Alternative to bleach

[Thurston Garden]

Our bleach mountain, bought in a previous life (apparently whether we needed it or not...) is now, thankfully all used up.

I resisted the temptation to buy more at the weekend, but now have grubby dishcloths. What is the ish-bleach-alternative for this task? (My Mum is sure to visit over the Christmas holidays and she abhors grubby cloths. She is the Queen of Bleach )

Ta.

[lsm1066]

Lemon juice? It's acidic so bacteria don't like it and it's a natural bleach.

[theabsinthefairy]

For dishcloths - just boil them, that kills any germy nasties - but does not necessarily whiten them if that's what you are after?

[Thurston Garden]

Yes, to the Queen of Bleach, white = clean lol

[contadina]

Pre-soak them overnight in water with either lemon juice or sliced lemons then, either boil wash on the hob or bung cloths with lemon water in the washing machine and wash as normal. Hanging them out to dry in the sun helps lemon whiten even more.

[red]

new dishcloths.....
make your own out of whiter than white rags?

[Rosendula]

I know what you mean. It used to really bug my mother that my dishcloths were not snow-white. I've always hated bleach since I was little, and the solitary bottle we have has been sitting in the shed for several years - it's still full! (I didn't buy it, it was Richard ). To clean dishcloths and kill germs I put them in the washing machine with the towels on a hot wash, but they don't come up bright white.

If you need aesthetic cleanliness, get a new one. After all, it is Christmas, I'm sure people here will let you off just this once
*takes cover ready for the verbal wrist-slapping*

[Thurston Garden]

Perhaps thats the solution! Boil the 'in-use' cloths and have a 'show' cloth ready to pull out of the cupboard when the Queen of Bleach comes to visit.

Thanks all!

[Peggy Sue]

That might be the solution for my MIL....the inlaws dog sit whon we go away, but my clthes are no where near sparkling enough (despite the washign machine) so I could have a 'standby' for her

I've started using white vinegar more as a disinfectant, it does freshen things up well, not the same whiter than white effect as bleach tho

[MuddyWitch]

I knit our dish clothes from organic cotton, so they are a beigy-grey to start with. When they look really grotty (despite being boiled clean) I dye them!

MW

[Ellendra]

Use colorful cloths?

[theabsinthefairy]

I use old bits of cotton or linen sheeting that I bought in a scraps bag from a charity shop of 50c (50p) and white vinegar for any cleaning in place of bleach - and then when they are grotty - boil them with beetroot!!!!!! Lovely pinks and cerises and purple reds.

[southeast-isher]

Help me! I just do not like bleach at all - in the kitchen at least - and for cleaning the kitchen and i guess even the toilet too is there any more inside/outside enviroment friendly yet effective alternatives. What do others of you ishers use? Thanks.

I've seen a small range of Ecover products and own-brand equivalents in those dreaded supermarkets based on plant extracts but are they effective? That's with the kitchen/bathroom sprays... but what about with more stronger things like pure bleach? Alternatives welcomed! Though their efficacy is a must.

:-)

[Millymollymandy]

I use supermarket bought eco friendly loo cleaner, or just straight forward OK for septic tanks loo cleaner from Lidl. Can't see any need for bleach in the loo myself.

The only thing I use bleach for is to occasionally clean my washing up bowl which takes in dirt in a multitude of tiny scratches after a while and bleach is the only thing that really cleans it up and takes all the greasiness off - and whilst I'm at it I clean my cutlery in it at the same time, as my teaspoons go very brown.

Otherwise I hate the stuff as the smell really gets up my nose and lingers there for hours afterwards. Sometimes I have to wear a mask!

[lazyspice]

Even though I keep the loo clean with vinegar and bicarb I can't convince himself that there's no need to put bleach down there too He doesn't like the smell of vinegar and I don't like the smell of bleach but as I'm the one that scrubs the pan I think I will ultimately win that little battle