If there’s one product everyone needs in their cleaning cupboard, it’s bleach. The powerful disinfectant is especially useful in the kitchen where you regularly cook and spill messy ingredients, touch multiple surfaces and track in dirt on your shoes. Not only does bleach remove harmful germs and bacteria that you can’t see, but it also makes your surfaces gleam like they’re brand new again.

If you’re hesitant about using bleach in the kitchen, don’t worry – we get it! Part of the reason bleach is so effective is because it contains an ingredient called sodium hypochlorite, which is perfect for non-porous surfaces like tile, but best avoided on areas like unvarnished wood. As long as you use bleach safely and on the right surfaces, it’s one of the best ways to sanitise your home.

Here are some product recommendations to get you started – and some tips on where you can use bleach in the kitchen.

How to clean safely with bleach

There are a few important things to keep in mind before cleaning with bleach:

First of all, glove up! This is a good rule of thumb when using any cleaning products, but particularly bleach, so that you can protect your skin.

• Wear eye protection, such as a pair of safety goggles from a hardware store, and long-sleeved (old) clothing in case of spills.
• Open all windows and doors so that you’re working in a well-ventilated room.
• Never mix the bleach with other kitchen cleaning products, such as ammonia, because you could unwittingly create fumes that are dangerous to your health.
• Spot test on a small, unnoticeable area before using bleach on a new surface.

Using bleach to disinfect your kitchen sink

Go with: White King Bleach Tablets

Your kitchen sink is notorious for harbouring bacteria because you use it to wash your hands, rinse ingredients and clean dirty dishes throughout the day. That’s why it’s vital to deep clean it every now and then with a bleach product like White King Bleach Tablets, which have strong anti-bacterial properties.

The first thing to remember about bleach is that it’s a disinfectant, not a cleaner, so you’ll need to wipe away all traces of dirt with hot, soapy water before using it on your sink. Once that’s done, fill the sink with a solution made up of two bleach tablets and half a bucket of cold water. Allow the mixture to soak for five minutes so that the bleach disinfects the surface, wipe down the taps and the sides of the sink and then drain the water away. Make sure you rinse everything thoroughly so that no traces of the bleach remain on the stainless-steel surface. Flushing the solution down the sink will also clean your drain of nasty odours – win-win!

Using bleach on kitchen counters

Go with: White King Bleach Spray

This deodorised disinfectant spray is a go-to for quickly sanitising hard, non-porous benchtops like ceramic tile or porcelain, especially if you’ve been preparing meat and want to make sure you’ve eliminated germs like salmonella. Just spray the hospital-grade formula about 25cm away from the counter until it’s completely wet, leave for five minutes and then rinse. It’s already diluted, so there’s no need to mix it with water.

If your benchtops are made from porous materials such as granite or marble, use White King Kitchen Cleaner instead. This antibacterial spray is bleach-free, so it’s safe for these counters, and it easily cuts through stubborn grease and grime stains.

Using bleach on kitchen cabinets

Go with: White King Bleach Tablets

You can clean your cabinets with White King Bleach tablets, provided they’re made of sealed or enamel-based painted wood. First, wipe them down with warm water, and then mix up your solution of two tablets in half a bucket of cold water. Wipe the cabinets with the mixture and allow the surface to disinfect for five minutes before rinsing and air drying.

Don’t forget to run your sponge over the handles, too – you might not think so, but they’re actually one of the most germ-ridden areas in your kitchen because you touch them so frequently. Disinfecting them is the best way to ensure those lingering germs are history.

Using bleach on the kitchen floor

Go with: White King Premium Bleach

When it comes to cleaning a tile floor, there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned all-purpose bleach. Move furniture and bins out of the way and give the floor a good vacuum to remove dust and dirt. Then dilute half a cup of bleach in five litres of water and mop your floor with the solution. When you’re done, let it sit for ten minutes before rinsing thoroughly with water.

We recommend against using bleach products on vinyl or hardwood floors – a multi-surface or hardwood floor-specific cleaner is better here.

Using bleach to clean your walls

Go with: White King Premium Bleach

While you certainly won’t want to clean them every day, it’s worth knowing that bleach can work magic on your walls. Not only does it remove mould stains, but it can also make dull, off-white plaster look freshly painted in a pinch. Once or twice a year, mix up the same bleach solution you would use to clean your floor so that you can apply it to your walls.

Put down some old towels to avoid dripping bleach onto your floor, and dust the walls with your vacuum cleaner or a towel wrapped around a broom to create a clean surface. Then use a sponge to wipe down your walls with the bleach and water solution, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Dry each section with a clean towel before moving on to another area to prevent unwanted streak marks. When you’ve covered everything, wipe the walls down with water to rinse the bleach away and then redry with another towel. And voila! No repainting required.

So there you have it – cleaning with bleach is a fantastic way to quickly disinfect your kitchen. Just follow the instructions on the label of your chosen product and remember to dilute the bleach with cold water for maximum effectiveness. The results will speak for themselves.