Bleached Socks safe after they dry.

[PeterC99]

I’ve been washing my filter socks in bleach in the washing machine for about a year now with no problems.

Question - I rinse socks with tap water and wring out most of the water before using. Should I be using RODI water for that rinse before putting into tank?

 

[Josh@BVA]

i run my washer with hot water and empty, then run with socks and hot water+bleach. then run again hot water no bleach to rinse out anything that may be left over. then finally i dry in dryer. I make sure to run at least 1 cycle inside out cause alot of the gunk stays inside the sock if i dont. i just use "quick cycle" and do a 2x rinse as well. thats the oprions my washer has though not sure everyone has that. thats just quick and easy for me though. other solutions should be good. never had issues using bleach

 

[DeniseAndy]

I use bleach on my socks and have been for over 10 years. I just do a simple wash or rinse with bleach, then rinse like 4 more times, hang out to dry for 2 days and they are good. No issues here.
I do this on hand wash in the washing machine. Then I rinse the machine too.

 

[rmurken]

I don’t understand the need for bleach at all. I just rinse them out thoroughly in RO reject water, and drip dry. They’re filter socks, not surgical drapes. Whatever residual organics are still in them are probably negligible, and bleach will just shorten the sock’s useful life.

 

[Hermie]

I don’t understand the need for bleach at all. I just rinse them out thoroughly in RO reject water, and drip dry. They’re filter socks, not surgical drapes. Whatever residual organics are still in them are probably negligible, and bleach will just shorten the sock’s useful life.

Different strokes for different folks

 

[rmurken]

Different strokes for different folks

Oh truth. No worries there. Not judging. Just putting my 2¢ in.

 

[Philly Reefer]

Everytime I changed socks, I would rinse them 1st with hot water. Inside out.
Then throw it in a bucket with the rest of the dirty socks. After it's full, then throw it in the washer full cycle hot + extra rinse with small amount of bleach.
Hang dry. 24h min before use.

 

[GGonzo]

I just run mine through the washer twice with hot water only. It works well for me and doesn't make my protein skimmer go wonky.

 

[chicago]

I think the post asked for a chemistry expert as I have also wondered... once bleach ..assuming some residue is still there.. once it drys what happens chemically. ????

 

[rmurken]

Not a chemistry expert, but the chlorine gases off, leaving behind sodium hydroxide, which over time picks up CO2 from the air and converts to sodium carbonate.

 

[G Santana]

I bleach them and use them within a couple of days

 

[rmurken]

I bleach them and use them within a couple of days

Agree. I’ve also done that with no ill effects. Dry thoroughly.

I was going away for the weekend recently and changed my filter sock just before leaving but didn’t have time to clean it. Threw it in some mild bleach solution to keep the organics from setting as a stain or rotting and stinking. Cleaned it out when I got home. Dried it out, and back in service.