What to do when disinfectants and antibacterial wipes have become a deficit and almost a luxury? The good news is that you can find an alternative to them among the usual means. And you won't have to make unnecessary purchases, increasing consumption and the amount of waste in the world.
Homemade hand sanitizer
Let's start with the most important thing - clean hands. All surfaces in the world cannot be cleaned, so ordinary soap and plain water will best protect against most bacteria and viruses. Fortunately, coronaviruses are one of the simplest types of viruses, they are easy to destroy with such an ordinary action, you only need to wash them for 20 seconds, otherwise, it makes no sense.
Richard Sahleben, an organic chemist and a member of the American Chemical Society, explains that you need to rub your hands as if they are in something sticky - only then will it be possible to "break" the protective shell of the coronavirus and destroy it.
What to do when soap and water are not available and pharmacies run out of antiseptics? Chemists have different views on homemade disinfectants. Stephen Thomas, M.D., director of an infectious disease and global health at the State University of New York, recommends taking the risk as it is difficult to determine the correct ratio.
Bleach
To disinfect the virus, a bleaching solution is suitable (proportions - 4 teaspoons per 1 liter of water and only water, you should not mix the product with anything else). First clean the surfaces with a simple detergent, wait for everything to dry, and apply the cleaning mixture for 10 minutes.
Then wipe it off and rinse all surfaces with water. Just don't get carried away with this kind of disinfection of metal - with constant use, bleach can damage it.
Ethyl alcohol and hard alcohol
Alcohol solutions with a strength of at least 70 percent are effective against coronavirus. It is about cleaning hard surfaces. First, again, you need to wash everything you need with water and a regular cleaning agent, then - apply an alcohol solution (do not dilute it!) And wait at least 30 seconds for disinfection. But be careful with bright plastics - some are discolored under the influence of alcohol.
Hydrogen peroxide
Tested: a 3% solution of this liquid is effective in fighting rhinoviruses, which quickly cause colds, and they are more difficult to destroy than COVID-19. It is recommended to use peroxide undiluted, adding it to an aerosol can and spray it onto the surface to be cleaned. You need to leave it for a minute, at the same time it will be possible to get rid of other viruses.
It is important that hydrogen peroxide does not cause corrosion, therefore it is safe for metal surfaces. But keep in mind that it can discolor fabrics. Among the advantages of peroxide is that it is excellent for penetrating hard-to-reach crevices. And even if you do not erase it, then nothing bad will happen - the agent will decompose into oxygen and water.
There are common homemade products that will not save you from coronavirus, although you can often read otherwise online. Those are:
Vodka
No matter how many recipes there are on the network using the classic Russian drink to fight the coronavirus, this is not absinthe. It will not save you from a new infection. Even if the bottle says 80%. Some vodka producers, for example, Tito's, have already made statements that their 80-degree product contains only 40% ethyl alcohol, and at least 70 is needed.
Distilled white vinegar
Such disinfection recommendations are also popular on the Internet, but there is still no evidence that vinegar can beat the coronavirus.
About the author
Melisa Marzett is a freelance with much experience in the area of writing, editing and proofreading. Working for a resume editing service http://resumeperk.com as a resume writer (resume services are her hobby), she also writes essays and articles about anything in the world and she is an animal rights activist.
