Washing hands with bleach?!

20 years ago

My husband washes his hands everyday in bleach to clean them. I have looked for any health concerns about this and have found none. Does bleach eat the skin and is it damaging his skin?

Thanks for the info

~PhoenixRain~

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Comments (3)

jenn
20 years ago
Does the bleach bottle have a warning label? I'd be surprised if it doesn't say something about being irritating to skin. Google on "clorox bleach" + skin, and see if that turns up anything.
Meghane
20 years ago
Bleach will kill all the beneficial bacteria on the skin, allowing him to be susceptible to nasty bacterial infections. Bleach also damages the skin, so he has a worse chance of becoming infected. Bleach vapors are damaging to lungs as well, so breathing while doing this isn't a good idea.

Very few people need to use anything stronger than good old fashioned soap (not antibacterial) and water to clean their hands. People are not supposed to be in a bacteria-free environment; we are supposed to be in balance with certain bacteria that protect us from pathogenic ones. He's destroying the natural balance that is in place to protect him.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bleach material safety data sheet
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michelle_s_phxaz
20 years ago
I agree with Meghane, your husband is harming himself more than helping. Using regular soap and rubbing his hands together for 15-20 seconds before rinsing is enough to get his hands clean and gets rid of most of the bad bacteria. If he wants more, get some of the hand sanitizing gel. It is formulated to kill bacteria but is gentler than bleach.

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Washing hands with bleach?!

Comments (3)

jenn

Meghane

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