Coronavirus Cleaning for Your Home and Office

It’s a new disease so Coronavirus cleaning is also something new to consider. I’ve researched current facts to bring you the cleaning advice that works best to kill the virus.

Apparently, COVID-19 can live on some surfaces for up to 16 hours. Some research also suggests Coronavirus can live longer, up to three days, on surfaces including metal, glass and plastic. So regular Coronavirus cleaning in your home and office is definitely required.

Whilst this is a new virus, *experts assume that what works against other coronaviruses will work against this one, SARS-CoV-2 know as COVID-19. This advice assumes that no-one in your home or office has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Coronavirus Cleaning (which is really disinfecting)

Some people prefer to use natural products for cleaning. However, vinegar, vodka, tea tree oil and other natural products are NOT recommended. Experts recommend using products that contain alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or bleach for cleaning. The reason is to kill the pathogens behind COVID-19.

Typically, we are better at cleaning than disinfecting and the DISINFECTION part of Coronavirus cleaning is crucial.

Coronavirus Cleaning Time Frame

It is recommended that you leave any cleaning solution on a surface long enough to kill the virus. So don’t spray and immediately wipe. How long you leave the solution on a surface depends on the cleaning product.

For example, using water diluted bleach needs more time than an alcohol based solution. A mix of bleach and water - four teaspoons in 500ml - is good but use the mixture within 24 hrs.

Whereas dilutable or off-the-shelf products need three to ten minutes. Read the instructions and try to keep the solution on the surface for as long as possible.

Coronavirus Cleaning Products

Using bleach on applicable household surfaces requires 10 minutes of exposure, or more. However, children’s non-porous plastic toys should be immersed in bleach for 30-seconds. DO NOT mix bleach with ammonia as it will cause dangerous gases.

Undiluted isopropyl or rubbing alcohol with 70% alcohol or more will kill the virus in about 30 seconds. Hydrogen peroxide is known to kill Rhinovirus which is a stronger virus than COVID-19 so a straight 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide should kill Coronavirus as well.

In general, most disinfectant wipes (NOT baby wipes) need a contact time of two to five minutes. Whilst the packet may say “kills 99.9% of bacteria in 15 seconds” we’re not dealing with regular bacteria. You’ll need to leave the disinfectant wipe solution on surfaces for three minutes or longer.

What Should I Be Cleaning?

Give items and surfaces the are regularly touched the Coronavirus cleaning regime on a daily basis. So door handles, bench tops, light switches, tables, toilets, tapware, computer keyboards, TV remotes, mobile phones, etc should be a focus.

Is a Quick Hand Wash OK for Coronavirus Cleaning?

Soap and water is very useful for cleaning hands and household surfaces because physical agitation will work. What you need to know is that the Coronavirus is contained in what virologists called an ‘envelope’. However, to ‘tear open’ the ‘envelope’ you need to actively scrub your hands, or a surface, for 20-seconds or more. Please teach children how to do this correctly.

Anything Else?

Be vigilant. If you’ve been to the supermarket or other places, consider what you’ve touched. Then consider what you touch in your car - steering wheel, seatbelt latches, indicators, handles, touch screens even baby seats - and when you get home. Clean accordingly. I now keep a packet of disinfectant wipes in my car.

Words of Wisdom

And please remember, if we view ourselves as besieged victims who need to go into hiding, then we will cultivate fear and hoarding. If we view ourselves as a community working hard to protect the most vulnerable among us, then we will cultivate courage and helping others. Mindset matters. Courtesy of Len Niehoff via Twitter @LenNiehoff

*Source: www.weforum.org quoting Siobain Duffy, Associate Professor of Ecology at Rutgers University.