Showing posts with label bleach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bleach. Show all posts

A 16 Year Old Rant About Antibacterial Products

 I wrote this in 2006. It still holds true in 2022.

Antibacterial Products

May. 12th, 2006 | 01:14 pm

I'll admit it-I still use antibacterial hand soap. I like the smell. (update 2022-yeah no. We use regular ass soap in this house.)

Buying a product based on it's antibacterial hype is a waste of money.  Studies have shown these products are ineffective at preventing the spread of germs, colds etc. http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/5/321  (Effect of Antibacterial Home Cleaning and Handwashing Products on Infectious Disease Symptoms) 2004

Products like Lysol antibacterial kitchen cleaner use Quaternary ammonium chemical sanitizers (or quats). If you've worked in food service, it's the blue water in the 3rd sink. Quats are not instant sanitizers/disinfectants. They need to sit on a surface for 10 minutes. That surface has to be rinsed prior to food touching it.  It's fine for spray and wipe type stuff, but be aware it's probably not killing germs used that way.

Bleach, while tricky to use, is an instant sanitizer. 1 teaspoon of bleach per quart of cool water. Hot water and bleach are not friends. Rinsing is not required unless you are using a commercial bleach cleaner. *note-Clorox disinfecting wipes contain no bleach. Read the container. ;)

Repeat after me-bleach is not a cleaner. It's great for laundry, mold/mildew, disinfecting/sanitizing but it is NOT a cleaning product.

Antibacterial products are relatively new on the scene-as in less than 20 years.  These products are guilt buys. Your home may be clean but is it germ free? pfffffffft. It's a scam. No amount of sprays, wipes, cleaners or magic potions will guarantee you a germ free environment. 

Your hands may be clean but are they sanitized? Reality check-as soon as you touch something they are no longer sanitized. 

Obviously there are circumstances where some of these products are needed.  Use as directed.