When I ran out last week, I wrote "bath cleaner" on the list of things needing to be bought. My Dear Spousal Unit picked up "Lysol ® brand Disinfectant All Purpose Cleaner With Bleach" in a non-aerosol spray container. Hey, we all grew up with Lysol ®, right? My mother used Lysol ®, his mother used Lysol ®. Neither of us thought anything of it.

So this morning I started cleaning the bathroom. After the mirror came the sink, faucet and countertop. To my horror and amazement, all of the flaws that had accumulated on my 1981 era tan laminate countertop since it was installed when the house was built suddenly looked like they were stained with strong black tea.

I went and got the Spousal Unit. "Would you come here and take a look at what I just did?" I asked.

He came. He looked. He too was amazed.

We looked at the bottle. This "all purpose" cleaner kills salmonella, staph, aspergillus, athleteÂs foot, herpes 1 and 2, removes food stains, mildew stains and soap scum. But, one must "avoid contact with clothes, fabric, rubber, carpet, painted/paper surfaces, non-porous vinyl surfaces, and finished floors." One is to "rinse immediately after use on metal to avoid pitting." The application directions finally enjoin the user that "prolonged contact with metal, old porcelain, plastic laminate and marble may cause discoloration. Do not use on eating/cooking utensils, glasses or cookware."

My plastic laminate discolored instantaneously on contact. I literally sprayed it on (a single-sink vanity that measures just 43 inches) and wiped it off.

"Good thing weÂre about to replace that" the Spousal Unit replied.

My question is, to just what purpose may I put my "all purpose cleaner?" "I know," I said to myself, "I can use it to clean fingerprints from doorjambs," nope, no, I canÂt use it on painted/paper surfaces surfaces.

"Can I use it to clean the tub and tile?" I asked myself. "Prolonged contact with . . . old porcelain . . . may cause discoloration," I read. Well my house was built in 1981. That may not make my fixtures "old," but they certainly canÂt be described as new.

"Well, as long as I avoid "prolonged contact" with the less than new porcelain, it should be alright, right?

I donÂt know about you, but IÂm simply amazed by this product. IÂm amazed that a product that describes itself as "all purpose" instructs the user not to use it on much of anything. As near as I can tell, I can only safely use this on the exposed concrete slab where we have pulled up flooring for replacement, but only in "well-ventilated areas."

Can any of you suggest a cleaner that is actually intended for use on something that might actually need to be cleaned in an average bathroom?

I feel so much better now. Venting is truly therapeutic!

Beatrice