Is it safe to add a little bleach to 5 gallon water bottles to clean it out?

bleach will indeed cause leeching of harmful chemicals if used in plastic bottles, even if left only 5 minutes. manufacturers recommend cleaning with white vinegar. vinegar kills bacteria, microbes, mold, etc. look up the many uses for vinegar.

below are links for 1. an article of the harm of using bleach in plastic and 2. benefits of vinegar.

I have never known a large plastic water container that did not leak a little from new, usually around the filler. Since most plastics are inert to many household chemicals over a short while there is not much danger of making any leak worse or introducing one.

Use the bleach by all means, maybe a quarter cup. Add a pint of water and slosh it around, let it stand an hour or so, pour out and rinse three or four times with clean water and dry. Make sure you rinse the seals around the filler.

The bleach will not remain in the plastic. It will eventually transform itself to common salt.

Sunlight is a great disinfectant. In some primitive country (I saw on tv) people fill small, clear plastic bottles with water. Lay the bottles up on the corrugated roof, and after 5-6 hours of full sun exposure, the water was safe to drink. The plastic bottles were the kind that were tall and thin. It is also possible to buy iodine tablets at outdoor provisions shops, like camping supplies. I would try to strain all creek or spring water to remove any debris (including insects) and try to let any murkiness settle to the bottom even before trying to boil. Pour off only the top portion, leave any murkiness or debris at the bottom.

Add a small amount, I'd say like 1/4 of a cup and don't leave it in for more than 5 mins. Also make sure you clean and rinse in several times before using it to drink again.

Yea, its prefectly safe to use bleach to disinfect plastic bottles. To protect yourself from ingesting it all you need to do is rinse well and sit the bottles in sunlight to denature the bleach.

Even if you do ingest it in small amounts it wont make you ill, have you never swallowed pool water?

I used bleach to clean my son's bottles when he was baby. Bleach is only harmful in it's liquid state. As soon as the bottles dry they are safe to use, but I do recommend rinsing them well.

Bleach is harmful and will leach into the plastic. Just use some mild detergent and water, rinse well, and enjoy. Hope this has helped:)

No way don't put bleach in it, use washing detergent eg what you wash the dishes with, some bleach will stay in the bottle no matter how many time you wash it and if you drink out of it you will become sick.

if you're ever going to drink out of the bottles again, pouring bleach in them sounds like a really bad idea.

BLEACH IS SOLD IN PLASTIC SO WHY WOULD IT MAKE PLASTIC LEAK