Anyone know about bleach? Odd labeling seen

**methusaleh** · 02-21-2009, 02:09 PM

I admit I have never looked closely at a bleach label before, besides making sure it was just bleach solution with no added laundry ingredients.

I found a source for large amounts of bleach for dirt cheap. However the bleach they sell has a strange statement on the label, which causes concern for me because I may have to at some time use bleach to stabilize water for storage. The label said something like, "when added to water, this bleach will rapidly break down into salt water." I am no chemist but I don't think most bleach does that (at least when I've sampled stored water, it never tasted like salt water-- then again there was very little bleach in it).

Comments? Guidance?

**Vicious Ignernt** · 02-21-2009, 02:28 PM

Meth,

Bleach is Sodium hypochlorite. This means it has a sodium ion, chloride ion and an extra hydrogen ion, H+.

Regular salt is Sodium Chlroide, NaCl. This means it has a sodium ion and a chloride ion.

When bleach is added to water, it releases some of those extra Hydrogen ions. If you get enough hydrogen ions floating around, the solution becomes acidic. Have you ever heard of "pH level"? That's how you measure how concentrated the Hydrogen ions that are floating around, compared to neutral water.

So, yeah, bleach is "sorta" like a salt. If you add enough, it would taste salty after all of the Hydrogen ions had calmed down and quit being so acidic.

FYI, a long time ago, when I worked on an ambulance as an EMT, we were told to re-mix the spray bottles of bleach-water mix every month. We used the bleach-water mix, usually 10:1, as a disinfectant. Someone had done some research on bleach-water mix and supposedly it loses it's effectiveness after a certain amount of time. Something about the extra Hydrogen ions leaching out through the plastic container or some such.

But, then again, I'm ignernt.

**methusaleh** · 02-21-2009, 02:31 PM

OK thanks. So basically it should be fine for purposes of long-term water storage, if needed?

Yup, I recall the 5:1 and 10:1 mix ratios from chemical decon training in the Army. Stronger one was used for equipment, the weaker for skin, but that mix was our last-ditch, emergency formula, not an everyday decon method.

**Zombie Axe** · 02-21-2009, 08:17 PM

Some folks store dehydrated bleach

aka Powdered bleach to 'roll their own' as needed. I store some of both. Gotta love something that destroys bad stuff

VI, good chemistry lesson

I knew it worked that way, but I was too ignerent to know the actual 'geek squad' stuff

**RossA** · 02-23-2009, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by methusaleh

I found a source for large amounts of bleach for dirt cheap.

So how about giving up the info on the cheap bleach? Of course, store brand bleach is already pretty cheap, anyway.

**methusaleh** · 02-25-2009, 03:20 AM

Oh I don't recall the brand or anything, a local discount house (Mr. G's) had a rack of it. Not sure when I can go back and look.

**Vicious Ignernt** · 02-25-2009, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by Zombie Axe

VI, good chemistry lesson

I knew it worked that way, but I was too ignerent to know the actual 'geek squad' stuff

(chuckle...) Takes one to know one, eh?

**Loshali** · 02-25-2009, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Vicious Ignernt

Meth,

Bleach is Sodium hypochlorite. This means it has a sodium ion, chloride ion and an extra hydrogen ion, H+.

Regular salt is Sodium Chlroide, NaCl. This means it has a sodium ion and a chloride ion.

When bleach is added to water, it releases some of those extra Hydrogen ions. If you get enough hydrogen ions floating around, the solution becomes acidic. Have you ever heard of "pH level"? That's how you measure how concentrated the Hydrogen ions that are floating around, compared to neutral water.

So, yeah, bleach is "sorta" like a salt. If you add enough, it would taste salty after all of the Hydrogen ions had calmed down and quit being so acidic.

FYI, a long time ago, when I worked on an ambulance as an EMT, we were told to re-mix the spray bottles of bleach-water mix every month. We used the bleach-water mix, usually 10:1, as a disinfectant. Someone had done some research on bleach-water mix and supposedly it loses it's effectiveness after a certain amount of time. Something about the extra Hydrogen ions leaching out through the plastic container or some such.

But, then again, I'm ignernt.

Good googly moogly, that Ignert feller over thar shor nuf kin tawk like he knowed a lil sumthin....