The Omnipotent Disinfectant
UV light in sun rays has been proved to be a natural disinfectant that pervades our planet everyday. This is a resource that we should take advantage of, especially during the pandemic when no surface is safe from induction.
Throw open your curtains on a daily basis and allow sunlight into your home. Try to improve the amount of light your house gets along with the ventilation as much as possible.
Soaps and Detergents
Soaps and detergents do not necessarily disinfect everything they come in contact with. They need a certain amount of time which ranges from 10 to 40 seconds to kill germs. Soaps and detergents break down the surface membranes of bacteria and viruses. They can be used on all surfaces of the house and are handily available at stores everywhere.
The easiest way to proceed is to make a solution with water and rub down surfaces with a sponge. Use an absorbent cloth to wipe away the excess which leaves you with a clean and disinfected surface. Fabrics can be soaked and washed with them as well but take care to choose the kind of soap or detergent based on the cloth’s material and its suitability.
Vinegar
This simple kitchen ingredient has many more uses than to make your food taste better. Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid which kills about 80% of all bacterial and viral material. Not only is this liquid good for disinfecting surfaces and materials, it is also biodegradable and does not harm the environment. Vinegar removes strong smells, dissolves grease and difficult stains and can even be used to wash clothes.
Vinegar is especially effective in removing stubborn sweat stains and brightens them. To increase its effectiveness you can buy vinegar with a stronger concentration of acetic acid.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This compound is also known as oxygen bleach and is highly effective as a disinfectant. This is another disinfectant that is environment friendly and is used at a 3% concentration. You can use it to clean your house, do your laundry and even the dishes. On a note of caution, this disinfectant is also a bleach and can remove colour from certain fabrics or surfaces.
Perform a spot check by applying it to a small area before you go ahead and use it. You can soak clothes in it, put it inside a spray bottle for ease of use or make a paste out of it with baking soda.
Alcohol
Alcohol is currently the most widespread form of disinfectant being used. It is highly effective and the base of most sanitizers and disinfectants out there in the market. But by alcohol here it is not meant the kind that you’d find at your regular party which is not strong enough. According to the CDC, for alcohol to be used it should be at least 70% concentration for surface disinfection.
If you have spirits or rubbing alcohol with a 70% or higher concentration, you can blend your own surface disinfectant. Alcohol has always been used to clean wounds and scratches as it has a high germ kill rate and works immediately. It is especially good for surfaces such as glass windows, kitchen counters or even removing odours from your clothes.
All Surface Disinfectants
Solutions like these are made by many brands and can really be used all across the house on any surface without the risk of causing damage or colour fading. Most come in the form of a solution which needs to be dissolved in water. This solution can then be used to mop floors, wipe down surfaces or put in a spray bottle to disseminate in our immediate environment.
While choosing your brand in the market make sure that the product is US EPA approved along with being FDA cleared. This will tell you whether the product you are buying is worth spending money on as certifications such as these point to the effectiveness of such products besides not being harmful either to us or the environment.
Antibacterial Spray
A simple way to ensure all surface protection is to use an Antibacterial spray. Not only can you use this on almost all surfaces but also your own skin without the risk of burning or damaging yourself. Sprays such as this have a high kill rate and do not need much time to complete its task of disinfecting the immediate area. Sprays such as these help avoid illness causing germs and evaporate extremely quickly which helps avoid streaking on surfaces.
These products also attack odours and leave a pleasant after effect. The downside to using such products is that they are more expensive than all the other products and materials in this article and thus not suitable for using across your house, though they can be invaluable while you're outside your house or traveling.
