Is it safe to leave produce on a counter that was just wiped with Clorox wipes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s fine. How do you shock a well. Pour Clorox into it.

Good thing she married you, I suspect you would not survive on your own.

Clorox wipes and Clorox bleach are not the same thing at all

Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
☆ Alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (C12-14)
☆ Alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides (C12-18)

All of the ingredients are given a D by the Environmental Working Group. They pose some serious side effects with extended usage. These can include respiratory effects, some endocrine disruption or reproductive effects, developmental issues, and more.

At what exposure level?

[Anonymous]

I remember being dumbfounded during Covid when I realized that Clorox wipes do not actually contain bleach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daycares rinse baby toys in diluted Clorox and let them dry to kill germs. They do this under the direction of the Health Department.

Kids with eczema take baths with Clorox in them under the direction of their doctors, including little kids who get the water on their hands and then suck on them.

It's fine.

And that's very controversial, actually. I know daycares do this, and I know it's approved, but it's actually not safe for long-term health. But the only thing health agencies care about is short-term, measurable health outcomes. They don't care if your baby has endocrine disruptions or autoimmune disorders later in life that cannot be easily traced to any one source.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daycares rinse baby toys in diluted Clorox and let them dry to kill germs. They do this under the direction of the Health Department.

Kids with eczema take baths with Clorox in them under the direction of their doctors, including little kids who get the water on their hands and then suck on them.

It's fine.

And that's very controversial, actually. I know daycares do this, and I know it's approved, but it's actually not safe for long-term health. But the only thing health agencies care about is short-term, measurable health outcomes. They don't care if your baby has endocrine disruptions or autoimmune disorders later in life that cannot be easily traced to any one source.

Do you have a reputable medical source for plain bleach causing either of these? Surely you are referencing an actual study, right?

[Anonymous]

She shouldn't do this dumb shit. I use Clorox wipes snd don't put any food directly onto the kitchen counters.

It says don't use on surfaces that come in contact with food right there on the bottle!

A quick Google search also confirms:
Regular Clorox disinfecting wipes are not recommended for food contact surfaces because they are too concentrated.

I'd be super passed snd agitated that she does this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The company will swear that it's safe as long as you give the counter enough time to dry, but I would not be comfortable doing that. I don't actually use bleach or other powerful disinfectants in my kitchen. Water and a little soap are just fine. Soap disrupts bacterial membranes and therefore kills them. Most viruses don't last on surfaces.

- microbiologist.

Beyond that, Clorox wipes aren't good for porous countertops. What are your countertops made of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daycares rinse baby toys in diluted Clorox and let them dry to kill germs. They do this under the direction of the Health Department.

Kids with eczema take baths with Clorox in them under the direction of their doctors, including little kids who get the water on their hands and then suck on them.

It's fine.

And that's very controversial, actually. I know daycares do this, and I know it's approved, but it's actually not safe for long-term health. But the only thing health agencies care about is short-term, measurable health outcomes. They don't care if your baby has endocrine disruptions or autoimmune disorders later in life that cannot be easily traced to any one source.

Sorry, bleach (aka diluted chlorine) causes WHAT? You mean if you drink it? What on earth are you talking about. Get off the mommy blogs and anti-science disinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My wife does this and I’m on the fence on whether this is a safe practice. The produce does get rinsed with water before we eat but I feel like you shouldn’t be doing this.

Don't muni water systems put chlorine in the water supply to kill bacteria it encounters in the miles of system until it reaches your tap? Chlorine is a form of bleach, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My wife does this and I’m on the fence on whether this is a safe practice. The produce does get rinsed with water before we eat but I feel like you shouldn’t be doing this.

Don't muni water systems put chlorine in the water supply to kill bacteria it encounters in the miles of system until it reaches your tap? Chlorine is a form of bleach, right?

Yes, but that's in no way relevant to this thread. The only similarity between Clorox bleach and Clorox wipes is the brand name. Nobody with a Yamaha motorcycle wonders where to put the gas in their Yamaha piano.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The company will swear that it's safe as long as you give the counter enough time to dry, but I would not be comfortable doing that. I don't actually use bleach or other powerful disinfectants in my kitchen. Water and a little soap are just fine. Soap disrupts bacterial membranes and therefore kills them. Most viruses don't last on surfaces.

- microbiologist.

