So we are at the peak of the cold and flu season. It seems extra bad this year. Maybe because we spent so much time inside and not really exposing ourselves to lots of germs. But it's in the news everywhere; RSV and pneumonia and the flu. Nobody likes to get sick.Plus some of these illnesses are pretty bad. I heard of a kid recently that had a fever of 105. I mean, this is not fun. Even in our house, my daughter last week had some sort of virus that had her with a fever for three days.
Today we're going to be talking about ways that we can safely kill bacteria and viruses, and how we can really survive the flu and cold season without having to use bleach.
Cleaning vs. Disinfecting
Let's talk about why you should know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. So first of all, we don't always need to be using harsh disinfectants all the time. For example, if you're cleaning your kitchen, you don't need to use a disinfectant every single time you wipe down the countertops. Now if you've been cooking with chicken or pork or beef, or if there's been someone sick in your household and they've been near your countertop, then you do want to make sure you use a disinfectant. But for general cleaning like just your kitchen countertops, you really don't need to use a harsh disinfectant all the time. You really only need to use a disinfectant when you have been in contact with flu, virus, molds, bacteria, that sort of thing.
Ditch the Bleach!
Bleach is a good disinfectant. I'm not going to say that it's not. But it also comes with some harmful health repercussions. So for those with asthma, it can actually make their asthma worse. It also can cause asthma for people that have never had asthma before. And as we know just that, a little tiny drop of bleach can totally remove the color from your clothes. So it can have some annoying non-health effects as well. Bleach actually can create these small droplets that can be inhaled into the lungs and that's how it has that effect on asthma. People who have never had asthma before and have been exposed to bleach and then having asthma later. We also know that kids are way more susceptible to these issues with bleach in the air, and they really should stay away from it completely. It's bad for your skin and eyes, it can be really irritating. And breathing in bleach over a long period of time, if you're exposed to it over and over and over again, it can increase your risk for cancer. We also know that when bleach is combined with certain chemicals, it can form a dangerous gas.
It's also bad for the environment. Bleach builds up chloroform in the air and these elevated levels of chloroform have been found in areas where there is a lot of bleach. So even if you're inside, it's impacting your internal environmental air.
Make the Switch
Now what is a good alternative? You may be surprised. It is super inexpensive, it's very easy to use, it's better for the environment, and it's easy to find. It is simply hydrogen peroxide. No it's not crazy, it's just hydrogen peroxide, it's super easy to find, and it's super affordable. The effectiveness does get broken down if you expose it to light. So that's why you'll find that hydrogen peroxide is in a brown bottle. And you just need 3% hydrogen peroxide to effectively kill the bacteria and the viruses. Hydrogen Peroxide works by basically just destroying the germ cells, it works not only for viruses and bacteria, it also breaks down fungus and mold. So it's pretty cool that this effective and safe and inexpensive product can be so effective for us.
As I said, the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. You don't want to go above that, because that's going to be too strong. And you do want to make sure you clean the area first. So let's say you have a child who is sick and you're home and you want to clean their bathroom. So you want to make sure that you clean with soap and water first, and then you would use this hydrogen peroxide. So what it suggested is that you let it dry for at least one minute, because that gives it enough time to break down the pathogens to break down the virus and the mold and the bacteria depending on what is on that surface.
You might want to be careful on some surfaces like marble or granite. If you have quartz or quartzite, the surface is hard enough that it's not going to impact it, but spot testing is always recommended when using a new cleaning product.
Even though hydrogen peroxide is safe, you should never mix household chemicals. It's just not safe. You don't want to mix it with vinegar or bleach or other household cleaning agents because it could be a chemistry experiment experience for you.
What I like to do for hydrogen peroxide is I keep it in that brown bottle, and sometimes you can find a spray pump that fits right into the bottle. So I just twist the spray pump on and then you have a sprayable hydrogen peroxide. Super simple.
Who knew you can have an affordable, safe, easy to use, disinfectant for the viruses, flu, and the bacteria that are going around this winter. So there's your simple tip for surviving the flu and cold season this winter. Wishing you a happy and healthy winter season!
