Bleach is the name given to a group of chemicals, which are used industrially and domestically to whiten clothes, lighten hair color and remove stains. Many bleaches have broad spectrum bactericidal properties, making them useful for disinfecting and sterilizing and are used in swimming pool sanitation to controlbacteria, viruses, and algae and in many places where sterile conditions are required. They are also used in many industrial processes, notably in the bleaching of wood pulp. Bleach is also used for removing mildew, killing weeds, and increasing the longevity of cut flowers.
The bleaching process has been known for millennia, but the chemicals currently used for bleaching resulted from the work of several 18th century scientists.
Chlorine is the basis for chlorine bleaches: for example, the solution of sodium hypochlorite, which is so ubiquitous that most simply call it "bleach", and calcium hypochlorite, the active compound in "bleaching powder".
Oxidizing bleaching agents that do not contain chlorine are usually based on peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, and sodium perborate. These bleaches are called non-chlorine bleach, Oxygen bleach or color safe bleach. While most bleaches are oxidizing agents, some are reducing agents such as sodium dithionite and sodium borohydride.
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