Do you object to the bleach baths given children with severe eczema, as per standard evidence-based medical protocols?

PP you replied to. Do you understand that in severe medical distress, standard of care means addressing the immediate issues at hand, regardless of long-term potential consequences? Are you aware that plenty of medications and treatments aren't actually good for you in the long-run, but they are necessary if you're sick? Think about chemo and what it does to your body.

The long-term, lose-dose contact exposure to certain disinfectants on humans have not been well studied. This is why I cannot cite you a rigorous, in-depth study.

But common sense, and indeed, medical practice, has always been about using the least amount of active ingredients that will do the job, to minimize any negative consequences later. Because we cannot study everything. In particular, and this is very important for you to realize, long-term clinical studies are very expensive and very difficult to organize (patients just up and leave), that's why there are so few for them. Nobody is going to pay millions and millions of dollars for a 50 year study on a household disinfectant. The only examplary long-term study ever done on a large group of patients was on cardiovascular disease. It's extremely famous and yielded an enormous wealth of information, which lead to our current understanding of cardiovascular risks. This the government was prepared to pay for.

It's savvy marketing that makes you believe you need patented cleaning agents in your home. You don't. Soap, vinegar, baking soda, elbow grease, work just fine. They are actually powerful chemicals! H2O is a highly reactive molecule, when you come to think about it "Chemicals" aren't what people usually think they are.

And yes, as a microbiologist and research scientist, I do seem to have a better grasp than you and another PP about how this all works.

[Anonymous]

Unsafe. You should divorce her.

[Anonymous]

Yes its totally fine but if you're worried just put a paper towel down first. Don't you have a fruit bowl or drawers in the fridge for produce?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The company will swear that it's safe as long as you give the counter enough time to dry, but I would not be comfortable doing that. I don't actually use bleach or other powerful disinfectants in my kitchen. Water and a little soap are just fine. Soap disrupts bacterial membranes and therefore kills them. Most viruses don't last on surfaces.

- microbiologist.

What about being a microbiologist qualifies you to provide any expert opinion on the toxicity of bleach (or the actual substances in Clorox wipes since they don’t have bleach on them) or the likelihood of fomite-to-produce transmission?

Since you cited your area expertise you must think it’s somehow relevant?

OMG LEAVE THE RESIDENT microbiologist ALONE FFS!

Please also leave the resident dentist AND doctor alone too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The company will swear that it's safe as long as you give the counter enough time to dry, but I would not be comfortable doing that. I don't actually use bleach or other powerful disinfectants in my kitchen. Water and a little soap are just fine. Soap disrupts bacterial membranes and therefore kills them. Most viruses don't last on surfaces.

- microbiologist.

Do you object to the bleach baths given children with severe eczema, as per standard evidence-based medical protocols?

PP you replied to. Do you understand that in severe medical distress, standard of care means addressing the immediate issues at hand, regardless of long-term potential consequences? Are you aware that plenty of medications and treatments aren't actually good for you in the long-run, but they are necessary if you're sick? Think about chemo and what it does to your body.

The long-term, lose-dose contact exposure to certain disinfectants on humans have not been well studied. This is why I cannot cite you a rigorous, in-depth study.

But common sense, and indeed, medical practice, has always been about using the least amount of active ingredients that will do the job, to minimize any negative consequences later. Because we cannot study everything. In particular, and this is very important for you to realize, long-term clinical studies are very expensive and very difficult to organize (patients just up and leave), that's why there are so few for them. Nobody is going to pay millions and millions of dollars for a 50 year study on a household disinfectant. The only examplary long-term study ever done on a large group of patients was on cardiovascular disease. It's extremely famous and yielded an enormous wealth of information, which lead to our current understanding of cardiovascular risks. This the government was prepared to pay for.

It's savvy marketing that makes you believe you need patented cleaning agents in your home. You don't. Soap, vinegar, baking soda, elbow grease, work just fine. They are actually powerful chemicals! H2O is a highly reactive molecule, when you come to think about it "Chemicals" aren't what people usually think they are.

And yes, as a microbiologist and research scientist, I do seem to have a better grasp than you and another PP about how this all works.

Not really. And as a board-certified physician, I do seem to see you peddling some crazypants nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Your wife is trying to slowly poison you. Who knows what she is putting in your food. I would sneak a couple of samples off to a lab to just be sure.