So how does Bleach Kill Bacteria?

So we all know the pure power of bleach. Bleach is able to kill just about anything (including you if you’re not careful).

What we haven’t been able to put our finger on is exactly how bleach is able to be such an effective killer of all that nasty bacteria that builds up in your kitchen or bathroom… Until Now

Ok…Here comes the Nerdy Stuff….You’ve been warned.

Hypochlorous Acid (AKA the active ingredient in bleech) acts the same way as heat does on the protein structure of bacteria. When bleach hits bacteria, it causes the proteins that make it up to start unfolding. The proteins clump up and are essentially functionless (hence the bacteria dies).

If you need a easy example of how this works, think about when you boil an egg. The inside of the egg is great to eat…but the egg will never be the same.

The scientist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who made the discovery are confident that this research will start to shed some light on how our bodies fight off infection (and in turn, how we can help our bodies do it better).

-Dr. Ben

Tags: bacteria, bleach, how it works