Coronavirus & cleaning: Which green products are effective against viruses?

[IronLionZion]

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-do-green-cleaning-products-work-20200318.html

It’s not easy being green right now.

Faced with the new coronavirus, an enemy we can’t see but that we’re told might, like similar viruses, be able to live on some surfaces for up to several days, what seems natural is to reach for the biggest weapons in our arsenal.

Which could explain why, when I went to buy disinfecting wipes a couple of weeks ago at Wegmans, the shelves were bare of all but those made by Seventh Generation, a pricier brand that markets itself as eco-friendly. The label boasts of its ability to kill “99.99% of bacteria & viruses,” but when I got it home, I noticed its active ingredient, thymol, was one I’d never heard of.

...

Tom’s of Maine hand soap includes two soaps: caprylyl/capryl glucoside and decyl glucoside.

Mrs. Meyer’s surface cleaner also has decyl glucoside, a surfactant Beckman described as gentle and degradable, as well as lauryl glucoside, another degradable, nonionic soap. Skipping ahead on a list of Mrs. Meyer’s ingredients, he singled out sodium methyl 2-sulfolaurate. "Now that is an ionic soap. So that thing will do a job on anything with a cell membrane,” Beckman said. “It just blows up cells, and it will do the same to viruses.” (Mrs. Meyer’s doesn’t, however, claim to be a disinfectant.)

And what of my Seventh Generation wipes, which are labeled as killing, among other things, the H1N1 flu virus? And what’s thymol, anyway?

If you're like me and a bit frustrated that hoarders cleaned out all the Lysol and Clorox, you have several green cleaning products at home. And you're wondering if it will work against this virus. Look for soap, which absolutely annihilates the virus. Soaps can come in different names. I have several Method brand products which contain soap! Hell yeah!

Do NOT use just vinegar and baking soda. It won't help against the virus.

[Brother Buzz]

1. Copper-Green®

[Igel]

7. Stuff's nasty.

To OP: If you're going to use this, be damned sure you read the instructions and the hazardous materials warning. Organic copper compounds are bad, and this is also flush with organics that you don't want to be breathing.

Even then, if you're going to use it inside anyway (really, who of us takes those instructions 100% seriously), *do* use gloves, use sparingly, and avoid using it on anything for prepping food.

Note that the mineral spirits are also likely to leave a residue, so after using the copper naphthenate or whatever it is you'll probably need to go over the surfaces with something else.

IMHO, if you have something you need to sterilize and there's no rush to use it, set it aside for 4 days (if it's solid and smooth surfaced) with a "don't touch" sign. The oxygen in the air will be enough.

[Brother Buzz]

9. Silly me, I thought the hide thingy was sufficient. I was riffing on green products, nothing more

Nasty stuff, indeed. I won't even use it in a crawlspace under a house. Out buildings and fence posts are another story.

[Igel]

2. Depends how you're disinfecting.

Do you want to spray and have the stuff deactivated?

Wipe?

Scrub?

Rinse?

My favorite choice is a UV lamp with sufficient output. Hard to get one that's not worthless without a 2-month wait.

Clorox will be back Real Soon. It's cheap and easy to make so it'll be restocked post haste.

Thymol shouldn't do much against coronavirus. Antibacterial and antifungal. But it's soluble in alcohol, so check the inert ingredients in your stuff. If it's over 60% alcohol, that should be good.

Or get some of that nifty 90% isopropanol/rubbing alcohol from the local pharmacy, just don't dilute it. (Or Everclear from your local ethyl alcohol dispensary.)

I haven't bought soap in decades. I have polythethylene bottles of lye in the garage. When I make brisket I harvest all the excess fat, mix it with olive oil (or peanut oil, in a pinch) and make soap. It's ionic.

[IronLionZion]

3. All of the above

I clean first with soap. Then disinfect with alcohol soaking wet for a few minutes. Reapply alcohol if I feel like it.

Then if I'm still alive, supposedly the Clorox and Lysol should be back in stock in about a week.

[sl8]

10. Why are you recommending undiluted 90% alcohol?

Everything I've read indicates that you'd want more water than that to be most effective.

Here are a couple of links, but there are plenty of other sources, as well:

https://labproinc.com/blog/chemicals-and-solvents-9/post/the-difference-between-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-99-and-70-25
The Difference Between Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) 99% and 70%

https://blog.gotopac.com/2017/05/15/why-is-70-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-a-better-disinfectant-than-99-isopropanol-and-what-is-ipa-used-for/
Why Is 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) a Better Disinfectant than 99% Isopropanol, and What Is IPA Used For?

[mitch96]

4. 151 alcohol.......... everclear or rum... Cut 50% is enough to kill virus and bacteria... nt

[Nay]

5. If you want to kill virus on flat washable surfaces, all you need to do is make a soapy

solution (just as if you were going to wash your hands) and wipe the area, leaving the solution on the area for 5 - 10 minutes. Soap destroys the outer coat of the virus.You can use bar soap, dish soap, shampoo, hand soap, anything that soaps up.

For non-flat surfaces, wiping with alcohol.

[cwydro]

6. Soap and water.

All the doctors say this.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

8. Many essential oils and some seed oils are powerful anti-virals.

For example, Tea Tree oil is known to be a very powerful killer of many bacteria and viruses from the past. Others of note are ravensara, clove, thyme, camphor, eucalyptus, fenugreek, lime, peppermint, oregano and pine oils.

The problem is, just like many powerful home chemical products, few if any have been tested on this specific virus.

I suggest studying these two papers, two of many available on-line from credibly institutions around the globe that outline some of the current research to date:

Interim guidance for environmental cleaning in non-healthcare facilities exposed to SARS-CoV-2
ECDC TECHNICAL REPORT
18February2020

Link: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/coronavirus-SARS-CoV-2-guidance-environmental-cleaning-non-healthcare-facilities.pdf

and.......

Virucidal Activity of World Health Organization–Recommended Formulations Against Enveloped Viruses, Including Zika, Ebola, and Emerging Coronaviruses

Link: https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/215/6/902/2965582

I would not make specific recommendations to anyone regarding any product - natural or synthetic - with this virus because it is a novel virus which means it's brand-new to science. So, our choices are our own and we make them at our own risk.

KY........

[GulfCoast66]

12. Dish detergent and water. No need to get fancy.

Unless you fancy spending more money.

Even the cheapest brand works perfectly.

[IronLionZion]

14. Good to know. I have plenty of cheap dish detergent

[IronLionZion]

13. Cleaning Expert Teaches You How to Disinfect Your Home

She also has recipes for homemade solutions that will work if you can't find stuff in stores. The simplest is dish detergent with water in a spray bottle.