Please tell me you knew/remember a "bleach sink"

[Bang!Zoom!]

lol, my sister just called

 

She said: "The water table comes back up through the pipes. It kills the larvae of bugs so they don't crawl back up the sinks."

 

Mystery solved. :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

lol, my sister just called

 

She said: "The water table comes back up through the pipes. It kills the larvae of bugs so they don't crawl back up the sinks."

 

Mystery solved. :)

 

And there you go. A very location specific solution!

[redsquirrel]

I have never done it at home. But, it was standard practice at any bar or restaurant I worked at. There would be a big bucket filled with very hot bleach water kept in the kitchen and you used that to wipe everything down or clean up any messes. When the water got cold you made up a new bucket. And I wouldn't call the water "lightly bleached". More like 'chemical warfare'

[Nan in Mass]

Ya, there was a lot of well water back then.

We used to have a hand pump that you'd have to prime, anyone remember how to prime a hand pump? Ha. Outhouses, the whole shebang.

 

I remember when we got city water.

 

 

QUOTE]

 

I grew up with well water, and we didn't bleach, but we did have indoor plumbing.

 

However, I Just wanted to say, yes, I do remember priming the pump!

We had a cabin on a lake and there was nothing but the pump and the outhouse until I was 16. We ( my Dad and siblings) tore down a farm house and then Dad built our real cabin with that lumbar which included indoor plumbing!

 

Miss that place.

 

Yup - summer camps had pumps and outhouses. Sometimes, if it had been awhile, the leather gasket would be completely dried out and had to be rehydrated before the pump would work - you couldn't just prime it and have it work. There was sawdust for the outhouse.

 

I've never heard of the bleach thing. I do know that when we first moved to this house, we had a well and we were told to put bleach in it occasionally because of dead mice, etc. We weren't big bleach users. We were big sunlight users. If something was especially yucky, it was washed with soap and hot water, scalded, and then set in the sun to dry.

 

Nan

[homeschoolally]

Yes, I had one myself. I think I used 10% bleach. Years of working in child care settings got me in the habit.

I've since fallen off the bleach bandwagon. A few too many splashes on clothes....and I hate to shop for clothes. :001_smile: seems they last a lot longer without bleach in the picture.

If I still had a child who put everything in her mouth, I'd consider it worthwhile-regardless of the faded clothing.

[mo2]

I do know that when we first moved to this house, we had a well and we were told to put bleach in it occasionally because of dead mice, etc.

 

Nan

 

 

Yep. We're on a well, and that is still the advice. I have opted to use purchased water for drinking, cooking, and washing dishes. Only laundry and showers are done with the well water. I don't trust the water---there is so much farmland around, I worry that the chemicals the farmers use are seeping into the water supply. Plus, as you said....dead things. Ew.

[ktgrok]

lol, my sister just called

 

She said: "The water table comes back up through the pipes. It kills the larvae of bugs so they don't crawl back up the sinks."

 

Mystery solved. :)

 

LOL, so I guess you can stop doing it now :)

 

Reminds me of that story about the family that cut the wings off the turkey or some such thing, for generations, because that is how it was always done. ONly to find out that it was because the original person's oven was too small for the turkey to fit otherwise.

[mommaduck]

Yes, I've done this. I learned it from being in a Mennonite community. Not all the ladies did this, just a few. Bleach is a problem for clothing though. In restaurants we had something called "sanitizer" and we kept a sink of hot water with sanitizer powder in it.

Edited May 16, 2012 by mommaduck

[Tap]

Yes, I had one myself. I think I used 10% bleach. Years of working in child care settings got me in the habit.

I've since fallen off the bleach bandwagon. A few too many splashes on clothes....and I hate to shop for clothes. :001_smile: seems they last a lot longer without bleach in the picture.

If I still had a child who put everything in her mouth, I'd consider it worthwhile-regardless of the faded clothing.

