Q:  Will using a Clorox ® Regular-Bleach solution destroy the hepatitis A virus on toilet seats?

A: Yes, you can disinfect hard non-porous surfaces (like a plastic toilet seat) with a Clorox Regular-Bleach disinfecting solution as follows:

• Add 3/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon water.


• Wipe the surface clean, and then apply the disinfecting solution.


• Allow it to contact the surface for 5 minutes, and then thoroughly rinse.


• Air dry.

Something else to be aware of is that when bleach is stored in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight, it maintains label strength of the active for up to 6 months before starting to slowly break down into salt and water.  It will still provide good performance for laundry and home cleaning uses, but after a year the break-down speeds up, so at that point it should be replaced.  For your purpose of wanting to kill Hep A, I would make sure your bottle is less than 6 months old.  Also, the bleach solution needs to be made fresh daily, or at least on the day you plan to use it.  The ability for bleach to break down into salt and water is a big part of what makes it so environmentally friendly.

Q:  How much Clorox® Regular-Bleach is needed to sanitize pet bowls?

A:  Here's how to use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to sanitize food and water dishes for pets:

1. Wash the bowl with soap and water.


2. Prepare a bleach solution:  add 1 Tablespoon bleach to 1 gallon of water.


3. Fill the pet dish and wipe down the exterior with the bleach solution.


4. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then drain the solution and let the dish air dry.

This will work very well on plastic, stainless steel, and ceramic dog dishes.  You don't want to bleach aluminum, however, so hopefully that's not what your pet dishes are made of!

How many readers sanitize their furry companions’ bowls?

Q:  I use bleach to sanitize, as well as whiten, my whites.  How can I sanitize bedding, towels, and underwear that are bright or dark colors?

A:  Unfortunately, there are currently no products that disinfect all colored laundry.  Our Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster contains hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient, which is a much weaker bleach than sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  So Clorox2® is color-safe for pretty much all your washable colored items, but doesn’t meet EPA disinfecting requirements.  You may, however, be able to safely launder your colored items with Clorox® Regular-Bleach (as long as the fabric is bleachable—always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex).  You can check colored items you aren’t sure about with a simple bleachability test:

• Dilute 2 teaspoons bleach in ¼ cup water.


• Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the sheets, like the hem that gets tucked in at the foot of the bed.  For multicolored items be sure to check each color.


• Wait 1 minute then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached.

It’s hard to predict what colors will pass the test--it really comes down to what dye is used and how it is applied. For any colored items that don’t pass the bleachability test with Clorox® Regular-Bleach, you can at least reduce germ counts by washing them in hot water, and using the hottest dryer heat setting.  Dryer heat doesn’t completely kill germs, but it does reduce their counts.  Other tips to consider include:

• Wash items you are concerned about separately to help prevent germs from spreading to other items—this can occur in the washer and when transferring/handling from the washer to the dryer.


• Wash/dry items of concern twice to further reduce the bacteria count.


• Make the next load a white/bleach load to sanitize the clothes washer.

Q:  What should I use to clean mildew from the cushions on our porch chaise lounge. The cushions are made of heavy duty cloth.

A:  I can recommend a bleach solution, but in addition to removing the mildew it could also alter the color of the cushions depending on the fabric.  The best thing to do is a quick bleach-ability test:  add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a less visible part of the cushion.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry. No color change means you can safely bleach the cushion, and I would proceed as follows:

1.  For a removable cushion cover:  take off the cover and zip it closed.  If the mildew is severe, let the cover soak in a solution of 1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes, making sure it is fully submerged.  Wash in hot water using detergent plus 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Do not place the cover in your dryer. If after washing you have made some progress, then repeat the treatment.  When washing is complete, you will need to put the cover back onto the cushion before it dries, otherwise the cover may not fit! 

2.  For a non-removable cushion cover that has a water-repellant finish:  working outside, wipe the cushion down with a bleach solution of 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water. Reapply the bleach solution as necessary to keep it wet for 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly using a garden hose.  Be sure to also water any plants near the area you are working before and after you wash the cushions.  Let the cushions air dry in a warm, dry place.

3.  For a non-removable cushion that easily absorbs water:  take it to a launder-mat that has extra-large washers that can handle a bulky item.  Assuming the cushion fabric passed the bleach test, wash the cushion in hot water using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Repeat the treatment if the mildew is severe and do not place the cushions in the dryer.

If the fabric is not bleachable, it will be more difficult to remove the mildew since the best mold and mildew removers contain sodium hypochlorite (like Clorox® Regular-Bleach).  You could try several washes in hot water using an oxygen bleach (like Clorox2®) and letting the cushions air dry in the sun. 

Anyone else have mildew on their outdoor furniture?

Q:  I was told that if you use diluted Clorox® Regular-Bleach it will help fungal infections go away.  Is this true?

A:  Clorox® Regular-Bleach is NOT recommended for personal hygiene of any kind--consumers should always avoid direct skin and eye contact with both undiluted bleach, as well as the various bleach solutions we recommend for household cleaning and laundry.  Perhaps the person who made the recommendation is familiar with the instructions for using bleach for emergency treatment of drinking water.  That’s an entirely different situation.  For that, the bleach to water ratio is 1/8 teaspoon bleach per gallon of clear water, and the treated water has to stand for 30 minutes before drinking. During this time, the bleach kills any bacteria in the water before breaking down into salt and water.  While this solution is safe to drink, using a bleach and water solution to kill a fungal infection on a person’s skin is not approved by the EPA and should not be done.  I would check your pharmacy for a good anti-fungal product.

