by Tara Kuczykowski 90 Comments
I fell in love with Clorox Anywhere a couple of years ago when I was part of a year-long test panel for it. I received free product coupons every month so that I could test it out and review it. It’s since become an indispensable part of my cleaning process, yet I just can’t bring myself to shell out $3.29 a bottle for something that is 99.9905% water!!!
I just used up the last bottle from my stockpile the other day, and I’ve really been missing it for all the little things I use it for. It occurred to me that I should just try to make my own, so after a little fancy math to convert the percentages of water and bleach to useful quantities, I came up with this simple recipe.
1 1/2 teaspoons of bleach
22 oz. water
How easy is that? I saved my pretty little Clorox Anywhere bottle to mix it in, but you could pick up any inexpensive spray bottle that holds just over 22 ounces to put it in.
My favorite use for it is to spray down the kitchen table and high chair after dinner. I let it sit to sanitize it while I clean up and load the dishwasher, and then I wipe it down with a dishrag. Letting it sit also helps “unstick” any sticky messes and makes for an easy cleanup all around!
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Comments
Daycare Lady
well, being a daycare provider for 10+ years I can say there is no substitute for bleach for certain needs, ie, cooking/prep surfaces and eating surfaces, as well as toys that have been in mouths. When multiple families or children are exposed to shared environments, and yes our states requires us to make fresh bleach water as well because of breakdowns, and uncertainty. however, i love clorox naturals for all of my other cleaning, and i do use white vinegar alot as well. i mop with vinegar and clean anything with mineral build up ( shower heads, coffee pot, faucets, etc) because it works miracles. but when i want the house to smell good i use lysol for mopping. I love clorox anywhere spray for fridge and food areas, but it is not strong enough for bathroom/changing table areas. Proven to not efficiently kill fecal or urinary bateria well enough for multiple children/families. Therefore not usable in daycares, but for a regular one or two family home, i love it! Thanks foryour posts deal seeking mom!!! Love it!!!!
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salreem
I found this on the Clorox website… it explains why it has a shelf life of about 1 year, unlike a regular bleach and water mix you do yourself.
https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-anywhere-hard-surface-daily-sanitizing-spray/faq/#faq0Q: “What is in Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface daily sanitizing spray?”
A: “Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface daily sanitizing spray starts with very pure water and refined bleach. The product is then pH balanced so that it remains both gentle and effective for a full year. The concentration of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface daily sanitizing spray is 0.0095%. The result is a product that is gentle as water, but strong enough to kill 99.9% of common household bacteria on hard, nonporous surfaces. This means it is gentle enough to use on surfaces around kids, pets and food”Reply
Walmart has a new regular bleach at a great price…White Cloud!
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donell
bleach is only good for 24 hours after you mix it with anything, keeps the smell after that but not anything else. you should make sure people know that.
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Chemical Engineer
You are incorrect. Water and Sodium Hypochlorite will last several days, up to a week when mixed properly.
See Also5 Must Have Essential Oil DIY Recipes for SummerSmall Batch Sea Salt Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe | Chenée TodayUltimate Turmeric Tea + Turmeric Tonic RecipesEasy Homemade Pickles Recipe | Gimme Some OvenAdditionally, the author of this article is incorrect. A proper mixture for disinfecting is at least 3 to 4 Tablespoons of Bleach to 3 to 4 cups of Water.
Remember, that’s one (1) Tablespoon of Bleach to one (1) cup of Water.
The solution is good for one (1) week. Store it in a cool, dry place out of direct light or in an opaque bottle.
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Chemical Engineer 2
Dear Chemical Engineer….while your recipe may be correct for a disinfectant, the author’s recipe is correct for a sanitizing solution (Clorox Anywhere). So, don’t call someone incorrect when you yourself are incorrect.
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alex
I wanted to make a .005% solution of sodium hypochlorite. I would say that a one quart quantity would be about right. Could you give me the numbers on how to achieve this? Thanks….Alex
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Luke
If that was true, how would a bottle of bleach be effective after 24 hours? It’s mixed with water. Clorox Anywhere spray is just bleach mixed with water. What’s your source for it only being effective for 24 hours?
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Meredith
It is absolutely true that the mixture is no longer effective after 24 hours. The poster who said this is correct. The Anywhere Spray is over-priced, but if you want to make it yourself, you must replace every 24 hours. The commercial spray has something in the process making it stable. So really, it isn’t “just” bleach and water. Source- I am a Child Care Director and worked for DCF regulations for centers, and require the mixture be mixed daily if a center makes their own. It is common knowledge at least amongst those in child care.
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me
No, it is stable much longer than 24 hours. Most solutions still have 85% activity after 1 month in a cold spot protected from light. https://www.ciriscience.org/a_307-Stability_and_Bactericidal_Activity_of_Chlorine_Solutions
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Jill
Sorry, you are wrong. I too work in child care and the ARC.. We recommend the solution in disaster areas.
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Chrissy
As a paramedic we use a 10% bleach solution and water to clean the ambulance, that’s urine, feces, blood, vomit, mucus, brain matter, you name it! You make it and it’s good for 1 shift, that’s 24 hours. Also her solution is way too diluted. If you use 22 oz of water you must also have 2.2 oz of bleach, that’s 5.2 tablespoons! This is bad advice here on the authors part!
