Why Bleach Is Bad
Regardless if you use plant-based cleaners yet or not, you still may be wondering one thing. Why is chlorine bleach so bad? Bleach has been used for decades in peoples homes, in their laundry and as their go-to last resort to wipe out any lingering bacteria or stains. So here we are, sharing a few ways bleach can impact your home and sharing the alternative ingredients we use in our plant-based products.
Bleach Can Be Dangerous for Children
Most of us understand that bleach can be highly toxic if swallowed. However, when bleach is used as a cleaning agent it remains on surfaces and continues to emit fumes. By avoiding bleach in your home, you can also avoid possible respiratory illnesses, allergies and asthma for your children.
Bleach Can Be Dangerous for Pets
Household bleach can be very harmful for your pets. While they generally won’t ingest the substance intentionally due to the potent smell, cleaning with bleach exposes your animals all the same. The products used to clean your floors or was your bedding can stay on a pet’s paw or fur. Cats and dogs often lick themselves, which leads to effects from ingesting the chemical. Even birds or small pets can become sick upon inhaling only a small amount of the fumes. Bleach poisoning in pets can result in vomiting, convulsions and sometimes death.
Bleach Has Harmful Effects On Your Body
The more you use bleach, the more fumes and lingering residue you’re bringing into your home. To start, inhaling bleach causes damage to your lungs and organs. Of course, you won’t realize that right away but you will feel a stinging in your nose and eyes, coughing and lightheadedness.
Chlorine-based bleach can damage your skin and eyes. If left on your skin, bleach can cause irritation and burning. Over longer periods of exposure, the chemical can lighten your skin pigment and permanently damage tissue. If bleach gets in your eye, it will be incredibly irritated and painful. Permanent tissue and vision damage can occur if it’s not completely rinsed out.
Bleach Interacts with Other Household Chemicals
Bleach is harmful on its own but can be even more dangerous when mixed with other commonly used chemicals. Never mix bleach with ammonia. This combination can be dangerous and has resulted in death from the toxic gas it forms. It’s not just ammonia that you should worry about though, a variety of common household cleaners, including window cleaners, dishwasher detergents and drain cleaners can react negatively. Read about more bad household cleaner combos: 5 Cleaning Combos That Don’t Mix.
Bleach Puts the Environment at Risk
Chlorine-based bleach is often used in industrial processes and released into the environment in massive quantities. Bleach often winds up dumped into our water and once in the water it can react with other substances to form dioxins. Dioxins are known to be highly dangerous toxins that can have serious impacts on health. Bleach also puts wildlife at risk. It’s by-products have been linked to cancer and environmental toxins created by bleach have lowered the population of several species of bird and fish.
Bleach is especially damaging to the environment because it lingers for many years. Even small amounts of the toxic chemical can accumulate in air and water over time, which can eventually result in adverse health effects.
Bleach Alternatives Can Be Just as Effective
Our company is committed to making safer products for you and your home. Part of this means that we do not use harsh chemicals or toxins in our cleaning products. You won’t find bleach in our formulas, instead we use hydrogen peroxide—or “the good bleach.” Hydrogen peroxide is antibacterial and also capable of killing viruses, which makes it an effective alternative to chlorine bleach. When cleaning with a product that contains hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine bleach, let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing to ensure that it’s had enough time to work through. The other comparable ingredient we use in Boulder Clean formulas is citric acid, which is a natural disinfectant. Citric acid kills bacteria, mold, and mildew so it’s great for general cleaning. It’s also effective at removing soap scum, hard water stains, calcium deposits, lime, and rust. Also it serves as a preservative, which is pretty cool if you ask us.
Shop Boulder Clean’s Hydrogen Peroxide Products:
Oxi-Smart Stain Removing Pre-Treat Spray
Shop Boulder Clean’s Citric Acid Products:
All Purpose Surface Cleaner
Laundry Detergent
Valencia Orange Dish Soap
Green Apple Dish Soap
Toilet Bowl Cleaner