Ways in which YOU can help to kill COVID-19

25 Jun 2020

As we are all aware by now COVID-19 has had a dramatic effect on our daily lives and this has meant we need to take more pride in both personal and general hygiene. Experts are recommending regular hand washing for 20 seconds and thorough disinfection for surfaces on a regular basis. Here are some surfaces which NEED to be disinfected regularly:

• Door Knobs/door handles
• Banisters
• Keyboards
• Toilets
• Sink taps
• Counter tops
• Keyboards

Cleaning and disinfection should take place even more so if someone in your household has experienced flu like symptoms. Some infections can survive on plastics and surfaces for up to 16 hours for example SARS-Co-2. Something else which needs to be taken into consideration is what methods of cleaning to use when disinfecting the previously mentioned places/objects. The following products are effective for disinfecting.

• Bleach: Bleach is the typical household cleaning product. Whether it's cleaning the skink, the bath or the toilet seat bleach is usually the go to product. It can be used to kill bacteria by diluting the product with water however it should be used with caution. Bleach must be used within 24 hours of it being exposed or it becomes in-effective. Different materials should be immersed in bleach for different lengths of time in order to get the correct results. When used safely bleach is great for disinfecting but should never be used for personal hygiene as this can cause serious or even harmful irritation on the skin.
• Alcohol: Cleaning with alcohol is proven to be extremely effective when used safely. Rubbing alcohol is a commonly used product especially for killing pathogens. Alcohol comes in different concentrations and is found in a variety of different products such as hand sanitizers and other cleaning products. Each concentration will be more suitable for a different surface or material to help disinfect for example, a concentration of around 70% should be used to help kill coronaviruses. When using a concentration of 70% the surface, material or object should be immersed in the alcohol for at least 30 seconds in order to disinfect successfully.Similar to bleach, alcohol should never be used for personal cleaning due to it being irritable.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: This can be used for a variety of purposes such as cleaning plastic toys and regularly touched surfaces. It is also a much safer chemical in comparison with bleach and other products containing a high percentage of bleach especially for children.

Cleaning solutions such as bleach, alcohol and hydrogen peroxide should not be mixed together or experimented with. By doing this, you could cause dangerous or even toxic gasses to be produced.

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