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Make Your Own Clorox Anywhere Recipe

July 16, 2008 by Tara Kuczykowski 90 Comments

I fell in love with Clorox Anywhere a couple of years ago when I was part of a year-long test panel for it. I received free product coupons every month so that I could test it out and review it. It’s since become an indispensable part of my cleaning process, yet I just can’t bring myself to shell out $3.29 a bottle for something that is 99.9905% water!!!

I just used up the last bottle from my stockpile the other day, and I’ve really been missing it for all the little things I use it for. It occurred to me that I should just try to make my own, so after a little fancy math to convert the percentages of water and bleach to useful quantities, I came up with this simple recipe.

1 1/2 teaspoons of bleach

22 oz. water

How easy is that? I saved my pretty little Clorox Anywhere bottle to mix it in, but you could pick up any inexpensive spray bottle that holds just over 22 ounces to put it in.

My favorite use for it is to spray down the kitchen table and high chair after dinner. I let it sit to sanitize it while I clean up and load the dishwasher, and then I wipe it down with a dishrag. Letting it sit also helps “unstick” any sticky messes and makes for an easy cleanup all around!

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Filed Under: saving money Tagged With: frugality, tips and tricks

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    October 12, 2008 at 3:51 am

    First, the bad news: The recipe is too concentrated.* A former chemistry professor in college myself, when my wife asked me to buy it, I balked. As it happens you need 1.0 mL standard (6.0% sodium hypochlorite) laundry bleach solution per 650 mL (22 oz) bottle. This is of course assuming that you are not measuring by mass (which is not stated on the bottle but is likely the case as sodium hypochlorite is a solid). FYI there are approx. 5 mL per teaspoon.

    Now for the good news: more bleach is more effective at killing germs.

    *: the fancy math, for a 650mL (22 oz) bottle of anywhere

    (650mL Anywhere)(0.0095mL NaClo/100mL Anywhere)(100mL bleach/6.0mL NaClO) = 1.0mL bleach

    Reply
  2. Deal Seeking Mom

    October 12, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    Thanks for stopping by! I think I understand where I went wrong. I converted it by using percentages of water and bleach, but I didn’t consider the concentration of NaClO in the bleach. I appreciate the help, and you’re right, more effective is good news in my book. I haven’t had any issues with discoloration or anything, so I’ll stick with the recipe I’ve been using.

    If you should happen to see my reply, do you have any information on comment #27 about how long it will retain its effectiveness?

    Reply
  3. Former Chemistry Professor

    October 12, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Deal Seeking Mom: The way that NaClO in solution works is that it spontaneously liberates chlorine as a gas when it is dissolved in solution. As it turns out, the not all of chlorine bubbles out of solution. Some stays dissolved for a long time. When you apply the bleach solution to a surface the whole mess evaporates; the water and the chlorine eventually go their separate ways but, in the meantime, the chlorine (a potent oxidizer and nasty poison) does a number on the bacteria. The remaining solid would be a salt in the chemical sense (but not table salt, NaCl as you might expect) but sodium hydroxide.

    For the really nerdy among you, here is the dissociation reaction:
    NaCl + NaClO + H2O → 2NaOH + Cl2

    Ordinary laundry bleach is constantly releasing chlorine gas from solution by the way. If you have a bottle of bleach that is 5 years old, it is not going to be a strong as one you have that is one year old. The same goes for the Clorox Anywhere; it may get somewhat weaker over time. Though, this very well could be the equilibrium quantity of NaClO that is destined to remain in solution at room temperature and pressure. The Clorox guys have likely thought about this. Do you need to make it every day? No.

    Reply
  4. Former Chemistry Professor

    October 12, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    Oh…thinking about response 27 for a second: there is a big difference equilibrium-wise between an open container of bleach water and a well-sealed one. The chlorine will remain in solution in a closed container much, much longer. (Think about the carbon dioxide in solution in bottle of soda pop if this is hard to imagine and it should become intuitively obvious.)

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    December 30, 2008 at 12:26 pm

    The special thing about Anywhere is that scientists figured out how to stablize such a small amount of bleach in water and keeping it from breaking down to salt. If you mix your own solution it will work if you use it immediately, but it won’t continue to disenfect for much longer. If I were you I would go ahead and spend the $3 to buy the product. Also, did you know Clorox just came out with a new Anywhere Anti-Allergen spray? It’s one of my favorites!