 

Holy cow! 10% bleach! That is a heck of a lot of bleach no wonder you clothes got ruined. Common ratios are 1/8-2 teaspoons per gallon depending on use. The highest ratio I have seen recommended is 1 cup per gallon for cleaning up moldy items after a flood and they recommend rinsing the item in clear water afterwords.

 

I am not saying this to chastise you, I just wanted to let anyone else reading this realize that this is not a recommended ratio.

[chepyl]

I have only seen it in the day care I worked in. It was a requirement of the state - rinse sink of plain water, soap sink to wash, second plain rinse and a final bleach sink for all dishes, bottles, pacifires, and toys that needed cleaning.

[swellmomma]

I did not grow up with this, but have one here for toys, dishes etc from spring to fall. I bleach at least 1 toy per day, dishes used for picnics etc. In the winter I bump it down to once a week mainly because without the windows open for ventilation I can't handle having it out daily (even with only a capful I find the smell too strong in the winter).

 

I am not germophobic over all but between daycare kids, and then pond dipping/picnicing/camping etc I prefer to have my dishes bleached.

[SonshineLearner]

I sanitize everything in my dishwasher (an actual sanitize cycle.) If I didn't... I'd bleach everything. (Doesn't take much bleach...) Although, I tend to get bleach drops on me when I use it. I also wash restroom towels & kitchen towels separately and have a sanitation cycle and sometimes add some bleach.

Putting bleach in a dishpan saves the metal in your sink... :)

[*********]

Grew up in MI. I saw this in the Northern MI area, on the East coast, in the center of the state, West side, and my stomping grounds of Central MI which is a Superfund site.

 

Now I'm wondering if it was a generational thing with Mom's born in the 20's and late 30's. Bleach was cheap and plentiful, so maybe socioeconomic too?

 

It can't be cultural, too many people say they'd never heard of it, and our neighborhoods were mixed backgrounds.

 

I grew up in (and still live in) MI, and never heard of it, so maybe it's IS generational. My parents were born in the mid 50's.

:iagree:

 

Son and I have a rare liver disease that a cold or flu might put us in the hospital. Only if one of us is ill do we follow our "Sick Day Protocol" with isolating the ill person in a room away from the rest of the family. I make sure to sanitize everything like remote controls, bathrooms, sink handles, refrigerator handle, light switch, etc. But only if we are sick.

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OP: I have never heard of this before. However, that being said, I met a lady who was born and raised in Louisiana. She struck me as being very germ-phobic or OCD and I was surprised to see a bottle of Lysol at her sink. After being friends with her for 3+ years, I saw her on many occasions Lysol all cups and utensils before running them in the dishwasher. That struck me as odd.

 

She would sanitize her sandals with antibacterial wipes after wearing them for an errand, for example. I know she would make sure the city's trash container was washed inside and out with hot water and soap. She never ate leftovers, but if she brought home a doggie bag from a restaurant, it went into the trash can immediately. She never drank tap water but always drank bottled water. She would go thru a case in days. Years ago, I told her that the BPA in those plastic bottled water was not that great. She should use a reverse osmosis system or buy a Brita. She didn't believe me. Now years later, I am sure she is horrified to think she drank from plastic bottles. LOL :lol:

 

But then her kids had quirks too when we were out and about: refusing to use public restrooms, not wanting to use communal items like flavored syrup (dispensers) for snowcones at a MLB baseball game. The vendor had an "A" public health certificate on his stall too. But the kid said he knew the dispenser was full of germs. Odd thing was when they came to my house, they ate and drank from my stuff without germy comments. Confusing. :confused:

 

What you are talking about really does sound like OCD behaviors. I deal with them with certain family members. It really can be confusing for others who don't live with it. If I were you, I'd just leave the family member be. I'm sure she's suffering enough, you know? :grouphug:

[Julie Smith]

Never heard of it, but my grandma loves bleach!

 

My mom sometimes loves bleach. She will get on a cleaning kick and use a whole bottle on stuff?