Cleaning with a DIY bleach cleaning solution is a great way to disinfect your home after an illness or during a flu outbreak- but you need to make sure you do it the right way to keep everyone safe. If you like my homemade bleach cleaning recipe you'll like to try this version that uses only regular drugstore bleach and water. Read on to learn how to mix your own bleach cleaner for cleaning surfaces, kill the flu virus and sanitize your house.
How to Dilute Bleach for Sanitizing your House
Normally I don’t like to clean with super harsh ingredients like bleach. Most of the time natural cleaners and ingredients like baking soda and vinegar are just fine to do the job. However when someone in the family is sick with a virus, stomach flu or other illness it’s important to sanitize your house properly.
Many germs and viruses can live on surfaces for days so even if you are sick and recover, you can still pass along the infection to other people who live in your home, come to visit or come into contact with anything that has been inside your house (like clothing, useable grocery bags or trash bins).
Bleach is probably the best disinfectant to do the job of cleaning up after an illness. It’s cheap (usually only about $1 for a big bottle) and available at nearly every supermarket.
Check out this video on how to make bleach disinfectant solution for your home:
You can buy pre-mixed bleach cleaning solution at the supermarket but realistically it is grossly overpriced considering you are essentially paying for household bleach mixed with water.
Bleach is caustic and can emit potentially lethal fumes. That's why it's important to dilute your bleach and ensure that it's not used at full-strength and not mix it with other solutions and chemicals
Ingredients for Homemade Bleach Cleaner
- Large bucket
- A quart-sized plastic spray bottle
- A measuring cup
- Damp cloth
- Household rubber gloves
- Household bleach
- Water
Directions for making a 1:10 bleach solution
Before you begin working with bleach either go outside or find a well ventilated area. Open the windows and let the draft blow through the house if you have to work inside. Full strength bleach emits toxic fumes that should never be used in small or enclosed spaces.
Change into clothes and shoes you don’t mind accidentally bleaching in case of a spill. Pull your hair back and wear gloves for safety.
It is best to wear clothes and shoes you don't mind bleaching in case of a spill. You should also pin back your hair and wear the rubber gloves for added safety. Accidentally spill bleach on your clothes? Make lemons out of lemonade and learn how to reverse tie dye your clothing with bleach.
1:10 bleach dilution
A 1:10 bleach solution will kill germs and viruses like the Corona virus, stomach flu and other common germs and viruses.
For every 1 part bleach, use 9 parts water.
Proper ratio for making bleach cleaner:
- Mix 1 ½ cups of bleach with 1 gallon of water
- If you only need a small amount mix ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons of bleach with 4 cups of water.
Mix the bleach with the water and pout into a spray bottle using a funnel if you want to spray it onto surfaces.
How to use DIY Bleach Cleaning Solution
- Spray onto surfaces such as door handles, light switch covers and counter tops.
- Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. It takes this long for it to work.
- Wipe off with a damp cloth.
Do not use bleach or any acidic cleaner on marble or natural stone as it will ruin the finish.
Whatever you do, never add any other ingredient to the bleach solution.
3 Products Never to Mix With Bleach
- Ammonia mixed with bleach converts the chlorine in bleach to chloramine gas. Breathing in the fumes can cause coughing, shortness of breath, and pneumonia.
- Acidic compounds such as vinegar or window cleaner create chlorine gas when mixed with bleach. Excessive exposure can cause chest pain, vomiting, and even death.
- Alcohol converts to chloroform when mixed with bleach. Breathing in chloroform can cause fatigue, dizziness, and fainting.
FAQ's about DIY bleach cleaning solution
The homemade bleach mixture should be used within 24 hours. Make a fresh batch every time you need to sanitize your home.
The jug of full strength bleach is good for one year from the time of manufacture. After a year the quality will begin to degrade and it will not be as strong.
Bleach kills viruses, bacteria and fungus among other things as long as you let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Bleach typically means chlorine bleach, which is sodium hypochlorite. Non-chlorine bleach doesn't contain chlorine, an oxidizing agent. Instead, it contains an alternative oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide.
Have you made your own bleach cleaner before? Let me know your tips and tricks in the comments!