Soap, bleach and alcohol. Three are the musketeers that the Ministry of Health marks to end SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19. And for any other bug, in general. No, I do not forget hydrogen peroxide in concentrations of at least 0.5%. Oxygenated water is our little D’artagan, and it also goes with them. Let’s see how to clean and disinfect the house to eliminate the coronavirus.
Boticaria García and Esther Gili infographic with information from the CDC.
The soap should be our agent for cleaning and disinfecting the house as first choice. It works against the coronavirus by dissolving the double lipid layer that covers it. It leaves it “skinless” and inactivates it. Energetically washing and rubbing your hands while we sing Happy Birthday twice, or the fragment of La Macarena that reaches the boy’s flag oath, that there are tastes for everything, is the best way to get rid of the bug.
Alcohol denatures the proteins inside and also inactivates it. Of course, as long as it has a graduation greater than 62% and is applied for at least one minute. Hydroalcoholic gels can also be useful although if the hands have certain traces of dirt they can lose their effectiveness.
The question is, having (la la la) bleach and soap, which are more abundant and cheaper, why would we want to clean and disinfect the house with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, which could be in hospitals or come in handy if we have to disinfect a wound ?
How do I disinfect floors and surfaces?
A study published last March demonstrated the survival of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 in aerosols, metals, cardboard or plastic , always bearing in mind that temperature and humidity conditions influence the viability of the virus. That is, the virus may remain viable on the surface but there may not be enough viral load to infect it. Therefore, in addition to carefully washing our hands after handling objects, we can disinfect them with a solution of commercial bleach in water (two tablespoons per liter or one teaspoon of dessert per 200 ml glass).
Powerful! The bleach always in cold water! Keep in mind that chlorine (bleach is sodium hypochlorite) evaporates, so it is advisable to prepare a new solution every time we go when cleaning and disinfecting the house to eliminate the coronavirus. And you always have to use kitchen paper, the rags prohibited now.
How do we clean if we have a sick person at home?
If there is a positive person in the house in COVID-19, they should remain isolated in a room, preferably with their own bathroom, and have a trash container with a lid and pedal at their disposal, as well as their own cutlery. Cleaning and disinfecting your clothes, as well as bedding, should include the transfer in a closed plastic bag from the room to the washing machine. The virus will be inactivated by washing with soap and water at 60 degrees. It is very important not to shake clothes out the window, and to keep the room adequately ventilated.
Boticaria García and Gonzalo Muiño infographic with information from the Ministry of Health.
Should I do laundry and clean shoes when I come home from shopping?
The answers about COVID-19 are not categorical, we are still learning about their behavior. But, from previous studies with other coronaviruses or the flu, viability appears to be limited in clothing. In any case, you can wash the clothes at 60 degrees with soap and water or leave it “quarantined” in a corner until some time passes.
It is true that the shoes have stepped on the ground and coronavirus on the ground. But the possible viral load that ends up in the sole of the shoe will be variable (and probably low) depending on the residence time and the temperature and humidity conditions. Please don’t go crazy. We also run more risks manipulating them to clean them than leaving them to fend for themselves at the entrance until we leave the house again. Be careful, if there are children you can always clean and disinfect the house to eliminate the coronavirus by mopping the floor with the commercial bleach solution in water in the proportion previously described.
How do I clean the purchase when I get home?
Cleaning and disinfecting the purchase when you return home can be interesting but let’s not forget that the fundamental thing is going to be our behavior outside the home. Avoiding touching our faces and keeping the safe distance in the supermarket is crucial.
Once at home, we should wash our hands with the instructions given at the beginning. If we can discard containers, cardboard or plastics and store food in our own containers, the better. Let us forgive Greta, but these days it is convenient to buy packaged food , both in the greengrocer and in the delicatessen. If the items are milk cartons, bottles, glass jars, etc. that we cannot discard, they can be cleaned with a cellulose paper impregnated in soap and water.
Unfortunately, bread cannot be disinfected with any product. In any case, heat it to more than 50 degrees. Vegetables and fruits, as recommended by AECOSAN , should be regularly flushed under running water and, if deemed convenient, use bleach suitable for food use in the proportion set by the dealer.
Does Sanytol kill coronavirus?
Yes, Sanytol , Kh7 and El milagrito, among other brands, are initially effective in cleaning and disinfecting the house and eliminating the coronavirus due to its composition. In any case, specific brands, you can consult components in the list of virucides recognized by the Ministry of Health. In general, any product considered degreaser would work.
