Sometimes you'll overhear someone in another conversation say something so seemingly preposterous that your head swivels around on your shoulders faster than a Nascar fan with front row seats!
Which is what I did today when I heard someone say that you're not allowed to buy or sell chlorine bleach in Germany.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?"
I had to fight back my disbelieving laughter while asking this person why on earth that would be.
"I dunno - you just cain't."
I googled 'bleach is not allowed in Germany' . . . and what do you know, bleach is not allowed in Germany.
But here's where the all-knowing Google left me hangin' - it didn't tell me why bleach is not allowed in Germany!
So let's hope one or two of you out in the blogosphere can clear this up for us - inquiring minds want to know!
Which is what I did today when I heard someone say that you're not allowed to buy or sell chlorine bleach in Germany.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?"
I had to fight back my disbelieving laughter while asking this person why on earth that would be.
"I dunno - you just cain't."
I googled 'bleach is not allowed in Germany' . . . and what do you know, bleach is not allowed in Germany.
But here's where the all-knowing Google left me hangin' - it didn't tell me why bleach is not allowed in Germany!
So let's hope one or two of you out in the blogosphere can clear this up for us - inquiring minds want to know!
12 comments:
Wow, interesting yet worthless. It is a perfect worthless fact.
Darn. There goes my dream of opening a bleach factory in Germany. Sigh.
Hey Trey,
I aim to please!
But you won't think it's so worthless when the Spirit moves your elders to send you off to plant a church in downtown Berlin!
You'll thank me one day!
(Oh, by the way, 'danke' is German for 'thank you'.)
______________________________
Hey Jill,
And I was hoping to invest my life savings into a German bleach factory!
Double-darn!
Thanks for stopping by,
W
How frustrating!
Hi Wade,
seems I am the only one here, who can at least help with being able to understand German webpages to find out about this.
First - it's kind of ironic that you are illustrating the question with a photo of PERSIL - if something is "really" German, it's probably the brand PERSIL. ;-)
What I found from different articles on the web:
Chlorine bleach is not forbidden in Germany. It is indeed completely forbidden in Austria and you'll not find any Austrian detergent containing Chlorine bleach.
What is right is, that Germany - together with most Skandinavian and several other European nations - has strictly limited the use of Chlorine bleach.
Till 1985 Chlorine bleach was used in many processes like manufacturing paper or as pestizide or in FCKW (used in hairspray or many other products) or detergents. From then on scientists realised the horrible problems that Chlorine bleach caused in environment (allergies when used in wallpaint, severe damage in water quality, ruining the Ozon layer when used in sprays ...).
So there was an agreement of all those countries to stricly limit the use of that Chlorine holding processes and certain (not all) Chlorines are no longer in use in Germany, since there are much better and healthier bleachers available and Chlorine bleach is seen as health damaging and old-fashioned.
Actually let me ask back: I have never in my life missed Chlorine bleach in my household... - for what exactly should I be using that??
If it's about getting laundry white: yeah, there are great detergents to do so, but they don't need to hold Chlorine. Citron acid is about as perfect in the result and probably much healthier.
-------------
And adding something I am curious about and that seems to fit in right here: I know a rumour here in Germany, that American washing machines only wash with cold or slightly warm water - is that correct or just an old fashioned information?
In Germany you can decide between doing the laundry
- cold
- 30°C / 86F
- 60°C /140F
- 95°C / 203F
Especially the last two steps are used for getting very dirty clothes (like with small kids or football playing hubbies ;-)) clean again.
I guess that heat might be enough to use less or none bleach at all?
This isn't worthless information. I'm liking this. Somehow, someway I think I can make a sermon out of this.
:)
Hey Helen,
Google.com should change its name to Helen.com - I figured you'd be able to shed some light on this!
Remember that in America we have a saying that goes, 'if some is good, then more must be better'. So you'll see a lot of concentrated and industrial strength formulas for cleaning products.
And I think chlorine bleach is seen as the end-all for cleaning/disinfecting detergents.
