Top 12+ Things You Should Never Clean With Bleach (But Everyone Tries It Anyway)

Stone Countertops: The Expensive Mistake You Can't Undo

Picture this: you've just spent thousands on gorgeous granite or marble countertops, and now you want to keep them spotless. Bleach is one of the worst options for cleaning your granite countertops.

Bleach can cause extreme staining as well as cause the sealant to wear off faster. While a great disinfectant, we recommend looking elsewhere for antibacterial solutions.

Bleach will dull the finish of your granite pattern, and in extreme cases, even completely change the stone's color. Because bleach is a harsh, acidic cleaner, it can damage marble and other natural stones.

Thus, it's best to avoid using it. The problem is that stone surfaces are porous, and once bleach seeps in, the damage is often irreversible.

Your beautiful investment could end up looking like a science experiment gone wrong. Stone surfaces, including marble, granite, and quartz, are porous and bleach can wreak havoc of these beautiful materials.

"Bleach can damage the sealant of [stone] surfaces, as well as dulling the surface or even change the color of the stone," says Tonya Harris.

Your Hardwood Floors: Why Bleach Is Your Floor's Worst Enemy

Bleach is a powerful cleaning agent used for removing stains from laundry and hard surfaces. It's active ingredient, sodium hypochlorite, is a caustic agent that can break down the chemical structure of wood.

In short, it deteriorates the wood at the chemical level, causing changes in color and weakening of the material. Bleach can also break down certain finishes, exposing the hardwood to damage from other chemicals as well as water damage.

Think of wood like a sponge - it soaks up whatever you put on it. Once you use bleach on any type of wood, it's near impossible to remove.

"The porous nature of wood will only absorb the bleach, and you can't safely remove it or rinse it," says Mehas. "Not only will it continue to erode over time, it's also dangerous for hands, feet, or the furry paws of your lovable pet!" When it comes to stubborn stains on your wood floors, stay away from the bleach!

"Bleach can discolor the floors permanently, so it is best to keep that away from wood floors altogether," warns Dulude. Even if you think you're being careful, that one accidental spill could leave you with a permanent white mark that screams "I made a mistake."

Stainless Steel Appliances: The Ironic Rust Creator

Here's the irony: while stainless steel is supposed to resist stains, bleach can actually cause it to rust and corrode. Bleach is corrosive.

It can eat erode, or eat away, metal surfaces. Don't use it on copper, stainless steel, aluminum, or other metals.

"Bleach can oxidize and corrode metals, causing surfaces to rust," explains Harris. The rust causes discoloration.

"Bleach can corrode and damage stainless steel, leaving it discolored and potentially impacting its structural integrity," adds Townsend. Your shiny refrigerator or sink could end up looking like it belongs in a junkyard rather than your pristine kitchen.

Next time you want to eliminate pesky fingerprints from your fridge, don't reach for bleach. The strong oxidizing nature of bleach can cause corrosion and rusting on stainless steel, leading to pitting and discoloration.

It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut - way too aggressive for the job.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: The Toxic Salad Nobody Wants

It's always important to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables before you eat them, but using bleach or detergents to clean fruits and vegetables can make you sick. Using bleach or detergents to clean fruits and vegetables can make you sick if you swallow the chemicals.

It's always important to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables before you eat them, but produce is porous, so soap and other disinfectants may be absorbed by fruits and vegetables even with thorough rinsing. No, that is not safe.

You should NEVER wash or rinse ANY food product with any form of bleach, disinfectant, or any other household cleaning chemicals. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a notice to consumers alerting them to the dangers of rinsing, soaking, or washing any food products with bleach or disinfectant, after a significant number of consumers have been doing just that.

Believe it or not, some people actually think washing their strawberries in bleach water will make them safer to eat. Ingesting commercial cleaning chemicals like bleach can be lethal and should never be used to clean food.

Ingesting commercial cleaning chemicals like bleach can be lethal and should never be used to clean food. The CDC found that 16% of people surveyed were doing exactly this during the pandemic, turning their healthy snacks into potential poison.

Electronics and Smartphones: The Screen Killer

Bleach can damage the screen's fingerprint-resistant coating. It might be OK to use an alcohol or disinfectant wipe.

Check with the company that makes your phone to be sure. Your smartphone cost hundreds of dollars, and that special coating that makes it easy to swipe and reduces fingerprints isn't something you can just replace at home.

Think of it like trying to clean your reading glasses with sandpaper - technically, they'll be "clean," but you won't be able to see through them anymore. The same logic applies to tablets, laptops, and TV screens.

Bleach can damage the screen's fingerprint-resistant coating. It might be OK to use an alcohol or disinfectant wipe.

Check with the company that makes your phone to be sure. No matter what you clean with, don't get any moisture near the openings.

One careless wipe with a bleach solution could turn your high-tech device into an expensive paperweight.

Colored Fabrics: The Great Wardrobe Destroyer

Bleach is a good stain remover, but you can't use it on everything. It's not good for spandex, wool, silk, or leather.

Always check the label for directions on how to wash your clothes. We've all been there - you spill something on your favorite shirt and think, "I'll just dab a little bleach on it." If you've ever accidentally used bleach on a printed tee or an entire load of colored clothing, you know that bleach permanently stains.

Have a tough stain? Bleach is not the solution.

"Do not use bleach near or on colored fabrics, painted surfaces, or any surface susceptible to discoloration and damage," says Townsend. That tiny stain becomes a huge white splotch that screams "bleach accident!" Even expensive fabrics like silk and wool can be completely ruined with just one encounter with bleach.

It's like trying to erase a mistake with a permanent marker - you're just making things worse.

