Is it Safe? Disinfecting Your Home

Q: It seems that between the common cold, flu, enterovirus and Ebola, we are bound to catch some dreaded illness. What can I use to disinfect my home?

A: Keeping your home clean is a good way to keep germs from spreading as germs can live on surfaces for periods of time. However, bleach is much more powerful than necessary for routine cleaning, and it is highly irritating to skin, eyes and the airways. It will damage clothing and has the potential to interact with other cleaning products and release very toxic chlorine gas – for this reason never mix bleach with ammonia or anything other than water. If using bleach, use with gloves, make sure you have plenty of fresh air, and carefully dilute what comes from the bottle 1:10 in water before applying to surfaces.

In most cases bleach is not necessary. Low contact surfaces such as walls and floors can be cleaned with detergent and water. This will be effective on high contact surfaces such as doorknobs, toilet handles, kitchen counters and dining areas as well. But if you if you want extra germ prevention, non-bleach disinfectants based upon hydrogen peroxide is a good non-toxic alternative. The disinfectant must remain on the surface for the recommended amount of time before wiping it off to make sure it does its job. Read the label as it will state surface contact time and it should also state the U.S. EPA registration number and the types of organisms it is effective against. If not registered with U.S. EPA, it may not be adequately tested for efficacy.

So, in general, use soap and water for most areas and you can consider using non-bleach disinfectants for high contact areas. Bleach is usually not necessary but if you do use it, handle with care and above all keep away from young children.

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Dr. Gary Ginsberg is a public health toxicologist in Connecticut and a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health. He has written a book geared toward the general public, “What’s Toxic, What's Not,” and also has a website, whatstoxic.com, to answer questions about chemicals found in consumer products and in our homes.

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The Yale School of Public Health invites you to submit questions for Dr. Ginsberg as part of this recurring monthly series. Contact us through Facebook or by e-mailing Michael Greenwood at michael.greenwood@yale.edu