me--- but the results speak for themselves.

 

[launderess]

Four rules of good laundering have not changed: time, tempeture,chemicals, and mechanical action. A decrease or increase in one leads to a corresponding decrease or increase in the others. So to clean in cold water Tide CW must have some pretty powerful chemicals, thus wouldn't worry too much about sanitising laundry. Unless someone in your home has been very ill, or your laundry is known to be contaminated in some way, think Tide CW like almost all laundry detergents does an effective job of killing enough buggies.

Besides chlorine bleach there are quite a few other chemicals that will sanitise without requiring heat/hot water. Bacteria have cell walls made of protiens, so enzymes could in theory be targeted to cause the cell wall to "lyse", thus killing the little sods.

Used Tide CW again yesterday as was in a hurry and didn't wish to do cold pre-wash then hot wash or wait for a long profile "boil wash". Used warm water wash right off instead and was amazed yet again at the results. Now if P&G would only bring out an unscented version of this product, I'd be thrilled. With natural gas and heating oil prices expected to go through the roof this winter, bet you will find many more people considering warm or cold water washes. Probably not "cold" in the North-east or parts of the Mid-west, but certianly warm water.

As to why a particular local health department took Chlorox off their list, you might just wish to ring them up and inquire. My bottle of Chlorox carries the same instructions as before regarding disenfecting, but as another poster suggested maybe the scent and other ingredients in some versions make them unsuitable.

Launderess

 

[geoffdelp]

My bottle of Clorox still indicates the same method for disenfecting/sanitizing utilizing 1/2 or 3/4 of a cup I do believe. I always use regular Clorox.

I was a firm Hilex user for years; probably because it was always cheaper than Clorox. Now, I find Clorox a few pennies cheaper.

I picked up a bottle of Outdoor Clorox the other day at Home Depot for my concrete drive. Not too sure what makes it so "special"; must be more concentrated.

I noticed in the grocery store the other day that Hilex has a new label; I didn't have time to read it, however.

 

[launderess]

Oh yes,

Should mention chlorine bleach works so well in removing stains and killing germs because it breaks down protien. So again in theory a good enzyme laden detergent should santitise laundry well enough.

Launderess

 

[kenwashesmonday]

When I worked in a Diner in the late 70s, and a pizza shop in the early 80s, Clorox was just fine with the board of health here in New Jersey.

Ken

 

[frigilux]

I'm using the newer scented Clorox bleaches---Mountain something and Fresh Scent something. Neither container mentions sanitizing/disinfecting properties. Under the 'For Use In Bathroom' instructions, it just says 'to deodorize, ......'

I'm thinking this is due to the scenting agents added to the bleach. I'll have to find a jug of Old School Unscented Clorox (is such a thing made produced anymore?) to see if it reads differently...

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Here's a cut and paste from website
www.clorox.com/solutions_reg_bleach.html

Clorox® Regular-Bleach to disinfect laundry and household surfaces*
Using Clorox® Regular-Bleach in your laundry disinfects by killing the germs and bacteria that can hide deep within the fiber of your favorite fabrics. The disinfecting quality of Clorox® Bleach in laundry and on household surfaces may also decrease the risk of transmission of infectious diseases.

Trust Clorox® Regular-Bleach to keep your home cleaner and help keep your home healthier.

* Only Clorox® Regular-Bleach is EPA Registered for sanitization and disinfection.

 

[jamiel]

Kind of like PineSol--only some of the pine-scented ones have disinfection properties any more...you've got to read the labels closely.

 

[frigilux]

Thanks, kenwashesmonday! I picked up a a jug of regular Clorox at the grocery store, and sure enough, it claimed to disinfect. I've been using the scented bleaches for a couple of years---because they smell better---but I'm going back to regular. If I'm going to continue washing whites in cold water (with the most excellent powdered Tide Cold Water) then I want to make sure they're getting disinfected.