Learn all about sanitizing and disinfecting the things you touch every day to keep colds and viruses at bay.
With the end of the Coronavirus pandemic nowhere in sight, protecting ourselves against germs like bacteria and viruses is more important than ever. Whether in our homes, at work, or at the grocery store, our immune systems are fighting a constant battle against contaminants that can make us sick. Before we get started, though, let’s talk about the difference between sanitizing and disinfecting.
Sanitizing can mean cleaning, disinfecting, or both. When you sanitize, you are lowering the amount of viruses and bacteria to a safe level. Your home, workplace, school, and favorite restaurant all have plenty of germs to go around, so sanitizing should be standard practice. In a nutshell, sanitizing means decreasing the amount of germs your immune system has to battle. Whether you do that by mopping with a floor cleaner or using a disinfectant on kitchen counters, anything you do to wipe away germs can be labeled sanitary.
Disinfecting uses chemicals to kill germs like viruses on surfaces and objects. Disinfecting doesn't just clean or remove germs from surfaces, it wipes them out completely. Some common disinfectants are bleach and commercial sprays, but there are plenty of safe, more natural alternatives. You're already fighting an onslaught of germs; why add toxic chemicals to the mix? Rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, and steam are all proven alternatives for disinfecting without harsh chemicals.
How to Sanitize and Disinfect Safely
The EPA recommends six steps for using disinfectants safely:
According to the EPA, only use disinfectants proven against bacteria and viruses like COVID-19. How can you tell? Find the EPA registration number on your disinfectant and look it up on the EPA list.
Follow the directions on the label. This information will tell you how to use the disinfectant and what you can use it on.
Clean before you disinfect. Regular dish soap and water should be enough for most dirty surfaces.
Give the disinfectant enough time to get the job done. The label on your disinfectant should tell you how long you should leave it.
Protect yourself by wearing disposable plastic gloves and tossing them after each use. It's also a good idea to wear protective eyewear when you're using disinfectants.
Store disinfectants and other hazardous household products away from children and pets.
Now that you know the difference between sanitizing and disinfecting, remember—for protection against viruses like Coronavirus, you want to disinfect. To minimize germs in your home, make regular cleaning and disinfecting a part of your daily routine.
How to Sanitize and Disinfect Frequently Touched Areas
Viruses, bacteria, and other germs contaminate surfaces all over our homes. From kitchen counters to doorknobs, bathroom faucets to switch plates, the things we most often touch are covered in germs, creating a thriving cycle of cross-contamination.
Anything we touch in our homes can become contaminated, so germs have an easy time spreading from room to room—and person to person! Disinfecting tables and chairs, kitchen counters, sinks, drawer pulls, and other high-touch surfaces every day can decrease your risk of infection.
Distilled white vinegar or rubbing alcohol will clean and disinfect most things around the house:
Light switches
Appliance handles
Drawer and cabinet pulls
Faucets
Counters
Remote controls
Game controllers
While you can keep most of these surfaces pretty germ-free with daily sanitizing, frequent disinfecting is especially important during a pandemic.
For hard surfaces, carpets, and upholstery, a steam cleaner is an awesome germ-killing machine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, steam, at 212 Fahrenheit, kills flu viruses and 99.9 percent of germs, including Salmonella, staph bacteria, and E. coli. That's a lot of nasty stuff you can get rid of quickly and easily—and steam cleaners are also handy for cleaning and deodorizing all around the house.
Disinfecting in the Kitchen
Clean countertops, sinks, faucets, cabinet pulls, appliance handles and knobs, and switch plates. Follow up with your disinfectant of choice.
Choose kitchen cloths and scrubbers you can wash in hot water and replace them each day.
Clean spills right away so they don't attract dirt and germs.
Take out garbage daily and spray trash cans with disinfectant.
Disinfecting in the Bathroom
Clean and disinfect the bathroom sink and faucet, drawer and cabinet pulls, switch plates, and vanity top.
Empty trash and disinfect the trash can daily.
Disinfect the toilet lid, seat, and flush handle at least every day.
Don't use towels or washcloths more than once to prevent germs and mildew.
Disinfecting Toys
For dishwasher-safe toys, run them through the dishwasher once a week. This works well for rattles, plastic toys, and bath toys.
Plush toys, blankets, pillows, and other fabric items can be disinfected by using your washing machine's hot water cycle.
Distilled white vinegar is a safe, proven disinfecting solution for toys. Remember that while vinegar can kill pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella, it isn't effective for many viruses, like Coronavirus.
How to Disinfect That Thing in Your Hand and Other Electronics
According to Forbes, many of the things we touch every day can be covered in 10 times more bacteria than your average toilet seat. Pretty disgusting, especially if you're reading this on your smartphone. Smartphones top the list for frequently touched items that harbor the most germs. There could be over 25,000 bacteria per square inch on your beloved smartphone!
Tablets and e-readers, game controllers, keyboards, and remote controls are the next worse offenders. According to the Forbes report, all that contamination puts us at risk for E. coli bacteria, flu viruses, and other stuff that makes us sick. But before you spray down all your electronics with disinfectant, read on to find out how to disinfect your gear safely.
Cleaning and disinfecting electronics is easy when you take a few precautions. Start by checking your device's manual for cleaning recommendations and warnings. Disconnect electronics that are plugged in and remove batteries before you clean and disinfect your electronics.
Sanitizing Smartphones
Smartphones are magnets for germs, dirt, and grime that come in contact with our hands, ears, and mouths over and over each day. To safely clean and disinfect your smartphone, start by using a clean, damp microfiber cloth to remove visible dirt and grime.
Don't use spray disinfectants. Instead, try rubbing alcohol or disinfecting wipes. Be careful using these on screens with protective coatings and make sure to not get your phone too wet. This cleaning and sanitizing process works on e-readers, tablets, and other personal devices with screens, too.
Disinfecting Headphones
For music and podcast lovers, headphones are as much a necessity as that smartphone. Using headphones means even more dirt and germs come in contact with your hands, face, and ears. A clean, damp microfiber cloth will get rid of most germs on headphones and earbuds.
If your headphones have detachable tips or bands, remove them and clean with soap and water. You should only clean Bluetooth headphones with a soft dry cloth because any moisture could damage them. To disinfect Bluetooth headphones, use a coffee filter slightly dampened with rubbing alcohol as a safe, lint-free disinfecting wipe.
Cleaning and Disinfecting Laptops and Computers
Because your laptop is portable, it's exposed to plenty of dirt and germs from a lot of different places. Here's how to clean and sanitize a computer to minimize the spread of germs.
First, unplug your laptop and take out the battery. Turn your laptop upside-down and shake the debris out of the keyboard. Use a can of compressed air to blast the keyboard, inputs, and crevices. Use a clean, damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the screen and the other surfaces. Follow up by disinfecting the keyboard with a coffee filter dampened with rubbing alcohol.
For desktop computers, clean the monitor with a damp microfiber cloth. Then, wipe down the back of the monitor, cords, the screen bezel, the computer tower, and your mouse. Shake debris from the keyboard and use compressed air to get under the keys and into crevices. Disinfect the keyboard and mouse with rubbing alcohol.
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Sanitizing and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces can drastically reduce the amount of bacteria in your home and on your mobile devices. For protection during the pandemic, flu season, or any time the risk of infection is high, make these cleaning and disinfecting tips a daily habit.
