Disinfectant Bleach-Water Ratio
Bleach is one of the most widely available and affordable disinfectants on earth. Clorox® brand liquid bleach was introduced in 1913 and has played a critical role in helping to protect public health by killing germs that cause illness.
For years, bleach has helped purify water – particularly during times of disaster. Disinfectants also help kill germs that can make people sick, including MRSA, Staph, and Norovirus. Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces is essential. Germs and viruses can thrive in the kitchen, bathroom, baby’s room and laundry room.
The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – recommend the use of bleach for controlling the spread of pathogens that can cause infections and other health threats.
Clorox Bleach to water ratio…
…for cleaning hard, nonporous food contact surfaces and sanitizing refrigerators, freezers, plastic cutting boards, stainless cutlery, dishes, glassware, counter-tops, pots and pans, and stainless utensils,
Use 1 tablespoon of Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water
Wash, wipe or rinse items with detergent and water, then apply sanitizing solution of bleach and water. Let stand 2 minutes. Air dry.
You may also wish to keep a mixture of bleach and water in a spray bottle, for easy maintenance around your kitchen and household. After you clean the surfaces, just spray on the solution and let air dry. Use the disinfectant ratio mentioned above, or 1/4 teaspoon bleach per cup of water. Be sure to label the spray bottle!
NOTE.. This is not the formula for drinking water purification, but instead it is much stronger for disinfecting surfaces, etc…
For drinking water purification, read this article, Make Drinking Water Safe With Bleach
Heavy Duty spray bottle for bleach disinfectant storage:
Rubbermaid Commercial Spray Bottle
What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting?
Cleaning removes dust and debris from a surface. Disinfecting kills a variety of germs including bacteria such as Staph, Salmonella and E. coli, the viruses such as influenza (the “flu” virus) and rhinovirus (one of the causes of the common cold) and the fungus that causes athlete’s foot. Disinfecting hard, nonporous surfaces is one of the most reliable ways to help lower the risk of spreading these germs from surfaces by touch.
Are disinfectants harmful to the environment?
No. During normal household use and disposal, bleach breaks down primarily into salt and water. Bleach does not contaminate ground water because it does not survive sewage treatment – neither in municipal sewage treatment plants nor in septic systems.
Why is bleach disinfectant so extremely important during a survival situation?
Without access to healthcare, an infection, if bad enough, can quickly kill you. During a disaster or survival scenario, you are more vulnerable to cuts and injuries, any of which could become easily infected. Prior to the days of antibiotics and disinfection, many people commonly died from infection. Be sure to have an adequate supply of bleach in your supply of preparedness items, and remember that it has a shelf life of about 1 year.
Following is a list of organisms that the proper Clorox Bleach to water ratios can kill
Bacteria
Staphylococcus aureus (Staph.)
Salmonella choleraesuis
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep.)
Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli)
Shigella dysenteriae
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Fungi
Trichophyton mentagrophytes (can cause Athlete’s Foot)
Candida albicans (a yeast)
Viruses
Rhinovirus Type 37 (a type of virus that can cause colds)
Influenza A (Flu virus)
Hepatitis A virus
Rotavirus
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)*
Herpes simplex Type 2
Rubella virus
Adenovirus Type 2
Cytomegalovirus
Just remember that bleach does lose its effectiveness over several months even when unopened. Remember to replace your bleach about every 6 months or so.
I understand that sometime in March, Clorox will no longer be sell the regular version of Clorox and it will not be a disinfectant. Stock up!
In my local Walmart last week, you could NO longer purchase regular bleach. It is ALL concentrated forms now. I have also read on other sites that by years end good old “sodium hypochlorite bleach will NO longer be sold. It has been deemed a hazmat, and the replacemant will NOT disinfect. Let’s see how FEMA suggests sterilizing water now.
I recently communicated with the public relations department of Clorox regarding this issue. Apparently there is some confusion out there. It is true that Clorox is phasing out their traditional size Regular Bleach and replacing it with a concentrated formula. Here are two statements from them…
“Clorox® Concentrated Regular-Bleach contains 8.25% sodium hypochlorite (essentially chlorine) versus 6% in the old formula.”
“Scented concentrated bleach contains less sodium hypochlorite and does not disinfect.”
So the concentrated formula bleach contains 37% more sodium hypochlorite which means in theory you would need 37% less than the previous ‘Regular’ formula in order to achieve the same disinfecting results.
I have not yet purchased the new concentrated formula as of this post.
I have to clean the mildew off the aluminum siding outside every spring; I can’t find regular bleach…what can I use? I use white vinegar (heated on stove) on sink drains and garbage disposal to disinfect. What can I use to clean the A/C drain to kill algae? I live in Ala.
I’d like to point out that 1/4 teaspoon per cup (1:48) is not the same concentration as 1 tablespoon per gallon (1:256).
The cup recipe is concentration is greater than 5 times the concentration of the gallon recipe. That’s quite a discrepancy.
NOTE: The following formula is for disinfecting surfaces, NOT for drinking water purification.
In response to the comment from ‘hyper’,
The formula calls for 1 tablespoon bleach per gallon of water.
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon and 16 cups in a gallon.
So, the formula calls for 3 teaspoons bleach per 16 cups of water. To make a mixture of just one cup, you would mix with 3/16 teaspoon bleach, which is 1/5.33, which is darn near and close enough to a conventional 1/4 teaspoon to call it even…
Unless I’m missing something, I believe my math is correct. I am happy to be challenged though, because I am human and DO MAKE MISTAKES
The bleach/water spray loses effectiveness in about 24 hours. It has to be remixed every day. We were using it at our hospital to disinfect beds, and got dinged by safety for not disposing of it at the end of each day. Also, most sources recommend leaving the solution on the surface for more than 2 minutes, usually just allowing to air-dry. I haven’t seen research supporting either recommendation, but in a crisis situation you may not have a clean towel to dry with anyway, and would just be spreading more germs.
Thanks for the insider tip, Mary!