Bleach is a very useful product that can be found in almost every home. It is a disinfectant that is used for cleaning the home and that is why it is very essential to have bleach at home. Cleaning with bleach ensures that you get rid of harmful germs in your home as bleach can kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Bleach is readily available in the market and you can always get some to buy. But if you want to make your own bleach at home, it is a very easy process. Although you have to be sure to take all safety measures because bleach can be very harmful.
If you have kids at home, make sure to keep your bleach and the ingredients you’ll be using to prepare the bleach away from the kids. Keep it where they can’t reach it or even see it.
Whiles, you can make the bleach for yourself at home, you can also consider selling some as a side hustle to make some extra income. You can sell it to your neighbors and even expand your reach by promoting it on your social media accounts.
Uses of bleach
- For disinfecting floors and surfaces
- For washing clothes
- For cleaning toilets and bathrooms
- For disinfecting certain tools
Safety precautions when making bleach at home
- Wear respiratory protection, gloves, goggles, and face shields, as well as other protective clothing.
- Use disposable nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves are an excellent alternative if you’re allergic to latex. You can also use these gloves when cleaning and disinfecting your place so you don’t have direct contact with dirty surfaces.
- Wear long sleeves when making bleach that way your skin will be protected in case there’s a spill
- Make the bleach in a well-ventilated area. Keep windows and doors open. You can even do it in your backyard instead.
- Do not eat anything or even drink water when you are working on the bleach. Some people like to eat some snacks as they work on DIY projects. Do not do that when making bleach at home.
- When you are done, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before you grab something to eat or drink.
- Store the bleach in a cool dry place. Keep it away from direct sunlight or heat.
How to make bleach at home
If you want to make bleach at home for clothes, disinfecting, or even commercial purposes, this is how you can do it. Again, be sure to observe all the safety measures because bleach can be very harmful, it is corrosive and that means it can burn the skin or even the eyes when it comes into contact.
Ingredients needed to make bleach at home
- Soda ash 300g
- Chlorine 300g
- Caustic soda 150g
- Soap-making dye (as colorant)
Soda ash
Soda ash is the key component in the production of powdered detergents and soaps due to its high alkalinity and surfactant qualities, which allows it to improve the solvency and the effectiveness of the detergent in removing stains whilst using a little amount of water.
Chlorine
Chlorine is a halogen element that is isolated as a heavy greenish-yellow diatomic gas of pungent odor and is used especially as a bleach, oxidizing agent, and disinfectant in water purification.
Caustic soda
Caustic soda is a powerful chemical substance used in making bleaches or soaps and clean drains.
Soap-making dye
This is used to color the bleach. You can choose to leave your bleach as it is or color it. You can use any color you want but for bleach, most people tend to use blue, green, and even pink.
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Steps in making bleach at home
- Pour the chlorine in a half bucket of water and make sure you stir through fully.
- After this method, take a different bucket, pour your caustic soda inside, and stir thoroughly.
- After dissolving each mixture completely then you add the chlorine solution to the caustic soda solution.
- After mixing the two solutions together then you add the soda ash then you stir again for 1minute.
- Now in the final part, add a small amount of soap-making dye in your preferred color.
- After that allow the mixture to stand overnight for decantation, and then pour the liquid part as your bleach.
Tips for safely storing bleach
Store it in a labeled container
Due to how hazardous bleach can be, it is important to keep your bleach in a clearly labeled container so that you can instantly see it when you see it. You can use a marker to write “bleach” on the container.
Store it in a cool dry place
When storing bleach, make sure to store it in a cool dry place. Keep it away from heat and sunlight. The best temperature for bleach storage is between 50°F – 70°F. Typically, bleach can last up to 6 months before it starts losing its strength, but storing it in hotter regions can cause it to lose its strength faster.
Keep your bleach out of reach
While you might be tempted to keep your bleach handy so you can easily access it, it is not advisable to do so as doing this can expose the bleach to kids. Also, your bleach can easily get knocked off when it is stored in an area where you are always using and it can spill.
So it is best to store your bleach in an area where you won’t see it often and where it will be safe away from kids.
Do not mix with other bleach
If you have other bleach at home, like store-bought ones, do not mix your homemade bleach with them. It is not advisable to mix bleach with other bleach or other cleaners as certain chemicals like ammonia can react with bleach to form toxic gas.
How To Make Bleach At Home
Materials
- 300 g chlorine
- 300 g soda ash
- 150 g caustic soda
- Soap-making dye
Instructions
- Pour the chlorine in a half bucket of water and make sure you stir through fully.
- After this method, take a different bucket, pour your caustic soda inside and stir it very well.
- After dissolving each solution completely then you add the chlorine solution to the caustic soda solution.
- After mixing the two solutions together then you add the soda ash then you stir again for 1 minute.
- Now in the final part, add a small amount of soap-making dye in your preferred color.
- After that allow the mixture to stand overnight for decantation, and then pour the liquid part as your bleach.
- Store it in a clearly labeled container