SAN ANTONIO – Bleach has been a household staple for many years and it’s one of the products that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says can kill the COVID-19 virus.
“Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted,” the CDC website instructs.
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But did you catch the word “unexpired” in that? It’s one of a couple of things about that blue and white bottle you might not know.
How do I know if my bleach is expired?
An article published by Reader’s Digest explains that the production code on the neck of the bottle allows consumers to determine the age of their bleach.
”Clorox breaks it down by using the example code A81421321CA3. Moving from left to right, the plant number is ‘A8,’ the last two numbers of the year it was made is ’14,’ and the day of the year the bottle was made is ’213.’ That translates to a bleach bottle being made on the 213th day of the year, or August 1st, 2014,” according to Reader’s Digest.
Scripps Research Institution (SRI) states that bleach has a shelf life of six months before it starts to degrade. “Bleach becomes 20 percent less effective as each year goes by.”
Does color-safe bleach kill germs?
Here’s another thing people may not realize. Color-safe bleach does not disinfect like regular bleach does because they have different active ingredients. Color-safe bleach uses hydrogen peroxide while regular bleach has sodium hypochlorite.
“At the concentration used in the laundry, hydrogen peroxide is a much less aggressive bleach than sodium hypochlorite,” according to Clorox.com.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not list Clorox 2, or color-safe bleach as an effective way to kill germs and bacteria.
“The only way a color-safe bleach will kill bacteria and germs is if the manufacturer included an extra ingredient designed for that purpose,” according to blog site Hunker.com
Surprising facts about bleach
Scripps Research Institution published an article in 2006 that states “bleach is more effective at killing germs when diluted than when used straight out of the bottle. For most uses, a ratio of nine parts water to one part bleach is recommended.” According to Scripps the water/bleach solution will be potent for roughly one day.
The CDC provides the following guidelines for cleaning with bleach:
- Use bleach containing 5.25–8.25% sodium hypochlorite. Do not use a bleach product if the percentage is not in this range or is not specified. Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:
- 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) of 5.25–8.25% bleach per gallon of room temperature water or
- 4 teaspoons of 5.25–8.25% bleach per quart of room temperature water
- Bleach solutions will be effective for disinfection up to 24 hours.
The CDC also recommends that you follow the manufacturer’s application instructions for the surface, and make sure the bleach solution stays on the surface for at least one minute.
For safety - you should make sure the area you are cleaning is well ventilated and you should wear gloves and eye protection.
The CDC also warns against mixing household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.
KSAT’s Marilyn Mortiz reported on the effects of mixing household cleaners in March and found that mixing bleach with ammonia can create toxic fumes and combining bleach with rubbing alcohol can yield chloroform, which is highly toxic.
Want to know what disinfectants the EPA has approved to protect consumers from COVID-19? Click here.