The Best Alternative to Bleach Cleaning

An alternative to bleach cleaning that works effectively and is truly safe for our health and planet is finally possible! 

Most of us have used bleach before and are all too familiar with its pungent smell. Some people love it, others hate it, and it’s everywhere we look. It has been used for decades in the UK, and has always been a staple product in the cleaning world.

But at Spruce, we are here to spice things up and change that with a non-toxic alternative to bleach cleaning. We know all the nasty consequences of using bleach, and want to revolutionise your cleaning routine so it’s safer for you and your family. But why do we even need an alternative to begin with? Now bear with us while we go over the sciency bit...

Chlorine Bleach: What Exactly is it?

Let’s take a deep dive into chlorine bleach. The words “chlorine” and “bleach” are used together a great deal, but they aren’t actually the same chemical. Chlorine is a naturally occurring chemical found in plants and water, whereas bleach is the solution that occurs when mixing chlorine with other elements. Bleach is commonly used to disinfect toilets, drains, kitchen surfaces, door knobs and remove mould. It’s also often used in household goods such as soap and laundry detergent. There are few households in the UK who have never used bleach around kids and pets. That is worrying. 

Bleach is advertised to us on a daily basis as the most affordable and effective disinfectant. It has risen massively in popularity since the COVID pandemic because it kills bacteria and viruses, therefore making people feel safe. However many people are unaware that you can get rid of bacteria and viruses without using cleaners that pose a risk to your health. 

And most of us don’t even use bleach in the correct way to kill those bacteria and viruses that we are so afraid of. You can spend hours wiping down your kitchen surfaces with harsh antibacterial chemicals, but in the end it is a pointless exercise because the bacteria will simply recolonise and repopulate from a single cell, just 20-minutes later. 

Chlorine Bleach Ingredients: The Risks

Chlorine bleach ingredients can contribute to health problems 

Using bleach can have terrible side effects on your health. Chlorine poisoning can occur from touching, swallowing or inhaling bleach and household cleaners that contain the chemical. Exposure to the chemical can cause respiratory problems such as difficulty breathing, coughing and even fluid build up inside of your lungs. When digested, it can cause throat pain, stomach swelling, burning mouth and vomiting. It can also reek havoc on your circulatory system, which can result in blurred vision, vision loss, skin damage and low blood pressure. 

Obviously, it’s uncommon for people to go around purposefully ingesting bleach, but it’s very important to make sure kids are not around these chemicals. A study by the Centre of Environment and Health found that everyday exposure to bleach was associated with a 20% increase in children catching respiratory illnesses. 

Bleach is bad for the environment 

The release of toxic chemicals when using bleach can cause indoor air pollution. Greenpeace shared a report showing that  chlorine bleach plants across the UK put 63.8 million people in danger of potential worst-case release of chlorine gas. This is a substance which is very toxic and has been used as a chemical weapon. Bleach breaks down and can potentially mix with different elements when released into the environment, which pollutes our waters and causes danger to wildlife. 

The good news is that we don’t need to use bleach to have clean home, in fact there are non-toxic alternatives that are safer for you, your family and the planet.

Natural Bleach Alternative

So what is a natural alternative to bleach and does it actually work? We know it can feel daunting when you read about all the negative effects of toxic chemicals like chlorine bleach. But do not fear, Spruce is here! Don’t you just love singing along  to your favourite songs and spritzing the kitchen without a care in the world? We sure do. That’s why we are warning about the dangers of chlorine bleach and other toxic chemicals, because we want your cleaning routine to be totally stress-free and without worry. 

We sell natural refillable cleaning products that are made from non-toxic ingredients, they don’t contribute to air pollution in the home and they are just as effective as bleach. On top of that, they also smell incredible and they don’t pollute the planet. It's a win-win situation if you ask us. You can be reassured that you are protecting yourself, your family and the environment when using our products.