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Mixing bleach with detergent beforehand

14 years ago

Is there anything wrong with mixing bleach with liquid detergent 2 minutes before putting it into the washer?

I ask because I live in a condo with a laundry room downstairs and around the building. It's much easier to pour both the detergent and bleach into a small tubberware container and carry that down when doing whites, instead of carrying full containers.

Thanks.

Featured Answer

fotostat
Original Author

14 years ago

"How about not using any bleach? It leaves a nasty smell in the launddry anyway and is very bad for the environment."

I like the smell, it gets my whites whiter than anything else, and I really don't care about your little issue with bleach and the environment (you can take that up with your shrink).

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Comments (9)

whirlpool_trainee
14 years ago
Liquid chlorine bleach kills enzymes (in the detergent). Maybe you could use some other container for your LCB - perhaps an old shampoo bottle...

HTH, Alex
fotostat
Original Author
14 years ago
OK, so I should keep them seperate until I pour them in the machine.

Thanks!
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boba1
14 years ago
You should actually wait 4 to 5 minutes after the agitation begins before you add the LCB. Let the detergent and enzymes do their thing and then add the bleach.
georgect
14 years ago
Yep...got to agree with boba1.
If you read the labels on detergent/bleach they say to add the bleach after 5 minutes. Bleach kills the enzymes in detergents.
I actually add mine a few minutes before the end of the wash cycle.
fotostat
Original Author
14 years ago
That will be a pain to do since the laundry room at my condo complex is not air conditioned. If I had a washer in my unit it would be a lot easier to wait the 5 minutes.
looser
14 years ago
How about not using any bleach? It leaves a nasty smell in the launddry anyway and is very bad for the environment.
dadoes
14 years ago
In that case, I'd suggest mixing the bleach and detergent as you originally planned. It won't make an appreciable difference to your clothes in the end.
fotostat
Original Author
14 years ago
I figure I'll buy smaller bottles to carry it around in, then I could mix the bleach and detergent in the water instead of mixing them together in a container up in my condo.

Thanks for the advice!

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