Since we used it all the time in the restaurant industry, it never bothered me - my thought was that it must be safe if we're using it. Which, I realize, isn't the most sound rationalization!
But we would use it to clean the stains left in tea urns and coffee pots. You'd think people would complain about the tea/coffee tasting bad but they never did.
I know now a lot of "greenies" are pushing a water/vinegar mix as the most appropriate and effective home cleaning product - and it very well may be I just haven't made the effort to find out for myself.
As for washing machines using hot water - absolutely! Perhaps the rumor was started by American washers not needing to use hot water as much because such strong detergents are available to us.
It occurred to me that I never noticed what kind of cleaning detergents were available when I lived in Grenoble, France because my landlady did all the cleaning and laundry for me.
I sure can pick 'em, can't I?
Thanks so much for the clarification, Helen!
_______________________________
Hey Trey,
Ha! Let me know if you figure it out - I'd love to hear your angle.
That reminds me of a preacher-friend of mine who I'll often give a word and an offer of $20 if he can find a way to wedge it into his sermon.
The most recent challenge was to somehow work in 'goiter' - which would have shot the wheels off of half the congregation because they wouldn't know what a goiter was . . . and the other half would have spent the rest of the sermon trying to figure out what a goiter has to do with eternal salvation.
Needless to say, I've still got my $20!!
I'll put it back on the table for you though!
Good luck!
W
"But we would use it to clean the stains left in tea urns and coffee pots."
Argh! I think I am more German than I thought I am, if that little remark of yours scares me
:-)
I have realised that 'if some is good, then more must be better' with US medication. Most of it is just the double 'power' than the German medics (and I was wondering why Tylenol is so great until I realised we have something like Tylenol, but a lot weaker).
Great to know that that washing machine thing is a obviously some kind of legend also now I wonder where it comes from?? (I think I was told by US Military guys...)
I think you better spare yourself that vinegard cleaning - that has never worked with anything (in my point of view). I have one single chlorine cleaner in my house and it's only if our shower shows hints of mould that I use it very carefully. But there is lots of good stuff between the two :-)
Bleach not allowed in Germany ... who would have thought. I love reading your rantings.
I think that has been one of the most interesting things to see here in Bolivia, how household cleaning and products differ from the states... the lady that helps me clean our house uses detergent for EVERYTHING! Just a little in some water and it cures everything :) She still thinks I'm a little crazy I think for asking her to use something a little stronger in the bathrooms, but it's the American in me that I simply cannot lay to rest. Oh the adventure of living overseas :) Here you have to show id for buying bleach... kind of like sudafed in the states...
Funny part about washing machines here... many Bolivians think that they are not worth using because they're so "hard" on clothes. Like the Bolivian that we lived with when we first moved here... her washing machine broke a button on a blouse and she hasn't used it since... but the onesies that her maid washed for us by hand during our time with her that are now three sizes bigger than they should be... now which one is really "hard" on clothes I ask you :)
Mystery solved! In North America, we still have some wilderness left so the attitude that "a little bleach won't hurt" is prevalent. If the effects of our use of bleach were collected and if we were able to see what it does, we probably would ban it too. Not to mention what chronic exposure to chlorine gas does to one's respiratory system.
Hey Helen,
There's probably a lot about America that would make you thankful to be German!
I think you definitely have the prettier countryside!
________________________________
Hey McCulley's,
It's all useless information until it helps you correctly answer some random trivia question in some random trivia game - at which point you'll begin to understand my underappreciated genius-ity!
(And yes - that's really a word!)
____________________________
Hey L,
Ugh! I hated how the clothes line would stretch everything out! My landlady in France would lay my sweaters out so that the sleeves would practically drag on the ground when I wore them! I completely forgot about that until you mentioned it!
But ID for bleach? That's crazy!
_______________________________
Hey Lawn,
"Not to mention what chronic exposure to chlorine gas does to one's respiratory system."
Try thinking of chlorine gas as a cheap antihistimine . . . that could cause permenant damage after long-term use!
Thanks all for stopping by,
W
Post a Comment