Can You Separate Fact from Fiction When it Comes to Home Cleaning?

Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection. To be safe, you need to clean and disinfect surfaces in highly trafficked areas or any surfaces used for food preparation.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Potency matters when it comes to properly sanitizing your hands and surfaces, and many types of liquor just don’t pack enough alcohol to get the job done.

Source: Twitter — @TitosVodka

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), any hand sanitizer should be at least 60% alcohol, and most consumable liquors don’t come close. Even if you do have some of the super hard stuff, it’s probably best to use this only as a last resort, and certainly not as a substitute for everyday household cleaning products.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

While you may feel the need to scour the Internet for hospital-grade disinfectants, the reality is what you already have at home or what may still be on store shelves will do the trick if you use it correctly. If you run out of household cleaning spray or wipes and can’t replenish them, here are some other common items that you can use to safely disinfect your home.

Bleach

The CDC recommends a diluted bleach solution (⅓ cup bleach per 1 gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per 1 quart of water) for virus disinfection. Wear gloves while using bleach, and never mix it with ammonia or anything else, for that matter, except water. (The only exception is when doing laundry with detergent.) Once mixed, don’t keep the solution for longer than a day because bleach will degrade certain plastic containers. And of course, don’t use a bleach mixture on any fabrics or surfaces that might discolor.

Isopropyl Alcohol

Alcohol solutions with at least 70 percent alcohol are effective against coronavirus on hard surfaces. First, clean the surface with water and detergent. Using a spray bottle or a clean rag, apply the alcohol (do not dilute it) and let it sit on the surface for at least 30 seconds to disinfect.

Hydrogen Peroxide

According to the CDC, household (3 percent) hydrogen peroxide can deactivate rhinovirus, the virus that causes the common cold, within 6 to 8 minutes of coming into contact with it. Rhinovirus is more difficult to destroy than coronaviruses, so hydrogen peroxide should be able to break down coronavirus in less time. Pour it undiluted into a spray bottle and spray it on the surface to be cleaned, but let it sit on the surface for at least 1 minute.

Source: Consumer Reports

While it is true that you can safely use common household products to disinfect, stick to just one product at a time. You won’t be increasing the power or effectiveness of something by combining products and you could potentially create a toxic mixture.

Remember to never mix:

• Bleach + vinegar = toxic chlorine gas
• Ammonia + bleach = toxic chloramine vapors
• Rubbing alcohol + bleach = chloroform

Source: MSN

All disinfectants have a contact time — meaning, the amount of the time the surface must remain wet for disinfection to be achieved. Contact times can range anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, so be sure to read the product label before using the disinfectant.

Source: Virox

Sort of. It’s really going to depend on the “dwell time” of your specific wipes, aka how long the wipe leaves the surface wet with disinfectant before drying.

Try to select ready-to-use wipes that stay wet as long as possible so that you can disinfect more and larger surface areas without burning through wipes. Make sure to read the packaging of your wipe for suggested dwell times to disinfect, and then watch the first time you use the wipes to see how much product is left behind after a swipe. If needed, continuously wipe the surface or item for the recommended time if your wipe has a low dwell time.

Source: Clean Link

If someone in your household is sick, all soft surfaces (sheets, blankets, clothing, towels, etc.) that they have been in contact with should be thought of similarly as a used tissue, as they are some of the best places to harbor germs and viruses.

Thankfully, your best ally in destroying germs is your dryer’s high heat cycle. According to Kelly Reynolds, a germ researcher at the University of Arizona, 28 minutes of high heat drying is the magic number to ensure you’ve killed all pathogens in your laundry.

If you can’t dry on high, or if you have delicate items, nature has the answer. Simply line-dry your clothes and take advantage of the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

As for the couch or other items that can’t be laundered or left outside, a generous spray of a fabric-friendly disinfectant spray such as Lysol will do the trick. Just follow the product’s instructions for disinfection.

Source: Wash

IF you follow these directions. Here’s a recipe for a spray sanitizer that can be used on hands or surfaces, based on a mix recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

You’ll need:

• 91% Isopropyl alcohol
• Glycerol or glycerin
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Distilled water
• A spray bottle

Mix 12 fluid ounces of alcohol with 2 teaspoons of glycerol. You can buy jugs of glycerol online, and it’s an important ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out your hands. If you can’t find glycerol, proceed with the rest of the recipe anyway and just remember to moisturize your hands after applying the sanitizer.

Mix in 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, then 3 fluid ounces of distilled or boiled (then cooled) water. (If you’re working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing alcohol, use far less water; remember, at least ¾ or 75% of your final mixture has to be alcohol).

Load the solution into a spray bottle. You can also wet a paper towel with it and use that as a wipe.

Source: Wired

Hard surfaces need to be cleaned with regular soap and water before you apply a disinfectant to help the disinfectant work its best. And when you’re cleaning with soap and water, scrub like there is something sticky that you’re trying to remove.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

While you may be able to get away with disinfecting less frequently, right now it’s still a good idea to disinfect highly touched items and surfaces at least once a day, especially since the coronavirus has such a long incubation period and many people exhibit few, if any, symptoms, especially at first.