Living With Flair: Do You Use Bleach Around The House?

The answer is yes you may use bleach every day, although you may not know exactly how much you use.

Dishwashing detergents use chlorine bleach, benzoyl peroxide, or perborate in the liquid, gel, or powder formulas. In addition, toothpaste and tooth whitening aids use hydrogen peroxide to clean and brighten your smile. Also, acne preparations often have benzoyl peroxide, and hair colorings might contain hydrogen peroxide to do their work!

Finally, sink cleansers, mildew removers, laundry stain removers, and brightening detergents will frequently have one of the three most common bleaches as a component.

Remember that bleaches include hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, and chlorine. Whenever a label says it will whiten, brighten, or disinfect, bleach may be part of the product. And, concentrated amounts of bleach can cause a color change! So handle these products with care especially around your clothes.

Where You’ll Find Bleach

ACIDS

Moisturizers, skin care products, hand sanitizer, hand lotions, deodorant, tanning products and sun block, callus removers, eye and nose drops, Plax®, bubble bath, hair conditioner, fade creams, cough syrup and children’s liquid medicines, joint pain creams and lotions, perfumes

ALKALINE

Shampoo, toothpaste, soap, depilatories, disinfectants, ammonia, hair dye, Drano®, Windex®, Fantastic®, Soft Scrub®, Tilex®, Comet®, some bubble bath and bath gel, shave cream, some deodorants

BLEACH

Toothpaste, teeth whitening kits, acne medications, some moisturizers, hair lightening products, household cleaning and sanitizing products, mildew removers, Tilex® shower spray, Comet®

ALCOHOL

Rubbing alcohol, perfume and cologne, body sprays, facial toners and astringents

If any of these get on your clothing, change immediately and bring the item to Flair Cleaners as quickly as possible. The faster professional treatment is applied, the greater the chance you have of preventing further damage. Of course, tell us what happened and which of these types of items was spilled on your garment.