Chlorine Bleach Presoak?
Is chlorine bleach a good presoak for (flatware, coffee cups, laundry stains, etc.)?
This is an observation we make over time when visiting customer locations. Chlorine bleach is a common product to encounter in multiple uses at a variety of locations. We have seen it used as a presoak for stained fabric in laundries, we have seen it used to remove coffee stains from the inside of coffee cups, we have had food service facilities use chlorine as a presoak for their flatware, and we have even witnessed people washing their floors with chlorine bleach.
Chlorine is a very popular product for several applications. It can be used as a sanitizer in low temp dish machines and 3 compartment sinks, it can be used as a destainer in commercial laundry operations, but it is not a good choice when soil and other conditions are present.
First of all, chlorine bleach is an aggressive chemical that can start to deteriorate the surface of anything it comes into contact with. It does not have any cleaning ability, and it can not sanitize a dirty surface. There are many products that are better suited for removing stains. If the stains are present in the laundry we would suggest using a prespotter or presoak.
If the stains are present in coffee cups or other plastic food contact surfaces we would suggest using an oxygen based presoak to remove the stains without harming the surface. For flatware, there are several presoaks in both a liquid and powder format that will breakdown the food soils very quickly and efficiently without causing any damage to the flatware. And for floors, we have a large variety of floor cleaning products to choose from depending on the floor type and location.
As I mentioned earlier, chlorine is a good choice for low temp dish machines. As a matter of fact, chlorine is the only approved sanitizer for low temp dish machines because it will not foam. However there are many other product alternatives for cleaning surfaces in both the food service industry and in the laundry that will provide much better results without damaging the surfaces to be cleaned.
