How To Make An All-Natural Bleach Alternative

If you love the smell of fresh, clean laundry but hate the harsh chemicals in traditional detergents, then this DIY bleach alternative is just what you need!

Trying to decide if you should take the plunge and go green with your cleaning routine, but not sure you can give up bleach? Well, we’ve got a natural bleach alternative made with worry-free ingredients that works just as well as bleach, but is a safer and non-toxic option to bleach. This easy-to-make natural bleach alternative is the DIY you’ve been waiting for and is sure to have your whites looking their whitest, have even the toughest stains removed, and have every surface of your home sterilized and disinfected, but without the risk of using harmful toxic chemicals. 

What Is Bleach?

Bleach, also known as Sodium Hypochlorite, is a chlorine-based corrosive chemical liquid and one of the most common cleaners and disinfectants. Bleach has been used for many years as a disinfectant and stain remover. It can be found in most households and in many common household cleaning products. 

What is Bleach Used For?

Traditional uses of bleach include sanitizing certain surfaces in your home such as the toilet bowl and bathroom floors, whitening clothes, stain removal, and combating mold and mildew buildup. Bleach is a strong chemical solution that can effectively remove tough stains from clothes, whiten and refresh your whites, especially if they have yellowed due to hard water, and disinfect and sterilize surfaces of your home where there are higher levels of bacteria or viruses, like your bathroom and the kitchen sink. However, despite its effectiveness as a cleaning agent, bleach is highly toxic and poses many health risks, especially in young children and pets. 

Why Is Bleach So Unsafe?

Although being used as a common household cleaner for many years, using bleach in your home comes with many health risks, as well as harmful effects on the planet as well. Exposure to bleach and its vapours can cause the following:

• Irritation to the eyes, nose, skin, and lungs. 
• Asthma flare ups
• Respiratory problems and infections in inhaled
• Headache or migraine 
• Vomiting
• Damage to the nervous system
• Burns to the skin

Children and pets are more vulnerable to the negative effects of bleach exposure, more specifically respiratory problems and infections to the respiratory system. Pets are especially susceptible to the harmful vapours that bleach releases. Bleach also emits harmful toxins into the air that can have negative effects on our planet, contributing to air pollution. 

Removing bleach, and cleaning products that contain bleach, from your cleaning routine makes a safer, healthier home environment for everyone and eliminates the risk of avoidable health problems that bleach exposure may cause. 

Is There a Safe Alternative to Bleach?

You may be wondering if there is something you can use as an alternative to bleach that will work just as effectively as bleach. The answer is yes there is! We have the perfect DIY for a non-toxic bleach alternative that is just as powerful as bleach at removing stains, keeping your whites bright, and disinfecting your bathroom and kitchen sink. This easy DIY contains all-natural ingredients and can be made quickly and easily, so you can clean your home the most efficiently -- while also keeping it as a safe place for your family and your pets. 

What Do I Need to Make a Non-Toxic Bleach Alternative?

As we have mentioned, making a natural, non-toxic alternative to bleach is super easy -- and only requires 4 ingredients! To make a safe bleach alternative you will need the following:

Hydrogen Peroxide: Known for its disinfecting, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) is an oxidizing agent that can kill germs and remove stains. Hydrogen Peroxide is water with a extra oxygen and it is the oxidation that makes it such an effective cleaning agent. A diluted low-concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide product contains about 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and is safe for regular household use when handled properly. 

Lemon or Lemon Juice: Lemon isn't just used in all-natural cleaners because of its fresh, citrusy scent, it's also a powerful natural disinfectant as well! Lemon can effectively dissolve and remove alkaline stains, such as limescale buildup or rust, on water fixtures and inside the sink and bathtub. It can naturally disinfect and kill bacteria on surfaces and its high acidity levels make it a strong stain remover and whitener as well. 

Citric Acid: Citric Acid is found naturally in citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges. It is a weak acid that can kill bacteria, mould, and mildew, as well as effectively remove calcium, rust, and other mineral deposits on surfaces in your home. Citric Acid is also an effective whitener as well. 

Lemon Essential Oil: Essential oils, known for their antibacterial, antiviral, and disinfecting properties, are a common ingredient found in many natural home cleaning products. They are a naturally occurring concentrated chemical compound found in many botanical and fruit plants and known for their purifying abilities. We suggest using Lemon Essential oil as your natural bleach alternative, as it can cut through grease and kill bacteria, while also leaving your home with a refreshing, invigorating citrus scent. 

A Reusable Spray Bottle: Now what you store your natural homemade cleaning products in matters just as much as the ingredients do. Choosing a glass spray bottle made from eco-friendly and ethically sourced materials, as opposed to plastic, is better for the environment.

How to Make a Natural Alternative to Bleachspray bottle?

Making a natural bleach alternative is so easy to do! All you need is less than 5 minutes to make this DIY bleach alternative -- here are the steps:

1. Add ¾ cup of Hydrogen Peroxide, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon citric acid, and about 20 drops of essential oils into your reusable spray bottle. 
2. Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled, cold or room temperature water, and mix. 

That’s it! Making a safe bleach alternative is so quick and easy, and now it's ready to use!

How to Use a Natural Bleach Alternative

You can use your safe bleach alternative the same way in your home as you would use bleach -- as a household cleaner to clean everything from your toilet to the water fixtures to the drains in your sink, or alternatively for your laundry to remove stains and brighten your whites and colours! To ensure that your solution is as strong and effective as possible, we recommend you make a batch of your bleach alternative as you need it. And when you do make your bleach alternative it is important to use cold or room temperature water as we mentioned, as hot water can also reduce the effectiveness of the solution as well. 

Final Thoughts 

You don't need to use bleach to get your home clean and your whites are their whitest! With this easy-to-make, bleach alternative DIY you can get the same cleaning effectiveness of bleach, but without having to use harmful toxic chemicals to do so. This safe bleach alternative is made with non-toxic and eco-friendly ingredients, so you can feel better using this bleach alternative to clean all areas of your home.