Guide for using bleach when mopping

My sister takes care of two sons, One is 3 years old and the other is 5 years old. You know, the headache. They often mess up their homes. Flooring is always a big problem. Sometimes, my sister will mop the floor with bleach. But she didn’t know it was right or not. For this problem, she is not the only one.

As a product expert who specializes in this field, I should solve this problem for her. In this article, I will share with you my knowledge of bleach. 

1. Can You Use Bleach to Clean the Floor?

Yes! You can use bleach to clean the floor, though not every day.

It has been used in most cases to clean some floor types; bleach is a disinfectant and not a basic cleaner. Bleach has some positive effects on the floor. It removes stubborn stains, brightens the surfaces, and disinfects them. To get bleach, you could buy from the stores or make your own at home.

Using bleach on dirty surfaces makes it ineffective. To disinfect then, clean and dry the floor first. Then apply bleach and leave it to stand for 5 minutes. In this, you could use vinegar water to clean the floor.

It would be best if you were careful with the floor on which you use it. This is because bleach has strong properties that react with metal. These properties could also react with some floor types. Tile grouts could get damaged as a result of the reaction. The floor’s life expectancy will decrease too. 

Yet, bleach removes all the stubborn stains. It removes while brightening the surface, disinfecting and sanitizing them. You could opt for the commercial bleaches, which come in varieties. Bleach for different sizes and types is also available, and you can make your own at home.

2. Which Floor Types Can Be Bleach and Which Cannot?

Some floors can be bleach and others cannot. Bleaching a floor depends on its properties and type. To understand which floor types can be bleach and which cannot check the table below:

Can use bleach:

• Ceramic Tile
• Vinyl flooring
• Tile
• Concrete flooring
• Laminate flooring
• Granite flooring
• No-wax flooring
• Unsealed Grout flooring
• Mastic Asphalt
• Linoleum flooring

Can not use bleach:

• Marble flooring
• Wood flooring
• Carpet
• Stone flooring
• Waxed finishes flooring
• Carpet Odors flooring
• Timber flooring
• Bamboo flooring
• Cork flooring
• Rubber flooring

To be able to choose the right cleaning materials, you should understand your floor type. Know its properties and how it reacts to chemicals. Consider also its ability to withstand various cleaning chemicals.

3. How Often Should I Use Bleach?

I would recommend you bleach the floor only when the need is, or after three to six months. Frequent bleaching of the floor could weaken the flooring and reduce its lifetime. This is because bleach contains strong chemical properties that cause wear and tear. 

You will come across different bleach types in the market. Consider their properties and choose those that won’t damage your floor. These will improve your floor’s life expectancy.

After cleaning, ensure the floor is completely dry and that there are no traces of the bleach left. This is because bleach will react with any other chemical that falls on the floor. This might result in flames or burning of the skin.

4. The Right Way to Use Bleach to Clean Floors

There are a variety of bleach products that you can use to either clean or disinfect the floor. Some are homemade, while others have experimented and available in stores. To achieve the best results from your bleach, do the following:

1. Consider your floor type and rule out the kind of bleach that you can use to clean it.
2. Ensure the windows and doors are open for air ventilation
3. Sweep clean your floor for cleaning or wash and dry it for disinfecting
4. Using ? cup of the bleach solution, mix it up with 1-gallon or 1/2 cup of water.
5. Use the mixture to clean the floor
6. Let it sit for about ten minutes then rinse it with warm water
7. To disinfect, dry clean the floor first. Then apply the bleach and leave it to stand for five minutes before air drying.

Purchasing commercial detergents could be expensive at times. To save on this, I would recommend you to make a homemade bleach. And, if you want to make an effective homemade bleach, get the following ingredients. We have the procedure to help you in making an effective bleach at home as well.

