Weird Things To A New Expat: No Bleach?

[partington]

So I was in Tesco Lotus buying cleaning stuff for my new apartment, and I noticed you can't get bleach here!! Am I right? Simple chlorine bleach to douse toilet, steel sink etc. What they seem to have here is hydrochloric acid mixed wih ethanol, (eg Vixol) labelled with warnings that it can't be used on granite, marble, or stainless surfaces, ie 90% of all bathroom and kitchen surfaces!! Can you really not buy bleach here?

On a completely unrelated note, can you hire people to shoot dogs for you, like contract killers? I know I'm new here, but why do all Thais have 5-8 dogs and train them to bark all day and night, on purpose????

(the latter was only half joking)

cheers

[jazzbo]

Chlorine Bleach = Haiter, available anywhere.

[powderpuff]

Move upmarket & go shop at Villa. They stock Clorox. & Steak, and fruit & vegetables.

[gotlost]

Tesco can stink at times but if that's all you have so be it. Just ask. You just have to know what its called.

[partington]

Tesco can stink at times but if that's all you have so be it. Just ask. You just have to know what its called.

??????????? Please tell me what it's called, (or the Thai for sodium hypochlorite!)

[gotlost]

Haiter. Every 7-11 in Thailand has it.

[partington]

Haiter. Every 7-11 in Thailand has it.

OK ! I actually saw that, unscrewed the top and gave a sniff but couldn't detect chlorine, so thought it was something else, like hydrogen peroxide. Also the two different colour bottles confused me. I'll buy some and see.

Thanks!

[Peterbigeyes]

I'm fairly certain they raise 8 dogs to do shifts at barking, thats 3 hours each.

[tigerfish]

oh its bleach alright, for sure!

wife went shopping a few years back and picked up a bottle and thought it was some kind of washing liquid for cleaning clothes.

guess whose clothes got the first trail run with haiter in our brand new washing machine. all my favorite t-shirts, boxer shorts, shorts and a brand new north face sweat top that i got for christmas, ruined!!!

[sbk]

Haiter, the yellow bottle is scented, the blue bottle is regular. its bleach.

and I wouldn't really recommend starting a war with your neighbors this early on.

[Mossfinn]

Well, at least he wouldn't need the bleach

[robblok]

Yes when i brought my dogs for K9 training they were trained to bark all night until the farang's in the neighborhood would pay the bribes to keep them quiet. So IMHO this is standard practice in Thailand dogs trained to bark all night in teams to drive unsuspecting farangs mad.

As for trying to kill those dogs or get them killed, they are also trained to avoid this and kill the perpetrators of said crime. I would be really careful when attempting such a feat as it might backfire and you end up in hospital torn to pieces by said trained dogs.

I doubt you can do anything about this moving is usually the only way as most Thais won't care. (though other neighbors could).

[uptoyoumyfriend]

Haiter. Every 7-11 in Thailand has it.

OK ! I actually saw that, unscrewed the top and gave a sniff but couldn't detect chlorine, so thought it was something else, like hydrogen peroxide. Also the two different colour bottles confused me. I'll buy some and see.

Thanks!

it says it on the haiter bottle that- and how much chlorine it contains,wear your glasses!

[farangene]

I am told that one haiter is for white clothes and and the other for colored clothes and therefore less potent.

[partington]

Haiter. Every 7-11 in Thailand has it.

OK ! I actually saw that, unscrewed the top and gave a sniff but couldn't detect chlorine, so thought it was something else, like hydrogen peroxide. Also the two different colour bottles confused me. I'll buy some and see.

Thanks!

it says it on the haiter bottle that- and how much chlorine it contains,wear your glasses!

Is it actually on there in English?, I thought I scanned it pretty well and couldn't see any english script, not even the chemical name. I do pride myself on being able to read, I must say.

Maybe I can get the dogs to drink it.

added :

No you're quite right! I just remembered I bought a bottle today. I'm looking at it now and it really does say "sodium hypochlorite as available chlorine 6% w/w" near the top of the label. I stand corrected!

[Donnyboy]

need to check your smelling sense too, it has a very strong chlorine odour imo

btw cleaners with hydrochloric acid are safe to use on many bathroom surfaces ie vitreous china. toilet bowls, baths and sinks, (think American Standard)

i would think vitreous china is more common than marble,stainless, granite etc

[phetaroi]

Haiter. Every 7-11 in Thailand has it.

OK ! I actually saw that, unscrewed the top and gave a sniff but couldn't detect chlorine, so thought it was something else, like hydrogen peroxide. Also the two different colour bottles confused me. I'll buy some and see.

Thanks!

it says it on the haiter bottle that- and how much chlorine it contains,wear your glasses!

Not all bottles by all brands are labeled with bleach. Been there, done that.

[JimGant]

The OP lives in an apartment, so he's probably hooked into a sewer system.

However, for those of us living in the country, bleach usage is not recommended because of our septic tank systems (kills the bacteria necessary for decomposition).

[MaiChai]

I believe Tescos have their own brand bleach. So I guess a Tesco farang has had this problem before and made sure that Tescos have it. Of course maybe they never sell bleach because Thais don't know what it is so they stopped selling it?

[F1fanatic]

The OP lives in an apartment, so he's probably hooked into a sewer system.

However, for those of us living in the country, bleach usage is not recommended because of our septic tank systems (kills the bacteria necessary for decomposition).

Funnily enough I was told this a few months ago when I was complaining about my sewage system that doesn't work (even though I only used bleach when 'things got desperate', just before the tank was emptied)

Have to admit, I've only been here for 4 years, but my experience is that when things get bad, its nothing to do with bleach - THE TANK NEEDS EMPTYING! Bleach actually helps a bit, much as those that don't like it would prefer to think otherwise....

AND, before anyone starts, I was told this by a v long term Singapore ex-pat, who believes it 100% so I took their word for it initially. I've changed my mind and now think (in my house) they were talking rubbish.

[lopburi3]

Actually most drains do not go to septic tanks so if you keep it out of the flush it is not likely to be a problem bacteria killer.