How To Sanitize and Disinfect The Right Way? The right way to disinfect or sanitize your home is by using a solution of normal water and bleach. To disinfect, use ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water and to sanitize use 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water. After taking contents in the required quantities, make a solution and transfer it in a spray bottle.

But before you start preparing the solution, don’t forget to wear hand gloves to protect your hands from the stringent effects of the bleach solution. Don’t also use hot water because it tends to reduce the potency and effects. Another thing to remember is you should use a bleach concentration that is appropriate for house use, instead of industrial use. A concentration of 5.30% to 6.0% of hypochlorite is considered to be safe for household use.

Spray to sanitize or disinfect

Mind you, you have separate bleach solutions for sanitizing and disinfecting. For sanitizing, the solution has less bleach while for disinfecting, the bleach content is higher.

Spray the solution on dishes and surfaces that want to sanitize and leave it for at least a minute. You can sanitize dishes, toys and other surfaces that may have contact with the mouth.

For disinfecting, use the stronger bleach solution and use it on surfaces that will not have contact with food items or the mouth. Floors in homes and hospitals, potty chairs and changing tables are some of the examples which need to be disinfected.

You should leave the bleach solution on the surfaces that need to be disinfected for a longer duration. The official mandate is 10 minutes but if you leave the solution on a surface for three to four minutes, it should be enough.

Ammonia Vs Bleach

You can also use ammonia in place of bleach to sanitize and disinfect. But ammonia is more effective on hard surfaces such as floor tiles and glass doors and windows while bleach is good for fabrics, ceramics, dishes, and toys. Both ammonia and bleach are inexpensive options to disinfect or bleach, compared to disinfectants and sanitizers available in the market. There is a world of caution: Don’t try to mix ammonia and bleach and it results in toxic gases.

Difference between sanitizing & disinfecting

Most of us don’t understand the difference between disinfecting and cleaning and end up using one for the other, interchangeably. Here is an example that will illustrate the difference between the two. Suppose, you have accidentally spilled some food in your kitchen. Though you have cleaned it, you want to be sure that no potentially harmful germs are left on the surface of the kitchen. Now, what product or method will you employ to ensure that no germs are left? Will you sanitize or disinfect? You may wonder if there is a difference between the two. Yes, there is and it is legal, outlined by the relevant US government agency.

Sanitize

A sanitizer is a cleaning agent that can kill 99.999% bacteria in 30 seconds after application. Such agents are approved during a public health Detergent Sanitizer examination. Such a short span of time to kill the bacteria is important for industries and services where the same container is used almost instantly after the first use such as glasses in a bar.

Disinfect

A disinfectant is supposed to kill all living organisms within 10 minutes of its application, as per an EPA guideline to measure the efficiency of disinfectants. In certain circumstances, such as in a hospital, killing all the germs rather than most of them is necessary no matter how much time it takes to kill all the germs.

So, to sanitize a surface, you require a chemical process that drastically reduces germs by killing them. A sanitized surface is safe to touch. While cleaning kitchen items or toys that children may lick or bite require being sanitized regularly.

To disinfect an area, you need a stronger cleaning agent that can completely eradicate rather than reducing the presence of germs. Areas in hospitals where body fluids like blood or urine are dealt with the need to be effectively disinfected.

How To Sanitize and Disinfect The Right Way? –
Final thoughts

The process to sanitize or disinfect a surface or an area is a next level from ordinary cleaning that can remove only visible dirt or litter. But when you choose to sanitize or disinfect, you are aiming at removing the harmful presence of bacteria in your home.

How To Disinfect Your Home By Yourself

Irrespective of the season you are in, the onus lies on you to ensure that your home remains always clean and free from the risks of infections. This is easier said than done. In spite of the best attempts to keep your home clean, it is quite possible that you will have somebody suffering from fever, cold, cough and other such problems. This is because of the presence of bacteria and viruses in your home.

While the common tendency is to reach out for bleaching liquid and other harsh chemicals, we will try and list some ways to disinfect home naturally. These synthetic agents pollute the homes and the surroundings and could be the reason for various diseases caused by allergens and other such things. Hence, we are happy to share some natural ways and means that could help to disinfect your home thoroughly. Instead of sharing some common natural disinfectants, we will share a room-by-room approach to disinfectants.

Kitchen
There is no doubt that the kitchen is a room that has quite a bit of traffic. It is used for many hours in a day and therefore it needs to be disinfected on a regular basis. However, it would not be advisable to use harsh synthetic compounds. The best way forward would be to use some natural methods.

Lemon juice and vinegar could make a wonderful combination. Both are known to be good at killing germs and are also safe to use in the kitchen where you have food being cooked. You need to dip half a lemon in baking soda and scrub the same on countertops, cutting boards and sinks. Once it has been done you can wipe it with a damp cloth and let it dry. However, be sure that you are not using it on stainless steel or other delicate stones like marble.

Living Room
We often use a chemical deodorizer for your upholsteries. Instead, it would be better if you tried out the baking soda. You must let the baking soda to sit for 30 minutes and then have it vacuumed. Many homeowners are comfortable with Lysol and the best thing is that you can try to make one of your own. You have to combine two equal parts of vodka and water. Add around 12 to 20 drops of essential oil. The whole mixture should be put in a spray bottle. This is an environment-friendly all-purpose disinfectant and also works fine as a room deodorizer.

Bathroom
If you have a bathroom that has glass shower doors, then this tip could be interesting. The shower doors could become scum-covered because of regular use. The same also is the case with shower curtains. You could use a few drops of lemon essential oil and this should be repeated at least twice a month. As far as the toilets are concerned, you could add two teaspoons of tea tree oil. This should be mixed with two cup s of water.

The mixture should be sprayed inside the rim. You should allow it to sit for around 30 minutes and then you must scrub it. The wonderful mixtures of water and vinegar are enough to kill mold in showers and also other places that are dark and damp. If somebody has fallen sick, wash all towels thoroughly and have the entire bathroom disinfected with alcohol or vinegar. Germs love these wet and warm places and this solution should kill them instantaneously.

Bedroom
The bedroom is a potential source of infection and if you are looking some natural ways to disinfect home then you must be sure that the bedroom is always clean. You must understand the importance of laundering bed linens in hot water after somebody has fallen sick. The pillows particular should be given the importance it deserves. You also should wipe hard and non-porous surfaces like light switches and phones because these might have been touched with a sick person. The same recipes that have been used in the bathroom could be used.

Dining Rooms
You could have wooden and other furniture in any dining room. Since they are used for eating food, they are a potential source of germs and bacteria. You could have them cleaned with a wonderful solution of olive oil (2 cups) or even vegetable oil. You should use the juice of one lemon. You must work the solution slowly into the wood. Use a soft cloth and wipe it clean. If you have baseboards and grimy walls, you also could add a 1/2 cup of borax. It should be added to one-gallon hot water. This should be sprayed on walls and wiped down. The balance can be stored for future use.

Summing Up

The above are simple, easy and highly effective natural ways to disinfect home without having to spend money on harsh and environmentally-damaging synthetic disinfecting agents.