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4 House Products That Kill Coronavirus, According to Consumer Reports
Danielle Braff
Is your store out of cleaning products? Have no fear: you most likely already have everything you need at home.
The coronavirus may live on certain surfaces for days
There’s so much we still don’t know about the conoravirus, and what we don’t know can make us sick. What is that in a preliminary study, the virus can remain viable for up to 24 hours on cardboard and for two days on plastic and stainless steel; though another study comparing it to SARS and MERS found it may be able to live on glass, metal, and plastic for up to nine days. Bottom line: it’s best to disinfect.
Bleach
Head to your laundry room and grab that bottle of bleach, according the Consumer Reports. Bleach is a great defense against viruses, and it has been a ling time cleaning staple in and outside the laundry room. Don’t use it straight form the bottle though as that would be way too strong. Instead, mix a solution of ½ cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Use this to disinfect everything in your kitchen from the sink to the floor. You can even soak your child’s toys in a bleach mixture of 2 teaspoons bleach to 1 gallon of water, soak for two minutes, then rinse. Make sure you wear gloves when you use the bleach, as it can be irritating and drying for your hands. Lastly, don’t keep the bleach solution for more than a few days, because bleach degrades some plastic containers.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Not to confused with the alcohol you have in your bar closet: this is an alcohol solution with at least 70 percent alcohol. No need to dilute it, according to Consumer Reports. It’s safe for cleaning every surface but beware of plastics, as it may cause discoloration.
Soap and Water
You’ve likely been hearing so much about this one already, hopefully, you still have some good ol’fashioned soap remaining, Wash your hands thoroughly, with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. Soap works better the disinfectants if you’re attempting to destroy viruses, according to Marketwatch. It does this by dissolving the fat membrane, so the virus becomes inactive. Yup, just regular soap. Make sure you’re using a clean towel to dry them.
