In the world we live in now, concerning the pandemic, most of us, including me, have relied on using household disinfectants such as Clorox wipes and Lysol. A disinfectant can destroy many microbes, but not all. Clorox wipes have been used even before the pandemic to disinfect surfaces, but not to an extent that it is used now. The Clorox wipes, 75 count, costs $4.48 or to save money, a three-pack costs $9.98. The Clorox wipes are a disinfectant, which means it has an antimicrobial chemical. The Clorox wipes have an antimicrobial chemical known as phenol compounds. Phenol compounds are still used in household disinfectants but not as much as in the past, they are also used in the healthcare and laboratories (Downs 2021). I use this product in a way that would be sanitizing not disinfecting. To disinfect an inanimate object, I must wipe the surface for 4 minutes to keep the surface wet, then let dry (Sprankles 2018). The way I wipe down my surface was just a quick wipe of about 10-20 seconds, which is stated to just clean and remove allergens, also known as sanitizing. Sanitizing is used to reduce the germs but not fully kill them.
In further research done, the antimicrobial chemical being used in Clorox wipes have been linked to toxicity issues. One of the earliest toxicity issues with phenol, stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC), was in 1970 where de-pigmentation of the skin occurred due to phenol detergents. When phenol is used with water, the water evaporates much faster, thus leaving the solution on the object used for cleaning. As stated by the National Library of Medicine, the phenol on the object becomes more concentrated and will have an occurrence of chemical burns when the object is handled. In this paper, they used an example of a 65-year-old man who got chemical burns from a mop he used 2 days earlier with a phenol household disinfectant. An NCBI journal stated that phenol is a protoplasmic poison and acute phenol toxicity can happen in an unintentional exposure at home. It is stated by the Cleveland Clinic that phenol can irritate your eyes and burning your skin and throat. Although phenol is toxic, it is not classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a human carcinogenicity.
Safety tips: To help protect your skin when using these cleaners, wear latex dish-washing gloves. If you get some of the cleaner on your skin or in your eyes, wash it off immediately.”
Cleveland Clinic
There are simple ways to make these cleaning products at home. For example, using white vinegar as instructed by Amanda, with an addition of essential oil (10-15 drops) to give a nice smell and water. You can use this product for two weeks, then throw it out and create a new one. In the case of cleaning a toilet, leave the product for 5 minutes and then scrub. One drawback in this case is that it cannot be used on granite. According to Bond, household bleach, isopropyl alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide are the 3 simple creations of disinfectant at home. To create this product, you need bleach and water. In the creation of bleach, you use a quart of water for 4 teaspoons of bleach. After mixing the solution you let it sit for 10 minutes. This product is very helpful because it can destroy all microorganisms, including endospores and viruses. Another product that is cheap and does not need to be mixed with anything is alcohol. The one drawback is that it does not kill endospores or non-enveloped viruses. Hydrogen peroxide is also a good disinfectant and cheap, without needing to mix with other compounds. A solution with at least 3% can kill germs, which include viruses and endospores. In addition to the great solution impacts, hydrogen peroxide does not damage stainless steel, rubber, plastic, or glass. In this case, hydrogen peroxide can be used in different places.
In my opinion, there would be a contemplation in using my own product versus a “Brand Name” product. In certain instances I think about the evolution/mutation of new illnesses or already existing illnesses, which causes me to contemplate my product. In my head, I think that the “Brand Name” products have certain chemicals that could kill these new illnesses compared to my own products.
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