We have been asked a lot whether our cleaners can kill this virus. So we want to take this opportunity to clean up a couple of facts. A cleaner is not a disinfectant. Any cleaner, including ours, is not able to disinfect surfaces, but they are a vital part of the disinfection process.
First Things First: How to Protect Yourself
The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is still washing your hands regularly with running water and soap. Soap breaks down grease, so it is able to dissolve the coronavirus’ fat membrane and thereby render it inactive.
Palli Thordarson, a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales, says that soap works better to deactivate viruses than disinfectants. Disinfectants are typically designed to work against bacteria and fungi, not viruses, and therefore usually contain a mix of soap, alcohol and antibacterial agents - and of those, only soap and alcohol really affect the virus.
Wash your hands regularly with running water and soap. Make sure to soak them completely and rub vigorously for at least 20 seconds to ensure the soap reaches all wrinkles and crevices and has time to break down the grease. Alcohol wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a great addition to washing your hands.
In general, maintain a distance of at least 1m, or 3 feet, between yourself and anyone else, especially if they are sneezing or coughing. Avoid shaking hands. Also avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth so that if you have touched and picked up the virus, it won’t be able to infect you. And once again: often wash your hands to remove any pathogens.
How to Protect Your Home
Don’t forget the small, often overlooked things we touch everyday; mobile phone, keys and wallet.. Be sure to wear gloves while cleaning and disinfecting, and throw away the gloves after use. Wash your hands immediately after the gloves are removed.
Daily cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces has been recommended by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for households where persons under investigation or confirmed COVID-19 patients reside. This recommendation is aimed at limiting the survival of the virus in the environment.
You can protect yourself and your family by keeping pathogens away from your home by simply washing your hands regularly and cleaning and disinfecting only a few areas regularly.
Cleaner vs. Disinfectant
Many people seem to confuse cleaners with disinfectants. So here is what you need to know:
A cleaner doesn’t disinfect, and a disinfectant doesn’t clean.
A cleaner is a solution with surfactants, which are ingredients that lift dirt off a surface. Using a cleaner will remove a large part of bacteria, viruses and germs, but it doesn’t disinfect, as in kill 99.9% of all germs. Just the same, a disinfectant doesn’t remove stains and soils from your surfaces.
This means that if you want to clean and disinfect surfaces in your home, typically you will need to clean the surface with a cleaner first, then use a disinfectant after to kill the germs. But the disinfectant will only work if used correctly.
Health Concerns if Handled Improperly
Many ingredients might not be dangerous by themselves and if used according to instructions, but might pose a threat in certain circumstances.
For example, alcohols are highly flammable, so using an alcohol-based disinfectant on hot surfaces or near sparks can cause fire and burns. Sodium hypochlorite (also known as chlorine bleach) is not only a strong irritant, but also dangerous if mixed with ammonia - it releases chlorine gas, which is toxic to humans.
Excessive use of disinfectants has been linked to higher levels of asthma and childhood wheeze in children, and to childhood obesity. Therefore, it is advised to use conventional disinfectants only when the situation calls for them. Right now, the important thing is to use the disinfectants correctly to ensure their effectiveness against the novel coronavirus.
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