Alternative to Bleach?

Updated on July 27, 2010
W.T. asks from El Cajon, CA
7 answers

I need an alternative to bleach.

My bathroom never seems to dry out, so I get mold in the shower....just a bit, in the corners. I cannot stand the smell of bleach. It gives me an instant headache even if I am not the one who uses it. I can even smell it the next day. The "non scented" or "perfumed" bleaches are just as bad.

And I've tried a few hard core things recommended by a housekeeper and they all give me horrible headaches, not to mention I hate using that stuff since I have a toddler and a baby breathing it.

Any tried and true alternatives to using bleach? I would appreciate it. I would rather live with a bit of mold than a raging headache, but my husband and housekeeper are going crazy over it.

Help!!!!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all! I never even thought to use peroxide. I think I will give that a chance. I've tried vinegar and use it for other applications. I could try the borax too, as I have it around for my homemade laundry detergent.

We don't have a fan, but do have a window. We have a MASSIVE shower with a very bumpy floor (need to remodel it....its from the sixties) and extremely deep grooves all around. Worst design for a shower ever! So even though we squeegee it, there are deep grooves for water to hide and it just neve dries out!

Thanks for the suggestions!

More Answers

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J.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

The only things we use in our house is vinegar, baking soda, perioxide, and Sensaria's Citrus Cleaner. Vinegar would be the least effective on the mold but all of the others listed here are great on cleaning this.

The Citrus Cleaner is an amazing all purpose cleaner for EVERYTHING in the house from counters, to stains, to laundry, to even fruits and vegetables. Very cost effective as well so I incorporate it with all of the others that I listed above.
www.sensaria.com/J.

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C.T.

answers from San Diego on

Hi W.,

Yes, I have an amazing alternative to bleach!! It's called Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover from Shaklee. I know you are not looking for a laundry product, but this does it all. This will definitely work on your mold and mildew in the shower, you can use it in your laundry or to soak stained clothing, you can use it to clean your toilets and sinks, to clean your carpet and upholstery, and so much more. It's like Oxyclean, but 60% more effective and totally safe. It's made from natural minerals and doesn't have that strong odor that bleach does.

Have you heard of Shaklee? It's the #1 natural nutrition company in the U.S. They've been around for 54yrs and have a trusted reputation for safety, quality, and efficacy. They do over 80,000 quality control tests per year and 349 contamination tests on each new raw ingredient each time a product is processed. They've never had an FDA investigation or product recall. A product will never reach the shelves if it's not 100% safe. Shaklee = Piece of Mind! All products are backed by a 100% guarantee too.

Nature Bright is part of the Get Clean line of laundry and cleaning products. They are safe, non-toxic, effective, super concentrated to last you longer and save you money, versatile, and earth-friendly. Let me know if you have questions or would like more information. You can check out these products and more at www.greennutrition.info and register to win $200 in free products at www.freegreenproducts.info.

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi! I use Shaklee products. Here is a link to my web-site with the information about Basic G Germicide. It is EPA approved for restaurant use. You don't want to swallow it, but it is very safe to use near kids and pets.
http://sharon4health.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku...
For scrubbing, there is Scour Off. It is made with silica gel and cherry pits. So safe you can brush your teeth with it - but I don't!
http://sharon4health.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku...
I'd love to help! S. Garcia
PS: I just saw Candace's answer, as well. It's true! Nature Bright is another great alternative, for a lot of different uses.
You don't even need to wear gloves when using Shaklee products.
You got some great suggestions - thanks for asking!

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M.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Once you've gotten the place clean, you can prevent (or at least reduce by a lot!) reoccurrence is to eliminate the humidity that harbors the mildew by squeegeeing all the surfaces you can after a shower. Think about all the water in all the droplets (or larger pools, on the floor), and the fact that those are all going to evaporate into the air. Now squeegee them all toward the drain... and that's all water that won't be in the air. We spend less than a minute doing this after each shower, and pretty much never clean it, except maybe a little Bon Ami around the parts that are hard to get at with the squeegee (around valves and faucets). And those parts aren't moldy, because the whole shower dries quickly after we've eliminated the bulk of the moisture -- they just have a mineral buildup from impurities in the water that evaporates there.

Classic red rubber squeegees work best; the plastic ones they have nowadays (at least the ones I bought some years back at Home Depot and Whole Foods) are much less effective. Home Depot had a black rubber one last time I checked (while looking for replacement blades for the red rubber kind -- sadly, Bloomfield Hardware went out of business), which should be fine.

Is your bathroom ventilated? (a vent fan, or at least a window) That'll certainly make a difference as well. As for the initial cleanup, I'd definitely look into the peroxide route. A peroxide-based alternative to conventionally chlorine-based processes (including but not limited to bleach) being developed and commercialized here in Pittsburgh
( http://www.chem.cmu.edu/groups/collins/index.html ).

Good luck!

M.P.

answers from Provo on

I don't have any idea's but I'd love to hear every ones suggestions.

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A.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try baking soda and vinegar.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

I use borax. Clean the surfaces with whatever product you like (I use vinegar, which also kills mold and mildew and removes soap scum and most odors), then run a sponge saturated with borax dissolved in water. Allow it to dry, leaving a slight film on the walls. Mold can not, will not, does not grow on that surface until the borax gradually drips away with condensing steam or shower spray. Just apply again.

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