Disinfecting with Chemicals 431
How to make a disinfecting solution of 5% bleach
If your bleach says: Use:
5% available chlorine Only bleach
bleach
10% available chlorine Add 1 part bleach
to 1 part water
bleach
+ water
15% available chlorine Add 1 part bleach
to 2 parts water
bleach
+ water
+ water
If you add 1 cup of white vinegar to a gallon of 5% bleach solution, it
will disinfect better. Mix just enough solution for one day. Do not use it
again the next day. It will not be strong enough to kill germs any more. To get
rid of used bleach, see page 439.
Use a bleach bucket
Keep a bleach bucket wherever there is infectious waste such as used
bandages, cotton swabs, gloves, and blood bags. Prepare the bleach bucket
every day, or before each shift if you make a lot of waste. You may want one
bleach bucket for waste to be disposed of and a different one for disinfecting
tools and equipment to be reused.
The bucket should always contain enough bleach solution to completely cover
the materials. The materials must stay in the bleach for at least 10 minutes.
Keep a tight-fitting cover on the bleach bucket to prevent spills, and to keep
the bleach solution strong enough to disinfect. Uncovered, the chlorine will
evaporate away.
Gloves, syringes, IV bottles, tubing, and other things that are not intended to
be reused should be cut into pieces after taking them out of the bleach bucket.
How to make a bleach bucket
One way to safely disinfect with bleach is to use a bleach bucket. A bleach
bucket has 2 parts: a bucket or container that holds bleach solution, and a
smaller inner container or basket with many small holes like a strainer or
loose woven basket that holds the wastes. A bleach bucket must also have
a tight-fitting cover. To prepare a bleach bucket:
Make a 5% bleach solution (see above). The main bucket should be at least
½ full of the bleach solution.
Place the smaller container, strainer, or basket inside the main bucket
so the bleach solution passes through the holes. Make sure the
inner container does not float on top of the solution, but that the
bleach solution passes though the holes so it completely covers the
waste materials.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012