July 12th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

8 fascinating ways you can use bleach around the home

Bleach is one of the most commonly used household cleaners, but you might not be truly taking advantage of its range of applications for it. We’d wager you may not have even heard of some of them! Here are 8 ways you can use bleach around the house that go way beyond cleaning the toilet or whitening sheets.

1. Protect new plants from mould and disease

The health of new plants can be compromised when placed in containers that haven’t been sufficiently disinfected. That’s because mould, pests, and diseases from the old plants can be transferred to the new ones. Sanitise pots and containers by placing them in a solution of 1-part bleach to 3-parts water for 5 minutes. Rinse with clean water and allow to dry.
 

2. Keep cut flowers fresh for longer

Fresh flowers in your home look and smell beautiful but it’s frustrating when they don’t last very long. You can keep them fresh for much longer by adding a little bleach to the water. (It sounds counter-intuitive, but it does work!). Add 1.25ml of bleach to 1 litre of water and trim the stems on a diagonal. This trick will also keep your Christmas tree alive for longer.
 

3. Kill weeds

While a very weak dilution will sustain a cut plant for longer, neat bleach will kill plants – even hardy weeds. Carefully pour undiluted bleach directly onto weeds, avoiding anything you don’t want to kill (so, this is more of a hack for weeds in the cracks of paving and drives than it is for the weeds in your borders). Keep children and pets away until dry.
 

4. Restore wooden fencing

Fencing obviously takes the brunt of weather conditions so it’s no surprise that it can become discoloured over time from mould, mildew, and dirt. Don’t worry, you can brighten it up no end with some simple bleach. Dilute 1-part bleach to 2-parts water and apply using a garden sprayer (place some dust sheets on the ground to prevent drips from damaging grass or plants). Either leave it to work on its own for 5 minutes, or for dirtier surfaces, agitate with a brush, and then rinse with clean water. This is great for preparing the wood for painting or staining.
 

5. Disinfect a chopping board

It’s a really important part of food hygiene to clean a chopping board thoroughly between uses as you can contaminate food very easily otherwise. Non-porous surfaces like plastic and glass are much easier to keep clean but wood takes some extra care. Bleach does this job very nicely. Make a dilution of 1 teaspoon of bleach to 2 litres of water and use this to scrub the surface with a brush. Wipe excess liquid up with a paper towel and dry with a clean cloth.

6. Deodorise cat litter trays

Cat litter trays serve a very specific purpose so it’s no wonder they can become very smelly. In addition to changing the litter regularly, wiping the tray itself with a 1:3 ratio dilution will kill any odour-producing germs and bacteria. Leave for 5 minutes and then rinse.
 

7. Brighten up glassware

Ever noticed how glasses start to dull over time? Add a teaspoon of bleach to your washing-up bowl or dishwasher to make glassware sparkle again. This also works on windows.
 

8. Sanitise baby toys

Babies and toddlers will put almost anything in their mouths; it’s all part of sensory exploration. Their toys, therefore, need to be really clean. Soak them overnight in an equal mix of water and bleach and then rinse thoroughly before giving them back to the children

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