By Dr Sudhir Gore
With Coronavirus tenaciously living among us, people have increased the use of disinfectants to stem the spread of the virus at the house. People have resorted to washing fruits and vegetables with bleach&sanitizers, have applied household cleaning or disinfectant products to bare skin and intentionally inhaled or ingested disinfectants. But these products contain chemicals that may be harmful to your health, especially, if it not used appropriately.
Largely, the good old-fashioned cleaning with soap/ detergent and water is efficacious against COVID19. There is a growing body of evidence that shows that regular soap and water cleaning is usually enough to wash away this virus and prevent infections. Just the way we wash our hands with soap and water, our house can be kept clean in the same manner.
Disinfectants contain harmful chemicals:
Cleaning and disinfectant products need to be utilized as directed. Some disinfectants contain quaternary ammonium compounds which can trigger Asthma. It is, therefore, necessary to be cautious, especially if we have kids and elderly people at home. Bleaching can also cause respiratory, skin, and eye irritations.People should use disinfectants that include Hydrogen Peroxide, Alcohol(Isopropyl Alcohol or Ethanol), Citric Acid and Lactic Acid- but not on food items, clothes, utensils and definitely not with bare hands!
COVID spreads more from contact than surfaces:
Most experts have time and again noted that the virus spreads mainly through person-to-person contact. Effective cleaning removes germs from surfaces and disinfecting goes a step further, by killing them on the spot. But there is no need to be obsessive about cleaning surfaces.A recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention, US report said that there is no good evidence stating alternative disinfection methods, like UV radiation, LED blue lights, or sanitizing tunnels really work to kill the virus.Moreover, disinfectant without proper ventilation can cause more harm to your health than being useful. CDC’s report mentions that fogging, fumigation, and other such theatrical performances of industrial cleanliness can easily do more harm than good, when it comes to human health.This also because fogging at the levels needed to truly nip viruses from space, can make it difficult for people to breathe.
Here are 3 easy steps to proper cleaning and keeping your house, yourself and your family safe:
- Use soap water to properly clean surfaces
- If you use disinfectant, read the product instructions in full, so that you know how the disinfectant works and is to be applied
- If using harsh chemicals to deep clean, wear a mask & protective eye gear; keep this room open to enable ventilation. Children & elderly should not enter this room till after 4 days of deep cleaning
- Open the windows and doors to ventilate the space as you clean the rooms
Above all, it’s more important to worry about wearing a mask in public and avoiding the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 through close contact. Stay home, stay clean and stay safe!
About the Author
Dr Sudhir Gore is the Head-Trauma & Emergency, Fortis Hospital, Kalyan
