You will be surprised at the number of cleaning items you have at home that can destroy viruses especially in this ever-spreading Covid-19 period. We all know that cleanliness in our environment goes a long way to help get rid of viruses and bacteria. But how sure are you that the cleaning products you’re using effectively does the trick; because there are several viruses and bacteria that can be tough to destroy. 

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That said, we will take you through various household cleaning products and what viruses and bacteria they get rid of easily; and provide you with an idea of others that you thought work on viruses but don’t. 

Cleaning Products That Work on Viruses

Bleach

We have all come into contact with bleach in one way or the other regardless of whether you’re using it for washing, or getting rid of some serious stains out of household plastics. Good news; bleach works on viruses very well! 

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, you can even make a diluted solution of 1 cup (8 ounces or 240 milliliters) of bleach mixed with 5 gallons of water (18.9 L) to effectively clean and sanitize your hard surfaces. And also mix between 1 tablespoon (0.5 ounces or ~15 mL) and 1 cup of bleach with water between the amounts of 1 gallon (3.8 L) and 5 gallons (18.9 L) for food surfaces and food cans respectively. 

Clean surfaces with warm water and soap before applying bleach, then wait for a while and wipe or rinse the surface with water. Kindly note to wear a pair of gloves, get a face protection gear of a sort that protects your eyes, and prevents you from breathing in product fumes, when handling bleach. 

Soap and Water

You might doubt it but even the Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organization have all indicated that washing your hands with soap under clean running water gets rid of CoronaVirus. So start or continue the practice today and get rid of Covid-19 and other viruses. 

Hydrogen Peroxide

You must certainly recall using hydrogen peroxide as mouthwash to help relieve simple mouth irritations due to sores, cankers, etc. No? If you don’t, well, then you have missed out an experience. You will be surprised to know that it is also very potent in destroying the virus that causes common cold. 

You can easily pour it into a spray bottle; squirt it on the surface you want to clean, and voila, you have effectively sanitized the surface from the virus. Beware as hydrogen peroxide can fade some textiles. 

Isopropyl Alcohol

Just as you’ve heard over and over again, due to Covid-19, not all alcohols work against viruses effectively. So if you need to clean a surface or sanitize it, you will need a 70% Isopropyl Alcohol. Just spritz it onto the surface and wait for it to sit between 30secs to 1min, then wipe it off.

Cleaning Products That Don’t Work on Viruses

You might have thought they did but these do no work effectively on viruses:

White Vinegar

You’ve probably had a parent who told you to use white vinegar to treat meat to rid it off any virus. Sadly that’s not the case. 

Vodka

Many think as strong as Vodka is, it should be as effective as hand sanitizers with 70% alcohol. Unfortunately, most vodkas have just 40% ethyl alcohol concentration, which isn’t enough to effectively kill viruses.

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So now you know the number of common household cleaning products that can destroy viruses easily, and you’ve learnt about those that don’t. With these common household cleaning products, you should be able to keep you and your home clean and sanitized from all sorts of viruses especially Covid-19 in these times.