Join Dr. Van Dyken and her crazy husband Russell as they discuss how to keep your home safe from SARS-cov-2, or COVID-19. We discuss the cleaning agents that work, the ones that don't, and what to do if your store is sold out of the good stuff. Links:
CDC:
WHO:
WHO recipe for hand sanitizer:
EPA/CDC list of approved cleaners for COVID-19:
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There’s a little bit of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, or SARS-coV-2. Just to be clear, SARS-cov-2 to refers to the virus, and the illness that that virus causes is called COVID-19.
I know many of you are going to the store stocking up and getting supplies. But many of the cleaning supplies are sold out. If you’re lucky you got some supplies before the store ran out. Either way, we have been wondering which ones are best and which ones will work in a pinch.
So we did quite a bit of research, and here’s what we found.
So what do we know about the novel coronavirus?As of now, we know that it’s spread from person to person who are in close physical contact to each other. Usually, this type of transmission is most commonly seen among people that are within 6 feet of each other. Scientists are finding that the novel coronavirus can remain alive for hours to days on surfaces, so it becomes very important that we make sure all of our surrounding surfaces are clean with no coronavirus on them.
Let’s talk about the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not necessarily kill things like bacteria or viruses, but it does lower their numbers and lowers the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces.
Not all agents will adequately disinfect, or kill the novel coronavirus. With the spread of COVID-19, many of the recommended disinfectants are sold out and unavailable in stores and online.
Recommendations from the CDC regarding household cleaning and disinfection - specifically in relation to the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19. They recommend routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces with household cleaners followed by a disinfectant.
Let’s talk about handwashing. Will it work against the novel coronavirus? Handwashing physically removes pathogens from your skin. Soap has been shown to incapacitate the SARS virus and other similar coronaviruses. These types of viruses have an outer coating called an envelope. We know that this viral envelope and soap both have fatty substances - when these interact with each other the envelopes get broken up which incapacitates the virus. The soap renders the virus ineffective
What about hand sanitizers? The CDC and WHO recommend a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol in order to kill the novel coronavirus. Many are not at least 60% alcohol. What if all the stores are sold out of the good hand sanitizer? You can make your own. Use a reputable recipe, like this on from WHO. Basically, they mix 99.9% isopropyl alcohol, 3% hydrogen peroxide and glycerol in a certain ratio, giving you a final product of hand sanitizer that is 75% alcohol.
The WHO homemade hand sanitizer recipe was tested against the SARS and MERS coronaviruses and found to be very effective. According to these researchers, they expect a similar effect against COVID-19.
Another note on alcohol - spirits really do not have that high of an alcohol percentage. Most spirits are 80 proof, as such, that is only 40% alcohol by volume - nowhere close to the required 60% minimum to inactivate the Coronavirus. There are exceptions to this - If you can get your hands on a bottle of 190 proof everclear, you might be in business.
COVID 19 is an enveloped virus. According to the center for food security and public health, enveloped viruses are less susceptible chlorhexidine, which is a common surgical scrub we use daily. So what is an effective disinfectant but not so toxic? Alcohol compounds are effective, fast acting, and leave no residue. Bleach is also an effective agent against enveloped viruses.
Another agent has been shown to be effective against coronaviruses- Hydrogen peroxide. It was shown to be effective with a concentration as low as 0.5%.
So in summary, if you can, pick up a cleaner that is on the approved list so you know it is effective against coronavirus.If your store, or island in our case, happens to be sold out of it - try to get your hands on some isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or bleach. If you cann't get a hold of any of these things, soap and water will actually lower the majority of the viral load.
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