With the cases of COVID-19 growing every day and no cure in sight, taking precautions against the virus is now more important than ever. One such basic preventive measure is using disinfectant wipes. Disinfectant wipes can be used to kill dangerous and deadly agents, like the coronavirus, from the surfaces of different kinds.
Many kinds of disinfectant wipes are available at stores for use. Still, in the face of a pandemic, these disinfectant wipes are constantly going out of stock. Despite the shortage, disinfectant wipes are something that has become vital to our everyday lives. For this, we need to come up with new ways to make sure we are protected from harmful viruses and bacteria. One very economical way of dealing with such shortages is by using homemade disinfectant wipes. Homemade disinfectant wipes are, in addition to being economical, portable as well. Hence you will be able to make sure that you are protected and safe from harmful microbodies at all times and in all places.
Effectiveness of Homemade Wipes
Homemade disinfectants are highly effective since they are either alcohol or bleach-based. Both alcohol and bleach are well known and widely used for their disinfectant properties.
The effectiveness of a homemade disinfectant can vary based on whether it is alcohol-based or bleach-based. Both kinds of wipes work best in different situations and on different kinds of agents.
Bleach
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended using bleach to disinfect coronavirus. When making a bleach-based homemade disinfectant, make sure to get liquid bleach containing 2%-10% hypochlorite as an active ingredient. Any percentage above this can be dangerous. When making the bleach mixtures make sure to dilute the bleach according to the amount of hypochlorite present in it.
Alcohol
In the past, alcohol has been used as a disinfectant against the influenza virus. Ethyl alcohol (70%) is a powerful germicide. Alcohol is most commonly used to disinfect small cuts and abrasions on the skin. One factor to remember about using alcohol as a disinfectant is that it is extremely flammable. Therefore the use of this disinfectant should be kept limited to small surfaces and places with good ventilation.
Between these two kinds of disinfectant wipes, bleach-based wipes are best for viruses, such as the COVID-19 virus, and alcohol-based wipes are best when trying to kill bacteria.
How to Make Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
There are two main kinds of homemade disinfectant wipes; bleach-based and alcohol-based. You can decide which one of these options works best for you based on your requirements and needs.
For an alcohol-based disinfectant, you will need the following materials.
- Paper towels/cloth.
- Water.
- Airtight container.
- Isopropanol or ethanol.
The process you will be following to make the alcohol-based disinfectant wipe is listed below.
- For 91% isopropyl alcohol, mix 7 cups of alcohol with 3 cups of water. For 95% ethanol, make sure to use 6 cups of alcohol and 4 cups of water.
- Place the towel in an airtight container, fill this container with the diluted alcohol mixture. Make sure to submerge the cloth in the mixture.
- Wait at least 5 minutes before using your wipes.
- After using the wipes, store the rest in a container and put it in a dark place.
For a bleach-based disinfectant, you will need:
- Paper towels/cloth.
- Water.
- Airtight container.
- Bleach (1000ppm sodium hypochlorite).
For making a bleach-based disinfectant follow the following process
- As a safety measure, make sure to have your room ventilated and wear gloves
- Mix the ingredients in an airtight container. Ratios are different depending on the volume you are looking to make.
- Put the paper/cloth into the mixture for at least 5 minutes for maximum effect.
- Keep the container tightly closed.
- Bleach disinfectant is usable for only 24hrs.
How to Use Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
There are many surfaces that we use frequently but do not clean as often as we should. Cleaning these surfaces is very important, especially with the rise of the COVID-19. To make sure we are taking all the preventive steps needed to stop COVID, we need to constantly be disinfecting the surfaces of commonly used appliances and items. For this purpose, the best item to turn to is disinfectant wipes. Finding disinfectant wipes can be hard these days because of their high demand. Homemade disinfectant wipes are the perfect solution to both these problems. They are both effective at killing viruses and can be made at home.
For the best results from bleach-based disinfectant wipes, make sure that the surface is wet for at least one minute to make sure the surface has been disinfected properly. Another important thing to remember when using bleach; is to make sure that the room is ventilated and that you are wearing gloves since bleach can be dangerous. Another factor to consider is to avoid using bleach on clothes since it can cause discoloration. Bleach can also cause the premature rusting of stainless metals.
To make sure that the alcohol-based wipes are effective, you need to wet the surface completely. When the alcohol dries, the surface will be completely disinfected.
The disinfectant wipes are made to be used mainly on hard surfaces. These surfaces include:
- Phones
- Tables
- Chairs
- Floors
- Sinks
- Keyboards
- Doorknobs
Such hard surfaces are very good incubators for viruses and bacteria; thus, they should be routinely disinfected.
Another major preventive measure in which disinfectant wipes can come is in handy is cleaning surfaces in public spaces. High Touch surfaces, doorknobs, tables, etc., are already the perfect breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. Touching such surfaces in public should be avoided at all costs. If it is not possible for you to avoid contacting such surfaces, then you can use a disinfectant wipe to clean such surfaces before and after contact. An example of this is using an ATM, you cannot avoid touching the keys of the machine, but you can wipe them with disinfectant to make sure you avoid coming in contact with any harmful virus or bacteria.