Shame on you Clorox: Bleach Doesn’t Belong in our Homes
According a Clorox commercial on TV today (during a baby show, meaning lots of Moms saw this ad) you should sanitize not only your child’s toys but also their BOTTLES and SIPPY cups in a bleach and water solution.
Are you freaking kidding me?
Bleach is a huge cause of calls to the poison control center, and the makers of Clorox Chlorine Bleach want us to soak young children’s food containers in it?
These are just some of the oh so useful suggestions found on Clorox.com under AMAZING USES. Heh… the only amazing thing about bleach is its ability to strip fabric of all colors and eat through fabric when used repeatedly or in higher concentrations (and that SMELL!)
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Chlorine bleach is bad for the environment and more importantly, it is bad for the health of our families and our homes. While traditional household concentrations of bleach won’t cause any life threatening reaction if ingested, it is still a toxic chemical, one that our homes should be free of.
The MSDS for Clorox Regular bleach states: “DANGER: CORROSIVE. May cause severe irritation or damage to eyes and skin. Vapor or mist may irritate. Harmful if swallowed. Keep out of reach of children.”
I’m just absolutely shocked at the recommendation to clean an infants bottles and sippy cups with a bleach solution. For one, WHY do we need to sanitize to the level of killing all bacteria (good and bad)? If for some reason, sanitation is required, boiling water works wonders without chemicals. Many dishwashers on the market today have a sanitation cycle, you can stick lots of toys, bottles and sippy cups on the top rack and they come out sparkling clean.
According to Clorox, one should mix one tablespoon of bleach with a gallon of water and soak prewashed bottles in the solution for two minutes. Then you should pour the solution through the nipples and drain dry. They don’t even recommend a final rinse.
I’d like to think that we are well beyond the days of feeling like we have to sanitize our children’s bottles. But if you do want to or have been advised to by a Doctor, then use boiling water (you know, the old fashioned method our parents used when we were infants). There are also options on the market for microwave sanitation.
That’s marketing for you. Thanks for this informative post. Useful outgoing links which I really appreciate. I can tell you’re passionate about the topic, rightfully so!
So what should us green-minded moms use in lieu of a bleach pen on the occasions we need to remove a stain from a white piece of laundry?
I rarely use it, but do keep one in my home and never really thought about it.
Crimson Wife…Try this…pour cornstarch onto the stain and let set for 15 minutes or so. Cornstarch absorbs moisture so it will lift a lot of the stain. Wash as usual.
Thanks for this great post!!! That commercial drives me nuts too! I just want to go right through the TV. I’m going to blog about this too and link to you within. The power of blogging!!
Rebecca- great tip for stains!
Also, I use hydrogen peroxide directly on the spot. Vinegar and lemon juice are also effective. It may take some experimenting to figure out what works for which stain with you water (harder or softer water can cause differing results!).
I make a paste out of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and my Eco’s liquid detergent. Then apply with a toothbrush (another great use for old toothbrushes). Only make a small amount as the hydrogen/baking soda mix will cause foaming, etc… and make a mess if you try to store it!
Good Luck! I cannot STAND Clorox.
I’m glad to see all the helpful tips on how to “green clean” stains. I have to admit, I did use bleach a couple months ago. We had a septic problem, and it migrated to the kids’ bathtub! That would be my one “excuse” for it… but then I green cleaned it numerous times before the little guy set foot in it.
Otherwise, I agree: there are plenty of alternatives.
I just saw this commercial this weekend and couldn’t believe it. After soaking, just rinse and let dry. Really???? Why not mix some bleach in with the juice for a nice cocktail. I really could not believe this commercial. Even in the days where I was sanitize happy - I was extremely careful about what I used to clean things that went in my kids mouths.
I also noticed today during a TLC baby show, Clorox recommended soak, rinse dry for toys and soak and dry for bottles. The commercial needs to be edited at the very least to indicate a rinse for bottles as well. We mothers have to make concious decisions based on all the marketing ploys out there, it is our responsibility to make educated choices. There is likely an issue the lack of education on the use manufactured chemicals and sterilization for any application.
You need to get your facts straight. Every product needs to put scary disclaimers on it’s product. For goodness sake, WATER is corrosive as well. Should you not use that around your baby? Bleach breaks down mainly to salt and water.
Fiona Murray is right when she states that Clorox Liquid Bleach breaks down to saltwater — which is back what it begins with. Also, It’s viruses that really make kids ill. Bleach is one of the reasons why so many lives have been spared over the years due to it’s viral killing properties — it has saved thousands of lives. If you don’t believe me, go ask the Red Cross to prove it to you. So before you jump off the deep end, and get everybody stirred up with a bunch of ignorant inaccuracies — get your facts straight Jaime — and quick spreading lies about the “myths” around Bleach.
Bleach is a horrible health hazard. I use to use it to disinfect my house. I now have chronic lung problems because of it. When ever I am around bleach even in the smallest amounts it takes my breath away and I can not breath!!!!
It is a shame too because it is used in all childcare centers. I can’t believe it is even recomended for use there. I hope more kids don’t develop breathing problems. Vinager in a 5 percent or higher solution works just as well as bleach and it is safer.