Bleach as a multi-purpose disinfectant

Bleach is commonly known and used in our everyday life as a stain remover for clothes, but its applications don’t just end there. Because bleach is a solution that contains sodium hypochlorite, it has the properties of an ideal disinfectant for both home and offices, keeping appliances, utensils, and floors clean and germ-free.


According to Mr. Suthee Asawathamkitti, Haiter Bleach Category Manager, Consumer Product, Kao Commercial (Thailand) Co., Ltd., our everyday life makes us prone to infection of various diseases. It is therefore necessary to ensure sanitary condition in household and workplace with special focus on points of commonly touched surfaces, such as door knobs, handrails, computers, and telephones, etc. because they are where germs spread from one person to another. For good hygiene and to prevent spread of diseases, disinfection of these surfaces is highly recommended.

“Public health authorities in the US encourage people to use bleach that we use in the household as disinfectant for points of shared contacts and surfaces cleaning in order to prevent spread of influenza, because bleach is a sodium hypochlorite solution that kills both bacteria and viruses. By diluting the solution in water, bleach offers an excellent surface cleaning application – it kills 99.99% of germs and serves as a budget alternative to dedicated disinfectant products***,” he tells.

To use bleach in as a cleaning agent and disinfectant for surfaces of appliances and utensils, dilute it in water at a ratio of 1:100, moisten a piece of cloth with the water mixture, wipe the surfaces and leave it for a while for disinfection effect, then wipe the surfaces once again with cloth moistened with plain water. As safety precautions, always wear gloves when using bleach and do not apply it on metal and paint finish.
Disinfect your desk and computer to reduce risk of infection

Your desktop is one of the best places for germs to grow because it is one of the most often-touched areas. Disinfecting the desk surface with diluted bleach can kill germs on your desktop. Firstly, clean the surface well, then dilute ½ bottle cap of bleach in a liter of water, wipe the desk surface with cloth moistened with this mixture, and clean the surface once again with water moistened with plain water.
Keep household items and utensils in hygienic, germ-free condition

Immerse household items and utensils, such as hand towels, cleaning clothes, dish clothes, bins, baskets, plastic boxes, etc. in a mixture of ½ bottle cap of bleach and 1 liter of plain water. Leave the items for 30 minutes then rinse them in plain water.
Ensure odor-free, germ-free refrigerator, kitchen cupboard, and wardrobe

Dilute 1/6 bottle cap of bleach in 1 liter of plain water, dip a piece of cloth in the mixture, wring out the water, then wipe it on the surface to be disinfected. Wipe the surface again with cloth moistened with plain water.
Make home and balcony flooring a hygienic zone

Prepare the floor surfaces by cleaning them with plain water first, then dilute 3 caps of bleach in 5 liters of water, or ½ caps of bleach in 1 liter of water, wash or wipe the surfaces with cloth moistened with the water mixture, leave them for 10 minutes, rinse the floors and wipe them with dry cloth.
Give your clothes odor-free, germ-free cleanliness

Bad odor of clothes can result from many factors, such as poor washing and cleaning, dampness, and germs, especially bacteria growing in damp spots of the clothes. The solution is easy: immerse the clothes in water with detergent and bleach for 5-15 minutes before washing them normally to make the clothes germ-free.

In addition to its basic applications as stain remover and odor killer, bleach can keep places clean and germ-free. To demonstrate how bleach can be used as a disinfectant, Haiter Bleach was in a campaign for prevention of pandemic influenza and to keep various places safe from the H1N1 virus when the spread was at its height early in the year. The campaign focused on disinfecting schools and communities with use of bleach because these places are key areas where the virus spread.
For more information, please visit http://www.kao.com/th/news/news_detail33.html

Makeover for M&S as profits stay flat

       Marks and Spencer will begin selling grocery and household products featuring top brand names across all of its stores in Britain alongside its ownlabelled goods.
       Alongside news of flat first-half profits,Marks and Spencer said it would break with tradition and start selling products such as Coca-Cola fizzy drinks, Kelloggs cereals and Persil washing powder in a bid to improve sales.
       "Marks & Spencer announces today that it is to sell a selected range of around 400 branded grocery and household products in all of its UK stores," the company said in a statement.
       Company chairman Stuart Rose said the change would make it "so much more convenient" for customers to purchase their goods in just one shop.
       The announcement comes as M&S said net profits rose just half-a-percent to ฃ224.3 million during the first six months of its financial year.

Johnson & Johnson to tighten belt

       Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would trim layers of management, cut thousands of jobs, and set other restructuring moves in order to save up to $900 million next year.
       The New Jersey-based company said the cuts would affect 6 to 7% of its global workforce of roughly 118,700 workers,or potentially more than 8,000 jobs.
       The lay-offs will prompt a restructuring charge of up to $1.3 billion pretax in the fourth quarter. Still, the company confirmed adjusted profit guidance between $4.54 and $4.59 per share for 2009.
       Johnson & Johnson plans to simplify its business structure and projects that it will save between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion annually after the restructuring is complete in 2011.
       The company, the world's most diversified health-products maker, saw its revenue fall 5% in the third quarter as intensifying generic competition slashed sales of about a half-dozen of its prescription drugs, including the schizophrenia drug Risperdal and the epilepsy treatment Topamax.
       Chairman and CEO William C. Weldon said the moves were meant to position the company for long-term growth in an evolving, and sometimes turbulent,market.
       "These types of changes are difficult under any circumstances, and will have a very personal impact on people who have been dedicated to the mission of Johnson & Johnson," he said."We recognise their contributions to the achievements of our business, and are committed to treating them fairly and with respect throughout this process."
       The new restructuring programme comes on the heels of management's decision to reorganise its comprehensive care business in August. That unit was created under a 2008 restructuring programme with the goal of boosting sales,though sales were down during the first half of 2009. The unit makes medical devices and tests.
       "When you look at the total economic environment, I don't think anybody knows what's going to happen," Weldon said."But nobody expects it to come back tomorrow."
       He said the move was based on a broad, global view of the changing healthcare industry, taking into account national and international markets. As for health care reform, management has said it needs more clarity on what any future plan could look like before assessing a more concrete impact on the business."The restructuring programme is also not a move to centralise J&J's operations," Weldon added.
       "We're trying to make sure we've really set ourselves up for the future," he said."We have such a rich portfolio that we have to make sure we have the resources to invest."