    Reply
  6. Deal Seeking Mom

    January 1, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    Thanks for your perspective, Anon; however, I think I’ll stick with Former Chemistry Professor’s take on it. Of course for any readers that may be concerned, even if you make a new batch every day, the amount of solution that you can make from a single bottle of bleach would be far more cost effective than purchasing the ready-made solution.

    Reply
  7. NCJill

    January 2, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Does it have to be “Clorox” brand or can it be any generic bleach?

    Reply
  8. Deal Seeking Mom

    January 2, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    NCJill, I’m no expert of course, but I’d say bleach is bleach and a generic could easily be substituted for even more savings.

    Reply
  9. SavvySavingMom

    March 25, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    After working in food service for about 3 yrs., when it came to wiping down and sanitizing counters and other surfaces as required by the regulations of our state health department, we kept small containers of a diluted bleach solution to clean our areas. I started using this method at home as well. But realistically, who keeps a bucket of bleach water just hanging out in your kitchen? So transferring it into a spray bottle was the next logical solution. Then the Clorox Anywhere came out. But you’re right, who wants to spend that amount of money for the same thing you can make at home? Thanks for spreading the word!

    SavvySavingMom´s last blog post..Money Saving Laundry Tip

    Reply
  10. Domestic Diva

    March 25, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    Love this! Thanks for sharing.

    Domestic Diva´s last blog post..Finally a DVD Review for the Guys: James Bond 007 in Quantum of Solace

    Reply
  11. Makena

    April 26, 2009 at 5:17 am

    My question is if it won’t damage your clothes because the Clorox Anywhere guarantees that it won’t. I just don’t want to take the risk.

    Reply
  12. Makena

    April 26, 2009 at 1:17 am

    My question is if it won’t damage your clothes because the Clorox Anywhere guarantees that it won’t. I just don’t want to take the risk.

    Reply
  13. sophie

    August 23, 2009 at 1:21 am

    here’s an idea for anyone afraid of ruining clothes with bleach solution. wear white clothes or old clothes that you don’t care about ruining the first few times you use it. i’ve never had problems every using bleach for anything. i’m just careful not to splash it all around or wipe my hands on my clothes or get my sleeves in it, etc. it really isn’t that big a deal.

    Reply
  14. sophie

    August 23, 2009 at 5:21 am

    here’s an idea for anyone afraid of ruining clothes with bleach solution. wear white clothes or old clothes that you don’t care about ruining the first few times you use it. i’ve never had problems every using bleach for anything. i’m just careful not to splash it all around or wipe my hands on my clothes or get my sleeves in it, etc. it really isn’t that big a deal.

    Reply
  15. Concerned Mom

    October 16, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    I used to work for Clorox. The Anywhere Spray is not just water with a small amount of bleach in it. If you really want to have something that is safe and sanitizes, stick with the real stuff.

    Reply
  16. Concerned Mom

    October 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    I used to work for Clorox. The Anywhere Spray is not just water with a small amount of bleach in it. If you really want to have something that is safe and sanitizes, stick with the real stuff.

    Reply
  17. Copper

    October 20, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    I would have to agree with the naysayers. The recipe you created while it can be an effective sanitizer is the not same as the Clorox product by one critical criteria – shelf stability. Bleach when mixed with water will rapidly begin to degrade and lose efficacy, even quicker in the presence of heat and light. The solution recipe would need to be mixed on a daily basis to ensure efficacy. The clorox product is stable for 1 year through careful manipulation of the pH of the solution.

    Reply
  18. Copper

    October 20, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    I would have to agree with the naysayers. The recipe you created while it can be an effective sanitizer is the not same as the Clorox product by one critical criteria – shelf stability. Bleach when mixed with water will rapidly begin to degrade and lose efficacy, even quicker in the presence of heat and light. The solution recipe would need to be mixed on a daily basis to ensure efficacy. The clorox product is stable for 1 year through careful manipulation of the pH of the solution.

