I have recently made the decision to stop taking hormonal birth control due to a number of unacceptable side effects. Instead, I am learning Natural Family Planning (Also known as the Fertility Awareness Method) which involves charting basal body temperatures, cervical fluids, and the cervix position to identify my fertile and infertile periods. Since I now need to take my waking temperature each morning, I needed a quick, inexpensive and effective means of sterilising my thermometer (I used to use antiseptic swabs from the first aid kit- but those are too expensive to use every day).

I spotted Milton Sterilising Fluid at my local Tesco and thought it would work perfectly. This product is designed to disinfect breastfeeding equipment, bottles, teething rings, baby baths, high chairs, surfaces (like kitchen counters and bathroom floors), chopping boards and a host of other items. It can even be used on fruits and vegetables.

Packaging
Milton Sterilising Fluid comes in a 500ml blue plastic bottle with a child safe cap. To open it you must squeeze two tabs on either side of the lid and turn. Underneath the cap there is a pouring spout similar to that on most laundry detergents. I personally found it quite difficult to pour out a small amount without spilling.

The Product
I opened the bottle and was met with the very distinct scent of bleach. I have mentioned in previous reviews that I am highly scent sensitive. I clean mostly with bicarbonate soda and vinegar because most cleaners cause me horrible headaches, dizziness and nausea due to their strong scents (both chemical and perfume). Bleach is one of the most offensive scents.

There is no warning on the label to avoid contact with skin, but when I accidentally spilled a little on my fingers (thanks to the awkward pour spout) they started to sting. I immediately washed my hands, but the next day my fingers were still a little tender and slightly flakey. The dark blue towel I grabbed to wipe up the spill was discoloured on contact (like you would have with any other bleach).

There is no mention of bleach on the bottle, but in tiny print on the back it says the active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite (2%). The Great Google revealed this is more commonly known as bleach. So my suspicion on first opening the bottle was correct: this is essentially expensive, watered down bleach.

Price and Availability
I bought my 500ml bottle at Tesco for £1.96. You can buy this from most supermarkets and chemists for around the same price. There are also 1L and 5L bottles. To compare, you can by 2L of Tesco Value Thin Bleach (<5% concentration) for 29p.

Conclusion
I am probably more sensitive than most people. If you do not have an aversion to bleach, this is not essential a bad product. However, given my skin's reaction to this product, I would question the "no need to rinse" claim on the bottle when sterilising surfaces and bottles, etc. I have sensitive skin, but so do babies. I would certainly not use it to wash my fruit and veg.