Uses
The uses of sodium hypochlorite are numbered, but they all come back to two principal ways of utilizing this chemical: disinfection and bleaching.
Disinfection
Cleaning with sodium hypochlorite is one of the most popular ways of disinfecting areas. The basic daily sanitizers come with very little (.01%) sodium hypochlorite in them, but take care of simple every day spills. However, sodium hypochlorite comes more concentrated when there is a need to do some heavy duty cleaning- the generic Clorox bleach contains 6% NaOCl, yielding 5.7% chlorine, although the directions usually suggest watering it down.
Restaurants and other commercial industries are required by law to sanitize all surfaces with a sodium hypochlorite solution. Commercially distributed bleaches can contain up to 12% sodium hypochlorite.
Water treatment plants are big users of sodium hypochlorite. Most treatment plants use an extremely strong 15% solution of NaOCl to kill any existing bacteria and germs. The amount of bleach added to the water, however, depends on the conditions such as temperature, water chemistry, and presence (or lack) of sediment in the water.
Finally, the last popular way of using sodium hypochlorite for sanitation is with pool water. In order to keep most public pools clean, a chlorinated solution is usually added to the water. Sodium hypochlorite has the advantage of being able to fight away microorganisms without them being able to build up a resistance to it. The amount of NaOCl put in the pools depends on the amount of organic matter in them, although either way, most pools have a fairly high amount of chlorine.
Bleaching
As a corrosive material, sodium hypochlorite has the ability to remove stains and other spots on clothing. Bleaching works extremely well on organic fibers, such as cotton, but with a price. Due to the corrosiveness of sodium hypochlorite, bleaching clothing also provides extra wear and tear, leaving behind weak fibers if used regularly. However, if used sparingly and applied on specific areas, most clothing will remain durable and resistant to any noticeable damage.