system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does bleach solution lose effectiveness after 24 hours?

ELI5: Why does a bleach solution such as one made up at home and stored in a spray bottle or other jar lose effectiveness as a disinfectant after 24 hours? (Basing this on information posted by MSU, but they didn't give an explanation of why or how.)
gpt
Because bleach breaks down into salt.

Bleach works because it is very reactive and it breaks down a lot of organic material it comes into contact with, but the bleach itself also reduces to salt.

Pure bleach breaks down over time which is why bleach that is a year old isn't as effective.

When you mix it with water, it breaks down faster and so isn't as useful the next day because there isn't as much bleach left.