Which Common Household Cleaning Products Kill Coronavirus?

COVID-19 cleaning products

While COVID-19 is a severe virus, it’s no match for good disinfecting products. Thankfully, cleaning with regular household supplies does a great job of removing these germs (and more!) from your surfaces. You should focus on high-touch areas, such as faucet handles, doorknobs, stair rails, and countertops. Disinfect these surfaces several times a day.

Disinfecting wipes may be all sold out at your local grocery store, but there are many other products you can use in the fight against coronavirus.

Soap and water

Good old-fashioned soap and water work. The soap removes viral particles attached to surfaces, like your hands, face, or tabletops, and suspends them in the water. Most soaps, like dish soap, are actually detergents that remove and kill germs from surfaces.

Coronavirus has an outside coating that protects it, and soap and water break up the coating, so the virus becomes deactivated.

Bleach solution

Bleach is super effective at killing coronavirus and tons of other germs. But it has a strong odor, can be challenging to use and can damage surfaces.

Always wear gloves when using bleach to protect your skin. And never mix bleach with anything besides water. According to the CDC, to make a diluted bleach solution, mix 1/3 cup of bleach in one gallon of water.

Hydrogen peroxide

Though hydrogen peroxide isn’t as strong as bleach, it’s less likely to cause damage to surfaces. There’s no need to dilute hydrogen peroxide — you can use it straight up to disinfect surfaces.

Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol that’s at least 70 percent alcohol kills coronavirus, and it has less potential to damage surfaces like bleach. Make sure never to dilute rubbing alcohol. While it can discolor some plastics, rubbing alcohol is safe for all surfaces.

Remember to put in some elbow grease

To disinfect a surface, you can’t just swipe it. You’ve got to scrub it — scrub it until the entire surface is wet, and then let it dry on its own. Make sure to wipe away the grime physically. Also, you should be sure to use enough of the disinfectant and give it time to work.

References

1. “Many Common Household Cleaning Products can Kill the Coronavirus if You Use Them Properly,” NBC, March 17, 2020.
2. “The Right Way to Kill Coronavirus Germs, According to Cleaning Experts,” Good Housekeeping, March 17, 2020.