Q:  Does the disinfecting action of bleach deactivate in water above 77°F?

A:  This is a great question!  The bleach active in Clorox® Regular-Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, and it does not “deactivate” in water above 77°F.  However, a higher water temperature does increase the rate that the bleach degrades into salt and water.   This break down is natural, and is part of what makes bleach so environmentally friendly.  It is also why bleach solutions for disinfecting need to be mixed freshly each day.  Keeping the solution away from sunlight will also slow the decomposition, and using a water source that doesn’t contain metals or high water hardness will also help.  Using room temperature water is OK, even if the incoming ambient water temperature is greater than 77°F.  It’s also important to follow the label instructions—in general disinfecting bleach solutions for hard, non-porous surfaces should be ¾ cup bleach per gallon of water.  The bleach solution needs to be applied to the surface for 5 minutes to be disinfected, and then rinsed and allowed to air dry.

Q:  Will Clorox® Regular-Bleach damage the elastic in my cotton briefs?  After several washes the white cotton starts turning yellow.  How much Clorox should be used in an average white wash?

A:  We’ve looked into the effects of bleach usage on fabric over time and found that even after 50 wash/dry cycles, Clorox® Regular-Bleach does not wear down fabric any more than using detergent alone, when used as directed.  As for the amount of bleach to use, we recommend three addition methods for normally soiled loads in standard washers:

1)       Add ¾ cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max fill line if you have a HE washer) using the washer’s bleach dispenser.

2)       Add ¾ cup bleach along with the detergent to the wash water as the machine is filling, before the clothes are added.

3)       Dilute ¾ cup bleach in 1 quart water and add to the wash 5 minutes after the wash cycle has begun.

If the fabric is yellowing, then you are probably using too much bleach.  If it’s just the elastic, then it might have a chlorine retentive component that is yellowing (most elastics can be safely bleached).   Underwear, especially white underwear, should be bleachable to ensure good cleaning and disinfecting.  As long as the yellowing on your briefs is not a permanent shift in the color of the cotton (typical with undiluted or too concentrated bleach contact) you might be able to reverse it with RIT Color Remover, which you can find at drug stores.

Q:  I have an in-ground pool and was told that putting Clorox® Regular-Bleach in the water would help prevent algae during the winter. Is this true, and if so, how much would I need if my pool holds 33,000 gallons of water?

A: There’s a protocol when using Clorox® Regular-Bleach for swimming pool disinfection.  On an ongoing basis, if you super-chlorinate the pool with 100-200 oz. bleach per 10,000 gallons of water, in addition to regular chlorination, algae growth can be prevented. However, it depends on several factors including how much the pool is used, sun exposure, and water quality.  It sounds like from your question you are getting ready to close your pool for the season, and the pool will not be used.  In that case, I would add 5 gallons + 2 ½ cups Clorox® Regular-Bleach to your 33,000 gallon pool.

(Here’s the math, if you are curious:  33,000/10,000 x 200oz. = 660oz/8oz per cup = 82 ½ cups.  80 cups is 5 gallons, so total to add would be 5 gallons + 2 ½ cups)

This treatment can be repeated as needed to keep algae growth under control—I would observe the pool and look for any signs of growth before repeating the treatment.  Also, if you decide to use the pool after super-chlorinating, you should use a pool test kit to confirm that the ppm available chlorine in the pool is 3ppm or less.

Is anyone else getting ready to close their pools for the winter?

Q: How would I kill Staphylococci bacteria, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and MRSA on scrubs?

A:  To disinfect laundry in a standard clothes washer (deep fill, top loading) add ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach for a regular load (and up to 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large load) along with your regular detergent.   If you have a clothes washer that requires you to use a bleach dispenser, and the dispenser’s capacity is less than ¾ cup, then soak the items of concern for 5 minutes in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water before washing in your clothes washer for guaranteed disinfecting of Staph, Pseudomonas, and MRSA.

Q:  Can you use Clorox Regular-Bleach® on a newborn’s clothes?

A:  I have good news – you can definitely use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to launder newborn clothing, bedding, car seat liners…you name it!  However, the items do need to be made of fibers that can be safely bleached.  Start by checking the labels and don’t use bleach on any items containing wool, spandex, silk, mohair, and leather.  For any colored items, you need to check their colorfastness to bleach via a bleachability test:

• Dilute 2 teaspoons bleach in ¼ cup water.


• Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the items.  Inside hems, cuffs, under collars, and seams work well.  For multicolored items be sure to check each color.


• Wait 1 minute then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached.

I expect that you will have good luck with items made of polyester fleece and items where the color is printed onto the fabric, plus some denim clothing.  It comes down to what dye is used and how it is applied. 

Wash the items that pass the bleachability test in detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Your clothes washer should adequately rinse the bleach from the clothes, but you can also select an extra rinse cycle if you prefer.  Hopefully this is helpful!

Are any other readers first time parents?