I have a love-hate relationship with bleach.
I love that it truly is a sanitizer. That I can put the yuckiest, thrown-up on, mildew-y, disgusting laundry in with some bleach, and I know they will be clean and germ free when washed. And it is a great whitener when used on the right items.
However.
I I hate that bleach is so hard on my clothes and linens! I realize that is the nature of the cleaner, but bleach is extremely hard on clothes.
When first learning how to really wash our clothes I put bleach in every white load we had – t-shirts, underwear, socks, and especially towels. And bleach is like laundry detergent, where if a little is great a lot is a whole lot better, right?
Oh no…definitely not the case!
If used too often, bleach weakens the fiber in your clothes. Meaning that it can put holes in your clothes, weaken the seaming, and make them thin quickly.
Bleach also breaks down elastic terribly. And if you bleach an item with heavy elastic (think bras) and then dry them in the dryer, your are going to have a garment with a very short life.
So should you use bleach at all?
Good question. I definitely think there is a place for bleach in washing laundry. But it should be used sparingly.
You don’t have to use the full amount to sanitize your load of clothes. And definitely do not use it in every load that is Bleach-Safe.
Do you have a Sanitizing Cycle on your washer? That’s a great alternative if true sanitizing it what you’re looking for as opposed to brightening.
When you treat your clothes carefully, and that includes what products they are washed in, they will last much longer.
Clothes that last longer = more savings for you!
I am pleased to link this post to Frugal Friday over at Life as MOM. Click over for a delightful round-up of money-saving ideas!
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Thanks for this. Bleach scares me.
But, but, I LOVE bleach!
I use it in my whites.
I use color safe bleach in my colors.
I clean my kitchen and bathroom with bleach.
I would bathe in it…
It is what clean smells like in my world!
do you ever use vinegar instead? I was just wondering, I know thats old school. I have a hard time ONLY pouring bleach in the washer, it seems to get everywhere, any great tips on that?
.-= Jana´s last blog ..I’m Back! =-.
I DO use vinegar – a lot. But as a fabric softener, not to whiten clothes. I only use it on our personal laundry, though…never on a customer’s laundry. It seems like customers always want Tide and Downy to make things smell luxurious. My family has to settle for vinegar a lot of the time! Tee hee!
Also, vinegar helps get the ‘film’ off of clothes they sometimes have. It rinses beautifully clean.
It’s old school, but it works great!