Introduction
The pandemic has continued for over a year and has mutated numerous times to increase its lethality and infection rate. That’s why it’s more important than ever to wear masks, get vaccinated and follow all the precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus. One of the measures includes getting subscribed to a home cleaning surface. You can do that by searching for “home cleaning services near me”. Apart from that you also need to disinfect the high traffic surfaces in your home often. Here are the products you can use to disinfect your home and kill the SARS virus that causes COVID-19.
The Supplies
- Soap and water – The coronavirus has a protective envelope that can easily be broken with soap. Unlike popular belief, while hand sanitizers are very effective, soap is the best weapon in the fight against coronavirus. However, soap can only be effective when you wash your hands properly. Pretend that you have a sticky substance on your hand and to get rid of that scrub your hand with soap and water thoroughly to get rid of it. You have to reach all the crevices between your fingers and make sure that you also wash your forearms along with your hands since it is also exposed to most surfaces regularly.
Apart from disinfecting yourself, you can also use soap and water to disinfect and clean surfaces. Use a bit of force and rub the surface with a towel dipped in soapy water. It’s important to note that antibacterial soaps aren’t more effective at killing the virus than regular soaps. However, you can use it if you want. This is the only cleaning product that allows you to clean and disinfect surfaces in your home and also your skin. Other products on the list shouldn’t come anywhere near your skin.
- Clorox, Lysol, and other name brand disinfectants – EPA(Environmental Protection Agency) has certified around 16 disinfectant products to be effective in killing the coronavirus. Those products include Lysol, Clorox, Lonza, and more. They are approved since they contain quaternary ammonium, a key active ingredient that kills the virus. The EPA also has hundreds of other disinfectants listed on their website for killing a huge list of similar viruses. While they haven’t been specifically identified as to be effective against the coronavirus, they should all work.
When you buy name-brand disinfectants, make sure that you strictly follow the label instructions. You may need to leave certain products on the surface for a while to effectively kill the virus. You also need to store these products away out of reach from kids and pets. They can be poisonous when ingested. While these products have been listed by the EPA, it doesn’t mean that other products can’t be effective against the virus. The EPA has to do it for brands that claim their products are effective against the coronavirus. Regular household products mentioned below can be equally effective.
- Isopropyl Alcohol – Even if you don’t like to drink, you must be aware of this alcohol with its frequent mentions in the news and its concentration levels marketed on the label of hand sanitizers. Isopropyl alcohol solutions with a concentration of 70 percent or more are very effective for killing the coronavirus on hard surfaces. However, most people don’t opt for it since it is far more expensive than most other items mentioned in this list. After you clean a surface with water and detergent soap, apply the alcohol solution without diluting it. Let the alcohol solution sit on the surface for at least half a minute before you wipe. You can also choose to not wipe the surface since the alcohol would evaporate very quickly. While alcohol can be used on most surfaces, you should keep it away from plastic if you don’t want any discoloration.
- Bleach – Bleach is one of the cheapest products you can buy for home cleaning and disinfecting. That doesn’t mean it’s less effective than others. In fact, it gives you more bang for your buck when it comes to killing the coronavirus. Mix ⅓ cup of bleach for every gallon of water to create your bleach solution. Once the solution is prepared, wear gloves and start cleaning all kinds of hard surfaces as long as it’s not plastic. Similar to alcohol application, clean the surfaces with detergent and soapy water and let them dry before you use the bleach solution. Let the bleach sit on the surface for a few minutes before you wipe it off. Make sure that you rinse countertops and metal surfaces with water after using bleach. Otherwise, they can degrade with repeated use of bleach.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – CDC recommends using household hydrogen peroxide for killing the rhinovirus. It’s a virus that’s responsible for the common cold. However, it is much more difficult to kill compared to the coronavirus. That’s why this household product should be effective in dealing with COVID-19. Hydrogen peroxide usually takes around 8 minutes or less to deactivate the rhinovirus. That means you can kill the coronavirus in even less time with this product. Fill hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray it on surfaces. Let the solution sit for at least a minute before you wipe it down. You can also leave it unwiped since it will break down into oxygen and water. Unlike bleach, this product won’t corrode metal or discolor countertop stones. That’s why you can freely use it for disinfecting faucets, handles, and countertops. However, make sure that you wear a thick apron while using this product since it can easily discolor fabrics.
Conclusion
Now that you know about all the products that can kill the virus responsible for COVID-19, you should stock up on those cleaning supplies and start wiping. Apart from that, you should also hire the services of a cleaning company to keep your home hygienic and free from allergens, bacteria, with a monthly cleaning session. To hire cleaning professionals, you can search for “home cleaning services near me” on the internet.
