The Myth You Believe About Disinfecting Surfaces

By Arizona Coffea Editorial Team

With everything going on with COVID-19, everyone’s become more diligent when it comes to keeping their home clean and disinfected. We have been advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to maintain cleanliness by washing our hands and wiping down everything we touch. Stores are in a constant battle with supply and demand for disinfecting products. While there is a demand for the stores to restock, many have resorted to using natural remedies and their grandmother’s recipes that will help keep their homes clean.

There has also been an increase in experts explaining the best way to keep your home disinfected, and there are others who believe that disinfecting your surfaces works instantly. According to Science Mag, past studies show common household disinfectants, including soap or a diluted bleach solution can deactivate coronaviruses on indoor surfaces. Lysol products have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a disinfectant and according to Healthline, Lysol products can kill viruses within 2 minutes of contact, if used as directed.

With so much information going around, how do we know what is correct? Are we disinfecting our houses the right way? With a little research, some myth busters were found that may help you when it comes to keeping your home clean and disinfected.

Disinfecting and sanitizing are the same — We hate to break it to you, but this is not true, although they are referred to interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. According to the CDC, a disinfectant is a chemical agent that destroys disease-causing pathogens or harmful microorganisms and a sanitizer is an agent that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels as judged by public health requirements. It is recommended to sanitize and disinfect your surfaces, but we want to make sure you know the difference between the two.

Use vinegar for everything — This is an old myth, passed down from generation to generation, but the truth is, it should not be used as a disinfectant or a sanitizer. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), vinegar can be effective on some stains and surfaces and can work as a disinfectant to some degree, but it is not as effective as bleach. Although it may not help your home, you can still use it on your fruits and vegetables, which still need disinfecting.

Plant-based disinfectants are not effective — Although there is skepticism when it comes to eco-friendly products, they are effective. (EPA) encourages everyone to use products that are a safer choice and easier on the environment. They even have a list of eco-friendly and plant-based products that are great for disinfecting and sanitizing through their Safer Choice program.