Cleaning surfaces also helps prevent contagion with the coronavirus, however, there are many doubts about which product is more effective for disinfecting furniture, objects and floors from this threat. Now a group of researchers from the Doherty Institute (Australia) has put an end to doubts as they have shown that detergent, alcohol and bleach effectively kill SARS-CoV-2.
The alarm and fear of contracting COVID-19 has led to the market launch of products that are defined as effective and specific against coronavirus, however, this study, published in the journal Viruses, has shown that the same effect can be achieved disinfectant with the common cleaning supplies that we usually have at home.
The investigation analyzed several products and different concentrations of bleach, alcohol, vinegar, ethanol and detergent dissolved in water, among others, which are products that can be easily found in supermarkets and that, when used properly, do not pose any health risk.
Vinegar is the only one that does not kill the virus
The findings indicated that to effectively clean a surface contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus with detergent, it would be necessary to use an amount similar to that used to wash dishes and mixed with water, more or less it would be a concentration of 2 ml of soap. per 1 liter of water. It would be worth passing a cloth or a sponge with the solution in a conventional way and then letting it dry.
Mixing cleaning products, such as bleach and detergent, do not offer greater benefits against the coronavirus than using them separately
“For bleach, our results show that as little as 5ml can be added to 1 liter of water and could be ideal for disinfecting bathroom surfaces. Alcohol-containing hand soaps, or solutions used to clean surfaces, must contain more than 40% alcohol to be effective,” explains Dr. Julie McAuley.
Vinegar was the only cleaning product that failed to remove the virus from surfaces.
Effective dilutions (in water) of household cleaning solutions capable of inactivating SARS-CoV-2
| household cleaning solution | Active ingredient | Effective dilution in water* |
|---|---|---|
|
*We found these final cleaning solution concentrations to be effective within 30 s of virus exposure ** Reported to contain <10% Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate and <10% Lauramidopropo-dimethylamine oxide |
||
| Vinegar | Acetic acid 4% v/v | Not virucidal against SARS-CoV-2 |
| Alcohol (methylated spirits, hand sanitizers) | Ethanol | 40% v/v |
| Bleach | 42.6 g/L sodium hypochlorite | 1 in 200; equivalent to 0.21 g/L sodium hypochlorite |
| dishwasher detergent | A stranger ** | 1 in 500 |
| Freeze (−20 °C) / thaw cycles | Does not apply | Not virucidal against SARS-CoV-2 |
It was also tested whether the combination of several cleaning products was more effective than just one of them, but the results indicated that, for example, mixing detergent and bleach did not offer more benefit than using them separately. In addition, care must be taken in these practices, as there may be products that react and put health at risk.
In turn, the researchers have warned that the combination of cleaning products can cause the opposite effect to that desired, since some of these products have buffering agents that could counteract the effective virucidal concentration of the chemical with which it was mixed. “We wanted to provide all the information needed to help people safely clean potentially contaminated surfaces, reducing the potential for transmission in their homes and workplaces,” concluded Dr. McAuley.
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