Coronavirus concerns have us all reaching for hand sanitizer, Lysol mist and Clorox wipes. But health officials warn, some products can be dangerous if mixed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, household bleach should never be mixed with ammonia or any other cleanser, like rubbing alcohol. Bleach should only be diluted with water.
Cleaning with vinegar is a common recommendation online, but according to consumer reports, there is no evidence that it is effective against coronavirus.
The National Sanitation Foundation website warns, “never combine vinegar with bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Toxic vapors can result.”
“There are many bad things about the coronavirus, but there is one good thing: It is not very hardy,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, an expert on infectious diseases and a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. “It is easily destroyed by most disinfectants.”
“Regular cleaning with normal cleaning supplies does a great job of removing all kinds of germs, not just coronavirus, from surfaces,” said Catherine Roberts, associate health editor at Consumer Reports. “Focus on high-touch areas — that’s faucet handles, doorknobs, stair rails and countertops — the things that you have your hands on all the time.”
Best practice is to disinfect these surfaces several times a day. Roberts suggests making a checklist of all the places you want to clean, so you don’t forget any of them. But commercial disinfecting products contain “pretty serious chemicals,” she warned. “They’re actually EPA registered pesticides, so as much as you can, try to use them when kids are not around because they can trigger asthma.”
Click here for a list of safe products to use to ward off COVID-19 from the CDC.