5. How to Make Natural Bleach？

5.1 Ingredients

• Warm water– dilutes the harsh chemicals; distilled water increases the cleaner’s longevity
• Vinegar– helps dissolve the dirt as it is acidic
• Rubbing Alcohol– disinfects and speeds up the rate of evaporation
• Dish soap– meant for cleaning. Ensure it is without bleach, moisturizers, and oils
• Essential oil/Lemon juice (optional)- removes bad odors

5.2 Procedure

1. To 2 warm water cups, add ? cup of white vinegar
2. Add ? cup of rubbing alcohol to the mixture
3. Put 1/8 teaspoon dish soap, which is without bleach, moisturizers, and oils
4. Add 5-10 drops of lemon juice or essential oil (optional)
5. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and go-ahead to clean.

Note that vinegar is acidic and could pose a danger to the surfaces. So, avoid using it while cleaning floors on which bleach is not allowed.

6. Pros and Cons of Using Bleach as A Household Cleaner

Using bleach to clean the floor could be both helpful or disadvantageous

6.1 Pros

Some of the positive effects of using bleach on your floors include:

1. Removes stain– bleach does not only help remove the stain but also whitens the surface. It serves best for those stubborn stains that you’ve tried getting rid of without success. 
2. Cleans mildew– mildew is a disease of plants that get caused by some fungi. Its features are a cottony whitish coating often found on the affected surfaces. Using bleach does not only remove the mildew but also gets rid of the smell. This prevents them from growing/appearing again.
3. Kills bacteria– bleach helps get rid of any bacteria, fungus, or mold found on the floor. It also helps remove debris, oils, dirt, and other things that could have spilled on the floor over time.
4. Brightens the surfaces- when you use bleach to scrub the floors, it enlivens them.

6.2 Cons

Despite bleach being of benefit when used to clean floors, it could also be of negative impact. Some of its drawbacks include:

1. Could harm Skin and Eyes-Bleach causes irritation, inflammation, and burning of the skin. It may also affect the eyes in case it splashes in them, resulting in blindness in extreme cases. 
2. Causes lung irritation-Inhaling fumes of the bleach could irritate the lungs. It can cause dizziness, burn, or even vomiting.
3. Corrodes metal and grouts metal-the bleach could react with some metals corroding them. This is when used on reactive surfaces. It could also affect the grout of your tiles, creating holes in them.

7. Conclusion

Using bleach to clean your floor could be of both positive and negative effects. There are floors on which you can use the bleach, while on others, it cannot. Getting a basic understanding of your floor’s properties is the starting point. Repeated use of bleach could as well damage the floor hence the need to know how often you should use it. All the ins and outs of bleach have been discussed in this article.

8. Related FAQs

Some of the most frequent questions have answered here:

8.1 Is The Smell of Bleach Harmful to The Body?

No! The smell of bleach is not harmful but the fumes are. Yet, the smell can affect the respiratory system of asthmatic people. It should thus not be a cause for concern for you if you don’t suffer from any respiratory problems.

Bleach fumes cause lung irritation, dizziness, vomiting, and burn. Its effect on you depends on the number of fumes inhaled and the duration of contact.

8.2 How to Remove the Smell of Bleach?

The smell of bleach is not attractive and could cause dizziness or nausea to those not used to such. You could thus remove it by using lemon juice or essential oil. Lemon juice has a ‘fresh’ scent while essential oils have sweet scents. You can have essential oils from orange to mint to any other flavor of your preference.

8.3 What to Do If a Child Swallows Bleach?

If your child swallows bleach:

• Try to help them vomit it along with anything else in their mouths.
• If they are unconscious, put them in a recovery position. Then call for an ambulance immediately or rush them for medical treatment.
• Remove their clothes and any other contaminated items. If bleach had spilled on them, use lukewarm water to clean.
• Avoid forcing them to vomit as this could lead to the vomit into the lungs.
• Once medical help is available, give as much information as possible to the medical staff.

If bleach gets in the eye, rinse it with lots of running tap water then seek medical help.

8.4 What Precautionary Measures Should You Take When Using Bleach?

• Avoid Bleaches’ contact with your eyes and mouth.
• Use protective clothing and materials while cleaning
• Keep all chemicals, bleach included, out of children’s reach.

If you want to know more about this knowledge, I recommend you to watch this video. Angela Brown mentioned several brands of bleach and gave her suggestions. I think this information is also useful.

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