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John
The CDC websites states that sodium hypochlorite (bleach) remains effective for 24-30 hours in solution.
To Chrissy; the Anywhere solution IS very weak to make it safe for use on non-porous food-bearing surfaces. Your requirements are much more concentration-sensitive.
The CDC also states that a minimum concentration of .002% is adequate to destroy 99.9% of most pathogens. I believe Anywhere sits at approx. .005% in solution.
For the low cost of bleach, I just mix fresh daily for my coffee business. It’s the best practice if you want to be safe.
What a Wonderful idea. I will certainly try this.
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Aditya
To keep the bleach stable and effective one needs to make sure of two things. 1} The solution should be alkaline (pH more than 11) and 2) The bottle should be opaque.You might have noticed that most disinfectants that have bleach come in opaque bottles. Or make fresh each time
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Danielle
So could you just add baking soda to the water/bleach solution to make it more alkaline and it be an effective cleaning agent for longer than 24hrs?
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Denise
Danielle – Please don’t mess with mixing chlorine bleach with anything other than water. It’s really for our own safety that caustic chemicals remain in the form we buy them. Regardling making Anywhere Spray – sounds like a good idea, however, any old spray bottle won’t work since it probably has a metal spring – in other words – a bottle from, say, the Dollar Store will only (probably) work a couple of times. That means that we (consumers) have to buy the official Clorox Anywhere Spray at least once. Sounds like I’ll be mixing up a batch a few times a week since it seems to lose its effectiveness per those comments above. Hmmm, learn something new everyday! :- )
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BEWARE of the new concentrated Clorox bleach. It is extremely toxic, burns the eyes, and wafts through the house. When I called to complain I was told that this new Clorox is replacing all other Clorox. I have diluted the Clorox to 1 tablespoon (their recommendation is 1/2 cup) and still have caustic smells in the house. I believe this product is a serious health issue. I won’t buy it any more. The company is non-responsive.
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Rev.Tamara
…. You guys rock – thanks for all the everything… You really do make it ALL seem worth it – and I mean from both perspectives, that being the big picture and the little picture.
I can’t speak for all the women and maybe none of the men, but there is just nothing like the high one feels from getting a great deal, (everything you wanted), for a fraction of the price OR maybe no price at all!
Thank you for all that you do for all of us and I know I share for all who hold you near and dear we really do appreciate every little thing that you do, keep up the great job and know that what you’re doing is working and it shows.
God bless and Happy Early Mother’s Day.
In light & love
I am~
Rev. TamaraReply
Michelle
According to Clorox’s website, there are four ingredients in Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Daily Sanitizing Spray:
– Water
– Sodium Carbonate (a.k.a. washing soda or soda ash)
– Sodium Chloride (table salt)
– Sodium HypochloriteThe washing soda and table salt must serve as stabilizers because bleach solutions loose their efficacy over time. If only someone could find out how much of each to add to the bleach solution, then it would be possible to make a homemade version of Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Daily Sanitizing Spray.
(Source: https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-daily-sanitizing-spray/)
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John
Actually bleach is often made from salt water thru an electrical process. The process seperates the sodium and chlorine ions in the salt and recombined them with other moly clues to make sodium hypochlorite. So it’s not as simple as just mixing those above listed ingredients. That being said mixing it daily works great.
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LOVE this idea. Going to try it this week!
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nat
I am interested in the idea because the people in west Africa that is dying from Ebola,they can not afford the cost of a bottle of clorox
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Drdaa
The safest percentage for disinfecting/ killing dangerous microorganisms is a 30% bleach to H2O. Simply fill bottle 1/3 full of bleach & rest of the way with water. That’s what is used in microbiology labs and while there is at least one microorganism not killed by bleach, it kills most. I know I sure as hell wouldn’t want to ride in the ambulance mentioned in another response that only uses a 10% solution to clean up biological waste!
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Joe P
Think Swimming pool and you can make you mixture last longer.
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Ann
You and I are on the same thought wave. I’ve wondered about using pool stabilizers for awhile. Just haven’t had the time to really look into it.
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Pam
Please be aware that using bleach at 10% and 30% solutions can cause caustic burns on your skin if you come into contact with it. The lower concentrations (.005%) will not cause this problem with most people, nor will it require rinsing afterward. Many people using these sprays want to be able to use them around their families on a daily basis, and strong bleach solutions are not appropriate in the home environment.
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Child Care Mama
2 things are true here. Bleach mixtures are only good for 24 hours & Bleach now a days is no longer only 5.25%. They’re now 8.25% – 9%. There is no precise recipe anymore for sanitizing solutions. I was just doing some figuring for my child care mix and came up with 1.7 mL to one quart of water. My bottle says 2 teaspoons bleach to 1.5 gallons of water. I only need a quart spray bottle filled fresh every morning. I can’t believe some of the arguments posted on this thread. It’s all about the math and what type of cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing you’re doing.
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Teresa
I used the splashless clorox and in order for my mixture to be right at 100ppm I had to mix 1/2 tbsp with 1 gallon of water. I used test strips to verify the dilution. The amount that was given here for me was around 200 ppm. I had to experiment with different amounts until I got to the amount I needed. Hope this helps someone. I bought my test strips on Amazon. The 100ppm solution is recommended for restaurants.
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