Dealing with Disinfectant Shortages

[Eric B]

We haven't been able to find DW's usual disinfectant spray (7th Generation) in any of the stores for the last month or so because of the whole COVID-19 thing. As I was going through the CDC website to see what the current recommendations are, I found a link to the EPA registration site for a list of disinfectants to use against SARS-CoV-2 (https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2) with the hint that These products may be marketed and sold under different brand names, but if they have the same EPA registration number, they are the same product. Lo and behold, there's a different product name for this stuff; a brief search on the internet showed a bunch of places where it's available at prices that are comparable or less than the retail price of the one we usually get. Ordered a gallon of it as we already have empty spray bottles; could have ordered a 55-gallon drum, but I think that would have been overkill. Should get here in a week; Amazon and all the other sites have been showing a great deal of demand for the original one I was looking for and unknown restocking/availability times. We'll likely wind up just getting the less expensive refills in the future since we now know that it's the same product packaged differently (I'm okay with using a kennel disinfectant on my counters!).

One other nice thing about the EPA site is that it has some instructions like the minimum contact time for the disinfectant action. With this one (reg. no. 84683-3), the contact time is 10 minutes. The package instructions we were following are to just spray and let dry rather than wiping off after spraying, so I'm pretty sure we were meeting the guidelines. CDC has further guidance at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html.

 

[presley]

I was surprised that vinegar wasn't on the list. Thanks for sharing the link.

 

[TimeshareTraveller]

Vinegar won't work on viruses --the acid level isn't high enough. Neither will salt water. I saw some post on facebook that recommended salt water to kill the virus. Hon, if the medical staff doesn't have a test kit, they are being told to store the sample in saline until testing is available. That means that salt won't degrade the viral coat. Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid which has an antiviral/antibacterial effect but it takes a lot of time in contact to kill the virus (4 hours to degrade the viral coat). I don't trust coconut oil to disinfect. You shouldn't either. (Phillipine government is testing coconut oil as a possible cheap antiviral, but I think the timeframe to kill is too high for it to be useful in disinfection. Now, if you have GERD from Helicobacter pylori, you should be working your way up to taking about a tablespoon of coconut oil a day [must acclimate to that or you'll get the runs].)

Bleach. Dilute bleach, wipe everything down, wait 10 minutes. I'm running out of gloves at this point and there's no replacement of them. I did buy a pair of the dishwashing gloves for this work. We've been wiping down the things that come into the house that we purchase. I'm so unbelievably tired of eating fruit that's been washed in a very dilute bleach wash, rinsed twice, and then peeled for good measure. I want to just pick up an apple and eat it whole in defiance.

Alcohol, either isopropyl or ethyl, is not really on that CDC list either. It does work if the alcohol level is above 60%. If your hand sanitizer isn't alcohol-based, it won't work. Alcohol above 60% works on the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a close cousin of our current viral problem.

Sooner or later, we'll all get sick. I'm hoping to keep us not sick until the point when they identify better antiviral drug solutions and have better capacity. Getting sick during the "you only get hospital space if you are 20-44" period is not optimal.

 

[bbodb1]

I wanted to bring this back up to the front for some additional discussion.

As a pool owner, we go through a lot of chlorine. Like many shoppers out there, I have not been able to find sanitizing wipes at all so I thought I would see what my options are with respect to alternative cleaning agents. Using the info on my pool bleach, I see the following:

EPA Reg No 7616-45

Contents:
10% Sodium Hypochlorite
90% Other ingredients

I do NOT find that EPA Reg number listed in the database of approved products when using 7616 as a search parameter.

However, a search using sodium hypochlorite returned several hits but to other products (meaning I did not see 7616 in the results).

I am confused with these results - sodium hypochlorite appears to be a substance that can be used to make an alternative disinfectant but I am concerned that I do not see this EPA Reg number in the approved list of COVID - 19 related disinfectants. It would appear Is this pool chlorine is NOT approved as a COVID - 19 disinfectant. Is that a correct conclusion? The product is HDX Chloronated Liquid, sold by Home Depot.

(The above was a copy / paste from an email submission to the EPA. I'll post any response I get..)

In the meantime, might someone here be able to shed some light on this?

 

[icydog]

I used this government website. I found that Clorox Urine Control is a disinfectant much like Clorox and would work in a pinch to kill Coronavirus. That’s one example, but I found many alternatives to bleach on the list.

 

[Eric B]

I wanted to bring this back up to the front for some additional discussion.

As a pool owner, we go through a lot of chlorine. Like many shoppers out there, I have not been able to find sanitizing wipes at all so I thought I would see what my options are with respect to alternative cleaning agents. Using the info on my pool bleach, I see the following:

EPA Reg No 7616-45

Contents:
10% Sodium Hypochlorite
90% