Is using bleach as household cleaner dangerous to my kids?

Question

My household helper likes using bleach to clean our tiles and floors. She said it's cheaper and more effective instead of just using a mop. she uses bleach everyday. I've heard that bleach has ammonia (?) and this is harmful. Is using bleach this way harmful to my household especially my kids and baby?

Answer 1

Yes it is safe...

Just make sure you have good ventilation where you'll be working, and use gloves to avoid getting the cleaning products on your skin.

Skip cleaning the oven, though, since it's hard to get good ventilation in such a tight space.

If any fumes make you feel nauseated, have someone else do the cleaning, or, better yet, pick supplies that are more environmentally safe, such as vinegar and baking soda.

Natural food co-ops and some mainstream supermarkets sell cleaning products that are free of harsh and toxic chemicals.

Reducing the number of harmful chemicals in your house is probably a good idea for the future anyway, since you won't want your child exposed to too much of that stuff.

Finally, remember never to mix different chemicals, such as ammonia and bleach, as the fumes that result can be very dangerous to anyone inhaling them.

http://www.clorox.com/our_story/article.php?subsection=understanding_bleach&article_id=using_bleach

Answer 2

Most if not all bleaches are actually a liquid chlorine solution. they do not contain ammonia. You should ask your helper not to use chlorine on surfaces your children will be touching. Using it in toilets, sinks etc is ok. Here is the info I found on Wikipedia about chlorine bleach:

A problem with chlorine is that it reacts with organic material to form trihalomethanes like chloroform, which is a well known carcinogen.There is debate over whether any risk from the chloroform in treated drinking water is worth the benefits. Chlorine is a respiratory irritant. It also attacks mucous membranes and burns the skin. \

Another hazard is when hypochlorite bleach comes into contact with substances containing ammonia, such as urine, forming acrid chloramine fumes, which, though not nearly as dangerous as chlorine, can cause severe respiratory distress.

For these reasons, some consumers prefer the use of natural cleaning products as an alternative to bleach.

Answer 3

I would say that bleach is very safe for cleaning, as I have used it, and it is a very good cleaning agent which kills bacteria wonderfully. As far as your children are concerned, I would say as far as they are not around while the cleaning is going on all the time and breathing in the bleach , or in the area close to the cleaning then they should be fine. Also if possible open up windows for ventillation, as this will help for everyone as it is not good for anyone to breathe in any kind of chemicals toxic or not, they can still leave you with a headache. You could always ask your cleaner to dilute the bleach a little with water, so it is not so strong smelling to, if that is a problem. I have never heard that bleach has ammonia in it. I do know that if you mix bleach AND ammonia together THEN that is EXTREMELY TOXIC to anyone and should ALWAYS have proper ventillation then and never breathe in the chemicals at all, but then again one should never mix those two together and especially around children.

Answer 4

Over exposure to bleach on the skin can be harmful and the fumes are toxic. She doesn't need to use it every day. Use a solution of 1/4 c vinegar and 1/4 cup ammonia per quart of water. It is an excellent all purpose cleaner

Answer 5

Is Cleaning With Bleach Safe

Answer 6

Bleach is great...a little smelly. Do not add ammonia to it or you will be flat in the floor passed out. Maybe she is using it too strong. It doesn't take much bleach to do the job.

Air out the place after a good cleaning. I use a weak bleach and water solution to clean my cabinets top to sanitize them.

Bleach is great for killing bacteria.

At a cookout I take a jug of 1 gal of water to a cap full of bleach to sanitize utensils between uses. Food left on cookout utensils can develop bacteria growth while you are using them. And a low solution is not dangerous to consume. (in limited quanities of course)

Answer 7

No, bleach is not harmful to anyone as long as you rinse thoroughly. In fact, it is a great disinfectant and kills most disease causing organisms. So, it should help prevent sickness. It most definitely does not contain ammonia. Ammonia contains ammonia not bleach. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite. You should also not combine bleach and ammonia. They react to produce toxic hydrazine fumes.

Answer 8

Unless you are letting your children use it is by no means harmful, It is the best way to clean anything. Just don't use it on anything that your children eat off of, or put into their mouth.

Answer 9

It's not dangerous. Only stuff with lead would be dangerous. Just make sure that they do not breath the bleach in.

Answer 10

Yes, try to look for a ecological odor free product.