Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I getting ready to set up a new dragon tank and found alot of furniture I haven;t used in years. I've already left some branches and cermaics in a 5-10% bleech bath but wanted to know the best way to remove the bleech. I read that oven cooking is the best way after its been rinsed, but are their any other alternatives? If i triple rinse and scrub down and a fourth and thne let air dry will this remove the bleech particles? new dragon wont be here till next week and I want to have every thing set up asap. Thanks..

~Mrez

I don't recommend baking after bleaching, I am not sure but I beleive bleach that is heated up can release noxious and potentially poisonous fumes which won't be good for you to inhale. Best thing to do after you soak in the bleach solution is rinse well several times in cold water. Then air dry for at least 24 hours in a well ventilated area (outside is best). If you can still smell bleach on it, then it needs to be rinsed more and allowed to air dry for alot longer. After that it will be safe for your dragon's tank.

It's the chlorine in bleach that is deadly, but it evaporates in a gaseous form pretty quickly, so air drying is the best way to get rid of it. I don't think the remaining residue, if any, is of any harm (unless the bleach is mixed with something else, though normally it isn't (water is fine though). Deffinitely don't use any other cleaners on the object while bleach is still in or on it, bleech can combine with other chemicals to produce even more lethal gases (amoniam (sp?) gas for one).
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PHLdyPayne

That sounds pretty much like what I was more or less planning on. I've got all the furniture soaking over night...tommrow it will be rinsed and put out side for a little while. I was mostly concerned about the bleach soaking to far into the wood.

~M