During the pandemic, you might find yourself disinfecting shared surfaces more often than you did before – and, with good reason. Regularly disinfecting surfaces is a good way to keep your apartment home clean and COVID-free, especially if you have children or have since returned to your job. However, there are many myths surrounding disinfectant products and how to use them. Here are just 3 prevalent myths that can harm your cleaning, if you don’t separate truth from fiction.
Plant-based disinfectants don’t work.
You’ve likely seen plant-based disinfectants while shopping in your local grocery store. No matter how you feel about them normally, you might seem to think that disinfectants with an EPA-approved brand won’t work, thanks to their lack of commercial cleaning ingredients. But, this couldn’t be further from the truth. If a product is registered with the EPA as a disinfectant, you can rest assured that it will provide the same efficacy as a disinfectant from a non-EPA-certified product. This is because these products use ethyl alcohol (alcohol made from plants) instead of isopropyl alcohol (from petroleum).
Disinfectants work instantly.
We’d love to be able to spray a product on our surfaces and have them immediately remove and defend against viruses and other bacteria. Sadly, though, the science just isn’t there for this to happen. In fact, with most products, it can take up to 10 minutes before the product can pass the disinfectant test and is allowed to be sold with a “disinfectant” label. Before you use a disinfecting product, check the label to learn how much time it needs to work effectively. When using, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re saturating the surface completely and allowing it at least a few minutes to kill germs.
Vinegar is an effective disinfectant.
Vinegar is a great cleaning agent when it comes to removing streaks from your windows or shining up your surfaces. Unfortunately, though, it is not a disinfecting agent and should not be used in place of germ-killing products. This is because vinegar is simply not strong enough of a substance to disinfect anything. Play it safe and choose an EPA-certified disinfectant, if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of such products.
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