How to Safely Clean and Disinfect at Home – Eco-friendly House Cleaning Reading

When it comes to cleaning and disinfection, things can get controversial. As someone that hasn’t used bleach or any harmful cleaners for close to twenty years, I am here to tell you that not using bleach doesn’t mean that everyone’s going to get sick in your house.
Let’s start with some definitions – what is the difference between clean, sanitize, and disinfect?

Did you know that regular, consistent cleaning reduces germs in the home? Sanitizing is taking it one step further by removing any remaining germs left from cleaning and disinfecting kills any remaining germs/bacteria and viruses on surfaces. Generally speaking, cleaning is all that is necessary in an average home. It’s also helpful to recognize that some germs are okay – germs help to build up our immune systems. If we lived in homes that were germ, bacteria and virus free, once we were exposed to something we would get it because we hadn’t built up a healthy immune system. Once I realized this, I loosened my grip on disinfection in our home.

CLEAN: Removing dirt, stains and grime. Similar to how using soap and water and washing hands removes germs and washing them down the drain, spraying a surface with a cleaner and wiping it clean is cleaning it.

SANITIZE: Kills bacteria on surfaces.

DISINFECT: Kills bacteria and viruses on surfaces.

Bonus: Microfiber cleaning cloths can remove up to 99% of germs! They don’t spread germs around the way paper towels, cleaning wipes, and other materials do.

When Should You Clean/Sanitize/Disinfect?

This depends on your own personal comfort level, but generally speaking, cleaning removes most germs. I err on the side of caution and have a simple routine for what and when I clean vs. sanitize/disinfect. If there’s an illness running its course in our home, I’ll add a level of disinfection to the entire house.

If you want to mix up a cleaner to clean, sanitize, or disinfect, I have lots of DIY recipes here. If you’d like a little more guidance on using alcohol in a DIY cleaner, keep reading.

In order to disinfect with alcohol, you need a final mixture that is made up of at least 60% alcohol – that’s why I recommend using Everclear with 95% alcohol. We don’t drink Everclear, I only use it for cleaning. It’s similar to vodka – it’s clear and is a grain alcohol so it’s ‘non-toxic’. For reference, Vodka has a 40-60% alcohol content which is why I add vinegar and essential oil to it to up its germ-killing qualities for my original All-Purpose Disinfecting Spray recipe.

Please note: If Everclear isn’t available in your state, look for vodka that is at least 60% alcohol and don’t dilute it with water.

NATURAL DISINFECTING SPRAY (WITHOUT VINEGAR)

Best used on stone surfaces – granite, marble, quartz.
1 cup Everclear (look for one with 95% alcohol)
2/3 cup water
1 -2 drops dish soap
15 drops essential oil – I use lemon (optional)

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle, shake and spray on surfaces you wish to disinfect. Spray thoroughly to saturate surface and allow to sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surfaces.

NATURAL DISINFECTING SPRAY (WITH WHITE VINEGAR)

1 cup Everclear (look for one with 95% alcohol)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
15 drops essential oil – I use lemon (optional)

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle, shake and spray on surfaces you wish to disinfect. Spray thoroughly to saturate surface and allow to sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surfaces.

I hope that this post gives you some information on cleaning vs sanitizing and disinfecting and gives you the information you need to safely clean and disinfect your home when needed!

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