How to Make a Sanitizer Solution With Bleach

Sanitizing your counter tops, cutting boards and other food contact surfaces is an essential step in food safety. A safe bleach sanitizer solution is 50 to 100 ppm (parts per million). Anything less will not sanitize sufficiently. A solution too concentrated may cause illness and will eventually pit and corrode your stainless steel equipment. Here is information on how to make a sanitizing solution using bleach to clean your home.

Things You'll Need

• Bleach
• Water
• Bucket
• Chlorine test strips (0 to 200 ppm)

Instructions

1. Fill a small to medium-size bucket with room temperature clean water.

2. Add full strength chlorine bleach to the water. A general rule is 1 capful of bleach per 1 gallon of water for the ideal solution.

3. Use a chlorine test strip to determine whether you have the proper concentration, 50 to 100 ppm. Quickly dip the test strip into the solution and compare the color to the color chart on the back of the test strip package. The color should be a medium grey-purple.

Tips & Warnings

• Chlorine dissipates quickly so change your sanitizer solution every two hours or when the solution is dirty or cloudy.

• When using terry cloth towels to sanitize food contact surfaces, put the cloth in the water before adding the bleach. The towel may absorb most of the chlorine in the solution and you may need to add more chlorine.

• If the test strip turns black it's too strong. Add more water and test the solution again until you get the correct concentration.

• Do not mix bleach with any other chemical. This may cause a toxic chemical reaction that could be hazardous to your health.