Appendix E – Chlorine disinfectant solution preparation

Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning in Global Healthcare Facilities with Limited Resources

At a glance

  • Examples of how to prepare chlorine disinfectant solutions in global healthcare settings.
  • The materials on this page were created for use in global healthcare facilities with limited resources, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Example 1 — Using liquid bleach

Chlorine in liquid bleach comes in different concentrations. Any concentration can be used to make a dilute chlorine solution by applying the following formula:

(% chlorine in liquid bleach ∕ % chlorine desired) − 1 = Total parts of water for each part bleach A

Example: To make a 0.5% chlorine solution from 3.5% Bbleach:

[3.5% ∕ 0.5%] − 1 = 7 − 1 = 6 parts water for each part bleach

Therefore, you must add 1 part 3.5% bleach to 6 parts water to make a 0.5% chlorine solution.

Example 2 — Using bleach powder

If using bleach powderC, calculate the amount of bleach to be mixed with each liter of water by using the following formula:

[% chlorine desired ∕ % chlorine in bleach powder] × 1 000 = Grams of bleach powder for each liter of water

Example: To make a 0.5% chlorine solution from calcium hypochlorite (bleach) powder containing 35% active chlorine

[0.5% ∕ 35%] × 1 000 = 0.0143 × 1 000 = 14.3

Therefore, you must dissolve 14.3 grams of calcium hypochlorite (bleach) powder in each liter of water used to make a 0.5% chlorine solution.

Example 3 — Formula for making a dilute solution from a concentrated solution

Total Parts (TP) (H2O) = [% Concentrate ∕ % Dilute] − 1

Example: To make a 0.1% chlorine solution from 5% concentrated solution:

Calculate TP (H2O) = [5.0% ∕ 0.1%] − 1 = 50 − 1 = 49

Take one part concentrated solution and add to 49 parts boiled (filtered if necessary) water.

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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
  1. "Parts" can be used for any unit of measure (e.g. ounce, liter or gallon) or any container used for measuring, such as a pitcher.
  2. In countries where French products are available, the amount of active chlorine is usually expressed in degrees chlorum. One-degree chlorum is equivalent to 0.3% active chlorine.
  3. When bleach powder is used; the resulting chlorine solution is likely to look cloudy (milky)