Pet Areas and Toys: The Hidden Health Hazard

Remember when we said that it's harmful to consume bleach as humans? Same concept for Fido, folks.

You should avoid cleaning pet products with bleach because it's a strong chemical that can irritate their skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Bleach can also leave behind residue that pets may ingest, leading to upset stomachs or poisoning.

Dogs and cats are constantly licking surfaces, their paws, and their toys. "Bleach is a powerful chemical so it's important to use it in areas where kids and furry friends won't be exposed to it or touch it.

Think about where your children or pets spend time or play and make sure not to use bleach in these areas of the home. "Children and pets are more likely to accidentally ingest bleach from surfaces from touching toys or other areas where bleach has been used, or from pets licking paws on a bleached floor or area," explains Harris.

What seems like a thorough cleaning job to you could be setting up your beloved pet for a trip to the emergency vet. Their sensitive noses and tongues pick up residues that you can't even detect.

Painted Walls and Surfaces: The Color-Changing Catastrophe

Using bleach to clean a painted surface is a great way to ruin that surface. Even if you're dealing with white paint, bleach can cause discoloration.

What to use instead: Some multi-purpose cleaners might be okay to use on your painted walls, but the biggest recommendation is to use warm water on a washcloth. Simple as that.

You might think that white paint and white bleach would get along perfectly, but chemistry doesn't work that way. Paint has different chemical compounds that react unpredictably with bleach, often leaving you with streaky, discolored patches that look worse than the original dirt or scuff marks.

Do not use bleach near or on colored fabrics, painted surfaces, or any surface susceptible to discoloration and damage," says Townsend. Imagine trying to touch up one small spot and ending up having to repaint an entire wall because the bleach created an obvious difference in color.

Drains and Plumbing: The Pipe-Eating Monster

It might hurt your pipes or mix with other chemicals. Try baking soda instead.

You can toss a handful down the drain and follow that with a rush of hot water. You can also pour 1 cup of vinegar down the drain.

Let it sit in your pipes for 30 minutes, then run the hot water. When you pour bleach down your drain, you're not just attacking the clog - you're attacking your pipes too.

The corrosive nature of bleach can eat away at older pipes, especially if they're made of certain metals. Plus, there's always the risk that bleach will react with other chemicals already in your plumbing system, creating toxic gases that can back up into your home.

It's like sending a wrecking ball to fix a traffic jam - sure, it might clear the obstruction, but look at all the damage it causes in the process. Bleach also reacts with some oven cleaners, hydrogen peroxide, and some insecticides.

Pool chemicals frequently contain calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite and should not be mixed with other cleaning products.

Natural Fiber Carpets and Rugs: The Texture Destroyer

Wool, jute, sisal, and other natural fiber rugs are like delicate ecosystems that bleach completely devastates. These materials are essentially plant or animal products, and bleach breaks down their natural structure at the molecular level.

Bleach is a good stain remover, but you can't use it on everything. It's not good for spandex, wool, silk, or leather.

What starts as a spot treatment for a stain can quickly turn into a rug with a gaping hole or a texture so compromised that it falls apart when you walk on it. The fibers become brittle and weak, like hair that's been over-processed with chemicals.

Even if the color doesn't change dramatically, the feel and durability of the rug are permanently damaged. It's the difference between soft, luxurious wool and scratchy, damaged material that looks like it belongs in a barn.

Car Interiors: The Dashboard Disaster

Your car's interior is a complex mix of materials - plastic, vinyl, leather, fabric, and various synthetic materials that don't play well with bleach. Bleach is corrosive.

It can eat erode, or eat away, metal surfaces. Don't use it on copper, stainless steel, aluminum, or other metals.

The dashboard alone contains multiple types of plastics and synthetic materials that can be permanently damaged by bleach's corrosive action. What looks like a simple cleaning job can result in cracked, discolored, or warped surfaces that make your car look like it's been through a disaster.

Bleach is a good stain remover, but you can't use it on everything. It's not good for spandex, wool, silk, or leather.

Leather seats are particularly vulnerable - bleach can cause them to crack, discolor, and lose their suppleness permanently. It's like trying to moisturize your skin with acid; the cure becomes worse than the problem.

Anything When You're Desperate: The Panic Clean Gone Wrong

A restaurant manager in Massachusetts was killed in November 2019 from inhaling vapors when bleach reacted with ammonia in his restaurant. When following cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting protocols in a commercial kitchen, it is especially important to know of any potential interactions, and to use only safe combinations of solutions.

Anyone can check with their respective state's Department of Health to find the dangers to avoid if you are unsure. This is when bleach becomes most dangerous - when you're panicking about a mess or trying to clean something quickly without thinking it through.

Never mix household bleach (or any disinfectants) with any other cleaners or disinfectants. This can release vapors that may be very dangerous to breathe in.

Vinegar and bleach can create chlorine gas, which can cause respiratory and vision issues. Chlorine gas combined with water also creates hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids, which are also dangerous to eyes and lungs.

The moment you start mixing bleach with other products or using it on surfaces you're not sure about, you're entering dangerous territory. That "emergency clean" could turn into an actual emergency involving poison control or a trip to the hospital.

The next time you reach for that bottle of bleach, remember that sometimes the most powerful solution isn't the right solution. Your home, your health, and your wallet will thank you for choosing gentler alternatives that actually work better for most cleaning jobs.

What seemed like the obvious choice might just be the mistake you can't undo.

Get more from ClimateCosmos!

What do you think about this topic? Share your thoughts in the comments below — we would love to hear from you! Want more stories like this? Follow us and never miss out!