How to Use Bleach Around the House

Bleach is an inexpensive product that's fairly common in most homes. While extremely effective for cleaning and sanitizing through the house, care must be taken when using bleach as with similar products. The following are some tips for its safe use around the house.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Brighten up white porcelain. Work in a basin or sink. Cover the items with several layers of paper towels, then saturate with bleach. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse well and dry. Use this method only on newer, white porcelain pieces.
2. Put the sparkle back in dishes and glassware. Add 1 teaspoon of bleach to the dishwater. Rinse the dishes well and dry as usual.
3. Clean butcher block counters and cutting boards. Use 1 teaspoon of bleach in 2 qts. of water. Scrub the wood in small circles, taking care not to saturate it. Blot with paper towels then buff with a clean, dry cloth.
4. Sanitize used, waterproof items. Put secondhand toys, utensils or other yard sale finds in water with 3/4 cup of bleach and a teaspoon of dishwashing soap. Soak for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly and dry.
5. Kill weeds in cracks and crevices along walkways. Pour undiluted bleach over the weeds then pull them up the next day. Take care not to spread the bleach to grass or border plantings.
6. Whiten bathroom grout with a 50/50 solution of water and bleach. Spray the solution over the tiles and let sit for 15 minutes. Scrub and rinse well. Use the solution in a well ventilated area.
7. Sterilize garden tools after working with diseased plants. Wash tools with a solution of 1/2 cup of bleach in a quart of water. Let the tools dry in the sun and then oil them to prevent rust.

Tips & Warnings

• Use bleach in a well-ventilated area. Some people are highly sensitive to the fumes of bleach. Always dilute bleach before using.
• Never mix bleach with any other cleaning product. Powerful, toxic fumes can result from the combination of bleach and ammonia, lye, toilet bowl cleaner and other products.