While you can use bleach to completely sanitize your toilet bowl as part of a mixture, it is not recommended for your toilet tank as it can ruin the inside of the tank.
Bleach is a disinfectant, but that doesn't make it a cleaner. In fact, by using bleach as your bathroom cleaner, you could be causing long-term damage—as well as leaving behind mold, dirt, and other unsavory coatings on your bathroom surfaces.
Once a week at least.
Tetro says your bathroom is the ultimate bacteria host; E. coli can be found within six feet of the toilet and in the sink. To keep it at bay, disinfect the toilet and sink at least once weekly, and the bathtub every two weeks — more if you shower often.
A spray consisting of equal parts vinegar, baking soda and water is an excellent multipurpose cleaner. Sprinkle a cup of borax and a quarter-cup of vinegar into your toilet bowl, let it sit overnight, then scrub and flush in the morning.
Using either disinfecting wipes or a combination of disinfecting spray and a rag, paper towels, or a sponge (that you reserve just for this task), wipe down all of the external surfaces of the toilet, paying special attention to any areas you touch regularly such as the seat and the flushing handle.
Bleach is great at disinfecting, but not so great on eliminating odors. You'll be left with a clean, but still smelly problem. Urine already has a high ammonia content, so adding more ammonia is only going to exacerbate your problem. And whatever you do, NEVER combine bleach and ammonia.
Myth: Bleach is great for deep cleaning tile and grout.
But frequent use of bleach can eventually weaken the grout's structure, causing it to become brittle and deteriorate.
Bleach can irritate the skin and eyes. Breathing in bleach over a long period of time can increase your risk of cancer. A dangerous gas can be formed when bleach is combined with certain chemicals (like ammonia). Bleach causes the buildup of chloroform in the air.
In commercial facilities, it can ruin carpets and be harmful to building occupants. Bleach, when mixed with other cleaning products, can end up being even more dangerous and toxic, creating fumes that if inhaled, could cause serious hazardous situations.
Bleach Shouldn't Be Your Everyday Cleaner
Use bleach sparingly and in a diluted concentration, and only in instances when you need to thoroughly disinfect for bacteria or viruses.
Open doors and windows. To reduce the risk of respiratory problems when cleaning with bleach, ventilate the area you plan to work in by opening doors and windows before you get started. Leave the doors and windows open for an hour after you stop cleaning to completely get rid of residual fumes.
That's because bleach can fade or discolor grout. According to Do It Yourself and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), cleaning your grout with bleach can cause the color to fade over time, giving it a dull appearance.
To care for the tiles properly, always avoid: harsh chemicals, such as bleach and acid, including lemon and vinegar, for routine cleaning; these can cause damage to the tiles and grout if used regularly and are also health hazards as well as posing danger to other property near the tiles.
Mixing vinegar and bleach together releases a poisonous chlorine gas, which can be fatal if inhaled at high enough concentrations. Another common household cleaning mistake?
Grout that hasn't been sealed, needs to be resealed, or is in poor shape should not be cleaned with vinegar. The vinegar penetrates into the pores of the grout, further weakening the material. Over time, vinegar will deteriorate the condition of the grout by etching or wearing it away.
What do professionals use to clean grout? Whether you believe it or not, most professionals use a solution of white vinegar and water with a 1:1 ratio. This solution is often more effective than dedicated Ph-neutral grout cleaners.
Moldy Grout
Create the bleach mixture. Use a toothbrush to apply it directly to the grout. Let the bleach solution sit for half an hour before rinsing.
Undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle is the best all-around mold remover for shower grout. Spray the grout, and let the vinegar sit for at least one hour. Rinse with fresh water, and wipe down the walls. Use a stiff brush to remove challenging, stuck-on mold growth.
Method 2: How to Get Grout White Again with Lemon Juice or White Vinegar. Saturate the grout with lemon juice, a mild disinfectant that gets rid of grout stains naturally. You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning.
Simply mix together half a cup of baking soda with four teaspoons of water until it forms a spreadable paste. Apply this paste directly to areas of mouldy grout and let it sit for 15 minutes. Finally, scrub the mould away with an old toothbrush and rinse with warm water.
Washing your face after bleaching may reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. Use no face wash or soap on your skin for 6-8 hours after bleaching. Always do a patch test: Always perform a patch test before undergoing bleaching.