Three biocide classes in the cleaning aisle
Oxidisers (hypochlorite bleach), phenolics (PCMX / chloroxylenol) and alcohols (IPA hand gel) all ‘kill germs’ on marketing copy — but they behave differently on surfaces, skin and in pipes.
Pick one class per job. Rinse food-contact surfaces when the label requires it.
Hypochlorite — Domestos and Milton
Domestos Original is ~4.5% NaOCl for toilets and hard surfaces. Milton is ~2% for baby-bottle sterilising soak. Thin 5% bleach diluted to 2% matches Milton strength — see the Milton teardown. Astonish mould-and-mildew spray is the same hypochlorite family at about 3.5% in a trigger — bathroom grout, not a patio quat.
Never mix with acids (vinegar, descalers, toilet rim blocks) or ammonia. Makes fresh dilutions; hypochlorite dies in the bottle once cut with water.
PCMX — Dettol smell
Dettol antibacterial spray is chloroxylenol at ~4.8%. Technical PCMX crystals dissolved to the same strength are the same biocide without the trigger markup — see the Dettol teardown.
PCMX is not an oxidiser: it will not replace bleach on a badly stained toilet bowl.
IPA — hands, not floors
Carex Complete and similar gels are isopropanol for hand hygiene at 70%+. Windolene Original Cream is the same IPA (CAS 67-63-0) at about 10% for glass — a wipe, not a sanitiser. Bulk 99% IPA diluted 7:3 is Carex-band; diluted 1:9 is Windolene-band. Flammable until cut; keep away from flame.
Hydrogen peroxide 3% (Boots-style) is yet another oxidiser — useful on some stains, not a drop-in for IPA or bleach without reading the label.
Quats on patios vs disinfectants in kitchens
Benzalkonium patio biocides (Patio Magic) are cationic quats — they neutralise anionic washing-up liquid. Zoflora is the same BAC family at kitchen strength (about 1.87% in the bottle, then 1:40) plus perfume and ethanol — see the Zoflora teardown, not the patio 8–10% BAC maths. Dettol laundry cleanser is ~2.4% mixed quats in the fabric-softener drawer — same family, laundry job, not a worktop spray. That is still a different use class from Dettol PCMX on worktops. Do not assume ‘disinfectant’ means one molecule.
FAQ
- Is Dettol the same as bleach?
- No. Domestos is sodium hypochlorite (oxidiser, CAS 7681-52-9). Dettol spray is chloroxylenol / PCMX (CAS 88-04-0), a phenolic biocide. Different kill mechanism, different safe surfaces — never mix.
- Can I sterilise baby bottles with Domestos?
- No. Milton is ~2% hypochlorite for feeding equipment contact time. Domestos Original is ~4.5% thick bleach for toilets — wrong strength and wrong additives.
- Is hand sanitiser the same as surface spray?
- Carex-style gel is isopropanol (IPA) for hands at 70%+ with emollients. It is not a PCMX surface disinfectant and not a bleach replacement for toilets.
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Household cleaning
Domestos Original Thick Bleach
Domestos
- Retail pack
- £2.20750 millilitres
- Raw active
- Household thin bleach (sodium hypochlorite ~5%)7681-52-9
Sodium hypochlorite plus a thickener so it clings to ceramic. Thin household bleach is the same oxidiser without the brand, the dye and the TV campaign. Never mix it with acids or ammonia.
Household cleaning
Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Spray
Dettol
- Retail pack
- £3.50750 millilitres
- Raw active
- Chloroxylenol (PCMX) 99% technical88-04-0
Dettol’s smell is chloroxylenol (PCMX, CAS 88-04-0) at about 4.8%. A kilogram of technical PCMX crystals dissolved to the same strength is the same biocide without the trigger tax.
Household cleaning
Sterilising Fluid
Milton
- Retail pack
- £3.251 litre
- Raw active
- Household thin bleach (sodium hypochlorite ~5%)7681-52-9
Milton is sodium hypochlorite at about 2% — half the strength of thick toilet bleach but the same oxidiser. Dilute 5% thin bleach to 2% and you have the same sterilising chemistry without the pink cap.
Household cleaning
Complete Hand Sanitiser
Carex
- Retail pack
- £3.00500 millilitres
- Raw active
- Isopropyl alcohol 99% (IPA) diluted to ~70%67-63-0
WHO-style sanitiser is 70–80% alcohol plus a drop of glycerin. The branded gel is that mix with a pump. 99% isopropyl alcohol diluted 7:3 with water is the same working strength in litres, not 500 ml pumps. Flammable — not a drink, not a medicine.
Household cleaning
Hydrogen Peroxide Solution 3%
Boots / first-aid brands
- Retail pack
- £1.80200 millilitres
- Raw active
- Hydrogen peroxide 12% (40-volume cream peroxide / technical)7722-84-1
3% is 10-volume peroxide. Hair-developer 12% (40-volume) diluted 1:3 is the same 3% oxidiser in litres, not 200 ml pharmacy bottles. Do not drink it. Do not use 12% on skin undiluted.
Household cleaning
The Miracle Cleaning Paste
The Pink Stuff (StarDrops)
- Retail pack
- £2.29850 g tub
- Raw active
- Precipitated calcium carbonate (chalk powder) + liquid castile soap471-34-1
Simple fine chalk (calcium carbonate) suspended in vegetable soap and pink dye.
Household cleaning
Concentrated Multipurpose Disinfectant
Zoflora
- Retail pack
- £4.50500 millilitres
- Raw active
- Benzalkonium chloride (BAC 50)68424-85-1
Zoflora’s biocide is benzalkonium chloride at about 1.87% — the same quat family as Patio Magic, sold as a scented kitchen concentrate. A 1:40 dilute is about 470 ppm BAC. One millilitre of BAC 50 in a litre of water lands in that working band; the perfume and ethanol are the brand, not the kill.
Household cleaning
Original Cream
Windolene
- Retail pack
- £2.50500 millilitres
- Raw active
- Isopropyl alcohol 99% (IPA) diluted to ~10%67-63-0
Classic Windolene cream is isopropanol at about 5–15% in a pink emulsion — the smear-cutting solvent is IPA (CAS 67-63-0), not a secret glass polymer. Dilute 99% IPA 1:9 for a ~10% wipe. That is not Carex 70% hand gel, and it is not the modern trigger ‘Diamond Shine’ (glycol ether).
Household cleaning
Antibacterial Laundry Cleanser
Dettol
- Retail pack
- £4.991.5 litres
- Raw active
- Benzalkonium chloride (BAC 50) diluted to ~2.4%68424-85-1
Dettol laundry cleanser is about 2.4% mixed quats (dialkyl dimethylammonium + benzalkonium) — the same cationic family as Zoflora, sold as a scented conditioner-drawer pour. Dilute BAC 50 to 2.4% and you have the biocide without the 1.5 L cotton-breeze tax. It is not PCMX Dettol spray and not bleach.
Household cleaning
Specialist Mould & Mildew Remover
Astonish
- Retail pack
- £2.00750 ml trigger
- Raw active
- Dairy-grade sodium hypochlorite 14% (diluted to 3.5%)7681-52-9
Highly diluted bleach sold with a plastic spray trigger. Diluting bulk hypochlorite costs pennies.
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