How To Disinfect Your Home From Bacteria And Viruses

How To Disinfect Your Home From Bacteria And Viruses

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we are trying to keep away from any serious bacterias or viruses that may be lingering around. This is why the World Health Organization is encouraging us to wash our hands regularly, wear masks when close to people and to stay at home. Their goal with these safety guidelines is to "flatten the curve".

This is why, in this OneHOWTO article, we are going to teach you how to properly clean and disinfect you home. So that you and your family are bacteria and virus free.

Tips on how to disinfect the house from viruses and bacteria

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can clean and disinfect your home. Here at OneHOWTO, we will provide you with many alternatives so that you can pick which one suits you best. Here are some ideas:

  • Vinegar with hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant for the home
  • Eucalyptus oil as a natural remedy to disinfect the house
  • Baking properties to eliminate viruses and bacteria
  • Ventilate your home
  • Cleaning furniture and decorations
  • Clean your kitchen utensils
  • Combination of vinegar and lemon as a household disinfectant
  • Bleach to disinfect the home floor
  • Oil extracted from the tea tree and hydrogen peroxide

Vinegar with hydrogen peroxide

Vinegar is a product popularly known as a home remedy to clean. If you also combine it with hydrogen peroxide, you will get a great disinfectant. Various studies[1] have contrasted the antibacterial power of hydrogen peroxide and its disinfecting and antiseptic properties. Therefore, it is ideal for cleaning surfaces susceptible to continuous contact between people with the aim of helping stop the spread of COVID-19.

To create this mixture you need to do as follows:

  1. Choose a container, preferably a diffuser
  2. Place a liter (33.6 oz) of vinegar
  3. Add 400ml (13.5 oz) of water
  4. Lastyly, add 50ml (1.6 oz) of hydrogen peroxide
  5. Now shake the container to mix the components.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil is an effective remedy to combat cold symptoms, as long as it is taken under medical supervision. In addition, there are studies[2] that demonstrate its disinfecting power. This is what makes eucalyptus oil an ideal product for making mosquito repellents and helping eliminate germs and bacteria from different surfaces.

In order to use this oil to disinfect your home, you must add 150 ml (5 oz) to one liter (33 oz) of water. Mix both components by stirring them together. Although this remedy cannot prevent diseases, it will help eliminate germs while adding a sweet and pleasant aroma to your home.

How to disinfect with baking soda

There are studies [3] that demonstrate how baking soda can disinfect objects and surfaces. This is a great way to keep your home clean and disinfected. It's also a natural, cheap and effective resource that eliminates bad smells and repels insects.

You can use baking soda to clean ovens and pipes. Learn more on our article the best uses of baking soda.

Daily room ventilation

To increase the chances of preventing the spread of the coronavirus, you need to ventilate all the rooms in your house. Ventilation helps your home rid itself of moisture, smoke, cooking odours, and indoor pollutants.

Furniture and decoration cleaning

When cleaning your house, don't forget to clean all of your furniture and decorative elements. You can disinfect them by using a damp cloth with a multi-purpose cleaner. Most of these objects are constantly in use, so don't forget to clean doorknobs, remote controls, toys and even computer keyboards.

Kitchen utensils

Continuously washing your hands will be useless if you do not do the same with your kitchen utensils. When we eat, we bring the food that has touched these items straight into our mouth. This is why it's essential to wash kitchen utensils, as well as cloths you use in the kitchen, jars where you store food, etc.

Vinegar and lemon to disinfect

The vinegar and lemon mixture acts as a powerful disinfectant. You can combine these two components in a bottle to create an easy homemade product to eliminate viruses and bacteria. Once you create the mixture, use a cloth to pass it through surfaces in your home you wish to clean and disinfect. You can also leave this mixture in your toilet over-night to deep clean it.

Bleach to disinfect floors

Another chemical with which you will be able to disinfect any room is bleach. Its chemical principle, sodium hypochlorite, contains chlorine. This makes it an economical oxidant that is available to everyone.

To use bleach to clean your house, add a couple of tablespoons (not too much as it is very affective) to a bucket of water. Then you can use this mixture to clean your floors. It will not only disinfect the floor but also get rid of any bad smells.

Tea tree essential oil and hydrogen peroxide

Tea tree oil, mixed with hydrogen peroxide, is another product to consider if you are wondering how to disinfect the house from viruses and bacteria. Studies[4] have shown it's antibacterial and antioxidant prosperities, making it a great option to clean and disinfect surfaces.

Add 10 drops of tea tree essential oil, a couple tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, 750ml (25 oz.) of water and two tablespoons of lemon juice to a diffuser. Mix all the components in the container and remember to shake it well before using it too.

If you want to read similar articles to How To Disinfect Your Home From Bacteria And Viruses, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

References
  1. Rivero, MLC, Cruces, EAG, Ríos, MCL, & Hernández, HVM (2016). REPORT VALIDATION PROJECT AND ANALYSIS OF OXYGENATED WATER (H2O2).
  2. Castellanos Flores, MJ, Hernández Batres, JA, & Sandoval Andrade, AJ (2019). Formulation and evaluation of bactericidal activity of a surface disinfectant obtained from eucalyptus essential oil (Eucalyptus globulus labil) (Doctoral dissertation, University of El Salvador).
  3. Ubillus Lombeida, CA (2019). Proposal for the manufacture and marketing of a disinfectant that does not have chemicals, based on apple cider vinegar, bicarbonate and lemon in the city of Guayaquil.
  4. Zhang, X., Guo, Y., Guo, L., Jiang, H., & Ji, Q. (2018). In vitro evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil. BioMed research international , 2018.