Since we first published this article in March, the guidelines on how to best protect yourself from the new coronavirus infection have changed. At that time, at the beginning of the outbreak in the United States, people were worried about the spread of the virus from doorknobs, groceries, countertops, and even delivered packages. Although it is possible to get COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face, people are less concerned about this situation nowadays.
Stephen Thomas, MD, Director of Infectious Diseases and Director of Global Health at Syracuse Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, said: “The importance of spreading the virus through contact with potentially infected items is far less important than what we did at the beginning. It is to reduce our personal or collective risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection-this is a set of infection prevention actions and measures.”
SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you are most likely to be infected with COVID-19 through respiratory droplets, so the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and others are to avoid crowds, maintain social distancing, and wear a mask to the public; in public. You can also help prevent the spread of disease by washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, not touching your face, and wiping frequently touched surfaces.
“The good news is,” Thomas said, “These practices will not only lower your risk of contracting COVID, they will also lower your risk of contracting many other infectious diseases.”
For the surface of your home, you only need to strengthen cleaning procedures if someone in your home has COVID-19 or any related symptoms. If this is the case, Thomas recommends using virus-killing products to clean areas with frequent contact with heavy traffic, such as kitchen counters and bathroom faucets, 3 times a day.
If disinfecting wipes and sprays are still not available in your area, don’t worry: there are other solutions. Below, you will find a list of cleaning products-many of which may already be used at home-they can easily inactivate the coronavirus.
“There is an envelope around it that allows it to fuse with other cells to infect them,” Thomas said. “If you destroy that coating, the virus won’t work.” The coating is not resistant to bleach, acetylene and chloride products, but it can also be easily broken down with simple things such as soap or detergent.
Soap and water The friction generated when scrubbing with soap (any kind of soap) and water alone will destroy the protective layer of the coronavirus. “Scrubbing is like a sticky substance on your surface, you really need to get it off,” said Richard Sahelben, an organic chemist and member of the American Chemical Society. Discard the towel or place it in a bowl of soapy water for a period of time to destroy any virus particles that may survive.
Using antibacterial soap will not provide you with additional protection against the coronavirus because it will kill bacteria, not viruses. As long as you scrub, you can still use it.
This is also the only product on this list that we recommend to fight the new coronavirus on the skin. Everything else should be used only on the surface.
Brand-name disinfectants As of August, the Environmental Protection Agency has certified 16 disinfectant products that can kill SARS-CoV-2. These include products from Lysol, Clorox and Lonza, all of which have the same active ingredient: quaternary ammonium.
The EPA also lists hundreds of disinfectants that are effective against similar viruses. They have not been tested specifically for the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2, but they should be effective.
If you can find these cleaning products, be sure to follow the label instructions. You may need to saturate the surface for a few minutes to work effectively. During the pandemic, many people also dangerously abused cleaning products, and the CDC says this has led to an increase in phone calls from poison control centers across the country.
If you cannot obtain any EPA-registered disinfectant, you can use any of the products listed below, which are also effective against the new coronavirus.
Sachleben explained that the EPA only has a list of products that have been proven effective because it needs to check the brand’s sterilization claims. “The things that have proven to be the most effective are the basic things, such as bleach and alcohol,” he said. “Customers think that tried-and-tested products are not that convenient, so that’s why we sell all these products in the market.”
Bleach CDC recommends the use of a diluted bleach solution (1/3 cup bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per 1 quart of water) for virus disinfection. Wear gloves when using bleach and never mix it with ammonia—in fact, anything other than water. (The only exception is washing clothes with detergent.) After mixing the solution, do not leave it for more than a day, as the bleach will lose its effectiveness and degrade some plastic containers.
“Always clean the surface with water and detergent first, because many materials will react with the bleach and deactivate it,” Sachleben said. “Wipe the surface dry, then apply the bleach solution, let it sit for at least 10 minutes, and then wipe it off.”
Bleach will corrode metals over time, so Sachleben advises people not to get into the habit of using it to clean faucets and stainless steel products. Since bleach is also very irritating to many countertops, water should be used to rinse the surface after disinfection to prevent discoloration or damage to the surface.
If you can’t find liquid bleach, you can use bleach tablets instead. You may have seen Evolve bleach tablets on Amazon or Walmart. It dissolves in water. Just follow the dilution instructions on the packaging (1 tablet equals ½ cup of liquid bleach). The label on the bottle indicates that the product is not a disinfectant—Evolve has not yet passed the EPA registration process—but chemically, it is the same as liquid bleach.
An alcohol solution with an alcohol content of at least 70% isopropyl alcohol is effective against coronaviruses on hard surfaces.
First, clean the surface with water and detergent. Apply an alcohol solution (do not dilute) and let it stay on the surface for at least 30 seconds for disinfection. Sachleben says that alcohol is generally safe on all surfaces, but it can discolor some plastics.
Hydrogen Peroxide According to the CDC, household (3%) hydrogen peroxide can effectively inactivate rhinovirus, which is the virus that causes the common cold, 6 to 8 minutes after exposure. Rhinoviruses are harder to destroy than coronaviruses, so hydrogen peroxide should be able to break down coronaviruses in a shorter period of time. Spray it on the surface to be cleaned and let it sit on the surface for at least 1 minute.
Hydrogen peroxide is not corrosive, so it can be used on metal surfaces. But similar to bleach, if you put it on clothes, it will discolor the fabric.
“It’s perfect for entering hard-to-reach cracks,” Sachleben said. “You can pour it on that area, you don’t have to wipe it off, because it basically breaks down into oxygen and water.”
You may have seen various hand sanitizer recipes on social media and elsewhere on the Internet, but Thomas of Upstate Medical University advises against making your own. “People don’t know how to use the right ratio, and the Internet won’t give you the right answer,” he said. “You will not only hurt yourself, but also give you a false sense of security.”
Sachleben seconds this suggestion. “I am a professional chemist and I will not mix my own disinfection products at home,” he said. “The company spends a lot of time and money to pay for chemists, specifically for formulating effective and safe hand sanitizer. If you do it yourself, how do you know if it is stable or effective?”
Vodka The recipe for using vodka to fight the coronavirus is widely circulated on the Internet. Several vodka manufacturers, including Tito’s, have issued statements telling their customers that their 80-proof products do not contain enough ethanol (40% versus 70% required) to kill the coronavirus.
Recommendations for using distilled white vinegar to disinfect with vinegar are popular on the Internet, but there is no evidence that they are effective against the coronavirus. (See “9 things to never clean with vinegar.”)
Tea tree oil Although preliminary studies have shown that tea tree oil may have an effect on the herpes simplex virus, there is no evidence that it can kill the coronavirus.
Editor’s note: This article was first published on March 9, 2020, and this article has been updated as more commercial products appear and concerns about hard surface propagation decrease.
The multi-dimensional background of lifestyle news, recipe development, and anthropology prompted me to bring the human factor into the report of household kitchen appliances. When I don’t study dishwashers and mixers or study market reports carefully, I may be immersed in juicy crosswords or trying (but failing) to love sports. Find me on Facebook.
Post time: Sep-08-2021