    Reply
  19. Carol

    March 5, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    If you look at the clorox website, it gives you the recipe for a watered down version for sanitizing baby bottles and sippy cups. About the same thing except it says to soak the item 2-5 mins. I’m just going to make 8 ozs and add 5/8 clorox or a little more in a bottle, for wiping of counters and high chairs and such.

    Reply
  20. Carol

    March 5, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    If you look at the clorox website, it gives you the recipe for a watered down version for sanitizing baby bottles and sippy cups. About the same thing except it says to soak the item 2-5 mins. I’m just going to make 8 ozs and add 5/8 clorox or a little more in a bottle, for wiping of counters and high chairs and such.

    Reply
  21. Coupon Queen

    October 1, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    I just went to Walmart where I usually buy “Anywhere Spray” for $2.79, and they didn’t have any. So now I’m in search of making it myself just like you all. After reading all the comments I’m going to try the professor’s version in a small 4 oz bottle just to clean the kitchen counters for now. But if I was in charge of product development at Clorox, I’d simply sell a (96oz) bottle which is equal to about Qty. 4 (22oz) bottles that I buy currently for $2.79 and I’d sell the large bottle for $6.00. This would be like paying half price for the 22oz bottle. Clorox still makes a huge profit, consumers still buy it instead of making their own, and the environment has less plastic bottles in landfills. Seems like a good “Go Green” campaign for them, and they’d probably increase sales of the product by building awareness….Geez!

    Reply
  22. Timm

    October 3, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Making a small batch when you are ready to clean is not a big deal – I keep a light proof glass bottle (4 OZ) with a rubber eyedropper of bleach next to the sink. Just a squirt in a spray bottle and I am good to go – net time to make a spray bottle full – about 1 minute.

    BTW this stuff doesn’t remove soil – use a cleaners for that – this is a spray and leave on final step. Clean your toilet first and then disinfect. Spraying this stuff on soiled surfaces and then wiping is useless.

    Reply
  23. jeanne

    November 1, 2010 at 12:15 am

    I am doing some mold abatement. Does anyone know how to thicken bleach, or make it into a gel?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  24. boda deepak

    December 25, 2010 at 8:04 am

    how to mack home made clorax please tell me

    Reply
  25. Bev

    January 9, 2011 at 7:43 am

    Sadly, I’m disapointed in this post. As someone who uses only 100% natural cleaners in my home, I was under the impression that this was going to be a substitute recipe for bleach.

    Reply
  26. Lex

    January 23, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    The title of this post is “Make Your Own Clorox Anywhere Recipe,” not “Make Your Own Clorox Anywhere Alternative Recipe.” I’m not sure how you would misinterpret that.

    Reply
  27. SunnieGe

    June 24, 2011 at 12:44 am

    I didn’t notice anyone mentioning that distilled water, not sink water, should be used when making a Clorox mix

    Reply
  28. Aesculapius

    August 15, 2011 at 6:34 pm

    If I recall correctly, the base of Clorox Anywhere is benzalkonium chloride. If it is, note that it is sold as a pool disinfectant at very high concentrations. It may be economical to dilute, but perhaps impractical. The MSDS for it looks about the same for household bleach, but I would caution against bathtub chemistry as a solution. Silver dihydrogen citrate, however, looks promising and is very potent despite its innocuous MSDS profile. You could drink it.

    Reply
  29. Tamara

    August 27, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Wouldn’t vinegar and water w/ baking soda and lemon juice work just a well and be safer around food and kids?

    Reply
  30. sh

    November 8, 2011 at 10:10 am

    Tamara, Did you mean baking powder? I never heard baking soda can kill the bacteria.

    Reply
    • mj

      August 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

      No, sh, it IS baking soda.

      Reply
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Hey there — nice to meet you!

I'm Tara: mom of 5 teens/tweens and one 80-lb. Weimaraner, who fancies herself a lap dog. Born and raised in Ohio (GO BUCKS!!!), my fave things include cooking + baking, my JEEP Rubicon, the 4x4 beaches at OBX, and checking out the local craft beer scene...
 
As you can imagine, all of this puts a good dent in my monthly budget. So I've learned how to save on the things I NEED, so I can spend on the things I WANT. Read more.

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