Bleach

Bleach is a common household cleaner used to remove stains from white cloth or disinfect surfaces. It should be used carefully because it is toxic and can produce harmful fumes. This process takes place through oxidation, which occurs when a material loses electrons in scientific terms.

There are two major types of bleach: the main household cleaner bleach, which usually has between 3 and 6 percent of sodium hypochlorite as its active ingredient, and oxygen bleach, which uses hydrogen peroxide along with other ingredients to work as catalysts or activators.

Colored clothing or or other colored cloth surfaces should not come in contact with bleach as it may remove the much of the color and permanently mark these materials.

Stains are made up of color producing chemical compounds called chromophores. When bleach is added to water hydrochloric acid is produced. This acid shifts the oxygen balance in the water and the excess oxygen reacts with the chromophores altering its color producing ability.

An oxidizing bleach works by breaking the chemical bonds that make up the chromophore. This changes the molecule into a different substance that either does not contain a chromophore, or contains a chromophore that does not absorb visible light. Conversely, a reducing bleach works by converting double bonds in the chromophore into single bonds. This eliminates the ability of the chromophore to absorb visible light.http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/bleach.html

Sunlight works in a similar fashion to bleach when it comes to colors. Photons of light, usually of the high energy kind, and in the violet and ultraviolet spectrum tend to destroy the bonds of the chromophore, thereby taking the color from the object in question. Objects exposed for long periods of time to this sort of light sustain massive amounts of discoloration, to the point where they appear white or various muted shades of blue instead of their initial colors.http://www.howeverythingworks.org/sunlight.html

Besides whitening and cleaning clothes, bleach has several other practical applications that it can be used for. Bleach can also be used for disinfecting around the house, especially in high traffic areas such as the kitchen and bathroom. It is highly effective at killing various types of [[fungi][, bacteria and several types of virus, including Hepatitis A.http://www.clorox.com/products/faqs.php?prod_id=clb

Another key use for bleach is its ability to disinfect drinking water. If you are in a situation where you are unable to boil water for one minute to kill off bacteria, simply add one teaspoon to one gallon of water and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Water that has been properly disinfected will have a slight odor of chlorine to it. Once the 30 minutes have elapsed, pour the water between two clean containers several times.http://www.clorox.com/products/usage.php?prod_id=clb

Bleach, however, is NOT recommended for any of the following: gargling, cleaning cuts and scrapes, brushing your teeth or consuming in an attempt to mask the presence of illegal substances in your urine.http://www.clorox.com/products/faqs.php?prod_id=clb