Quote:
Originally Posted by cc_in_oh
Bleach may be needed to remove some stains but for disinfecting I'd stick with white vinegar or H2O2.
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I have had a lot of experience associated with sterilizing potable water tanks and other surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms on yachts. It is of particular concern on yachts as they can be required to be totally self dependent in case of sickness when at sea (I know of skippers, including myself, who will not even refrigerate left over foods not used on the same day of type such as meats as a barrier against illness- it is all dumped on the day of preparation). One can be confident that bleach (sodium hypochlorite) will kill anything likely to be of concern in kitchens and that is why it is so widely used for that purpose.
There are a few things that may resist bleach but they are all very unlikely to be found in households, let alone on cups and mugs, or cutting boards, etc. The only things I am aware of that are resistant are for surface cleaning situations some molds and their spores are resistant if they are well established on a non porous surface, and for water borne situations some protozoa found in unfiltered polluted water such as giardia.
Giardia or any of the other protozoa will not be found in developed country kitchen situations (giardia, being the likely most common, is also not found in tropical polluted water, as it is a temperate climate inhabitant) and molds are unlikely to exist in the extensive amounts for airborne spores to be a danger.
Against these things vinegar is also not reliable as it will not kill all molds and its performance against bleach resistant water borne protozoa I could not comment on, but would be an inconvenient sterilizer unlikely to be useful (filtration is the usual method).