How to Make Non-Chlorine Bleach

A few weeks ago, I felt so great about discovering non-chlorine bleach at Target (one of my favorite places ever).  I was so happy and surprised that I just scooped it up without hesitation and kept it moving.  Then on top of that, I check my Cartwheel and find that there is a coupon for it! JOY!!!

Fast forward about a week or so…. laundry day and what was pure joy has changed into disappointment.  Then a little disbelief, then some anger. I will just be honest… I was not happy angry with myself for buying this.  Even with a coupon it was still $3+.
Read the ingredients.  LOOK what’s in this!

I’m mad because I normally would just use peroxide and lemon juice as “bleach” anyway.  The container says it is “95% naturally derived”.  I’m pretty sure the other 5% is from that “plant-based cleaning agent” i.e. sodium lauryl sulfate  – a chemical detergent and surfactant.  I’m not real sure why I need that in my “non-chlorine naturally derived” bleach since I’m already using a detergent and the bleach itself is an additive to boost whiteness and brightness.

Anyway…. Once I got over my anger with myself for NOT checking the label before purchasing, I got back into my “normal” mindset and something good did come out of this purchase… the bottle is recyclable. And I did just that… I recycled it as the container for my regular old homemade non-chlorine bleach:

• water (2 parts),
• peroxide (1 part), and
• lemon juice (1/4 part).

Now I’m happy again because I will no longer be bamboozled by pretty “green” packaging and because my non-chlorine bleach costs a grand total of $0.88 for just shy of 1 gallon (versus $3+ for half that amount, 60 oz to be exact).

Side note: I don’t count the cost of lemon juice for this because we keep that on hand for other things like cooking, astringent, and adult beverages.  Technically I shouldn’t include the cost of peroxide either since that’s a basic household staple too.  And so is water… we have to pay a bill for it, but we have to have it to live anyway. So would it actually be accurate to say that THIS non-chlorine bleach is non-toxic AND FREE? Could it be???

Another side note: To be very clear, this has nothing to do with Target.  LOVE Target, always have, always will.  It is only about living The Green Life without having to spend a mint to do it.  I will likely still purchase the dishwasher detergent from time to time, simply because that’s not as simple to master and I need a little boost every now and then.  But I’m sorry to report that this particular product for me was a fail – not because it did not work, but because it could have worked for a whole lot less $$.

Conclusion: if you want to use less chemicals and still have the cleaning power of bleach, make your own using things you probably already have.  Otherwise stick to your regular old $2 bottle of chlorine bleach.

Hopefully I just saved you at least $4 that you can use for something else.