Bleach is Magic

According to the EPA:

You wouldn't think that ordinary chlorine bleach is a pesticide - but it is. Because it kills bacteria- and viruses it is called a disinfectant or an antimicorbial pesticide. And because it kills fungi and molds it is also known as a fungicide.

Sounds great, but what are we talking about? Answer: sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). Other forms of bleach exist, but this compound is the best and most prevalent. According to madehow.com:

In 1785, the French scientist Claude Berthollet found that chlorine was an excellent whitening agent in fabrics...Near Paris, in the town of Javel, Berthollet began a small facility for the manufacture of a new product called "Eau de Javelle."... In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, his patented lime powder was widely used to whiten a variety of fabrics and paper products.

Usage spread and Clorox has produced bleach in the US since 1913. Bleach is a chemically active compound, the whitening of clothes is far less interesting to me than the miraculous ability of bleach to cut through grime for cleaning and disinfecting. My understanding is this reaction with bacteria and viruses breaks down the cell structure and decomposes these germs. Sounds great to me. I do not entirely understand how oxidation works, but imagining bacteria rusting away pleases me. Unlike antibiotics, bleach is a chemical reaction that should not create "resistant" bacteria and can eradicate the bacteria that antibiotics cannot.

Here is an article about bleach helping with children's eczema: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1894149,00.html
Bleach bath directions: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatologytopics/ht/109_bleach_bath.htm
Hospital directing baths for "resistant" bacteria (MRSA): http://www.pamf.org/patients/MRSAcarriers.pdf