Bleach is one of those household items that has been around for so long no one can remember when we didn’t use it. For that very reason, it’s assumed to be non-toxic and even natural. While bleach is not the worst toxin you could have in your home, it is an EPA-registered pesticide that has an impact on the environment and does not contribute to healthy home air or water.

The darkest side of bleach

The most well known danger of chlorine bleach comes when it’s mixed with ammonia. The toxic brew combines to produce chloramines and chlorine gases that are extremely toxic. But the EPA reports that bleach on its own was responsible for the poisoning of over 25,000 kids in 2000. It can also quite seriously irritate eyes, nose, throats and lungs. 

While household bleach is not very concentrated, it still causes environmental damage. When bleach in wastewater comes in contact with organic materials like wood and soil, it can release known cancer-causing and hormone disrupting chemicals dioxin and furans. It can also produce suspected reproductive toxins trihalomethanes, which is a chemical group that includes cancer-causing chloroform.

Seventh Generation makes the point that if every household reduced its chlorine bleach use by just one 64 oz jug, it would keep 11.6 million pounds of chlorine out of the environment. Given the health and environmental hazard here, that sounds like a pretty good idea.

Replacing bleach

In the average household, bleach is used for many different tasks. This Reader’s Digest article gives a snapshot of how diverse and alarming these tasks are. The list includes fighting mildew and mold on a variety of surfaces, cleaning cutting boards and countertops (which you will then prepare food on), polishing your glassware (which you will then drink out of), and killing weeds.

Luckily the green cleaners of the world can go toe to toe with bleach because they have a product that is just as versatile: white vinegar. Straight white vinegar can kill weeds on your sidewalk, mold in your shower, bacteria on your cutting board and, you guessed it, it can even take the spots off your drinking glasses. While I don’t recommend drinking or pouring the whole jug in your fish tank, it’s not the poison or pollutant that bleach is.

Vinegar is just one of the green cleaning products that can replace bleach. Oxygen bleaches typically use hydrogen peroxide to whiten and also have antibacterial properties. While a little more toxic than vinegar, borax is another age-old product that does a great job whitening (even diapers) and is effective for scrubbing away mold and mildew.

Bleach may not be as bad as some of the most toxic cleaners, like certain oven or toilet cleaners on the market, but it is an easy toxin to replace. It’s worth trying these alternatives to reduce your impact on the environment and keep your home healthy and clean.

Kimberly Delaney is the author of Clean Home, Green Home: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Eco-Friendly Homekeeping, published by the Knack imprint of Globe Pequot Press.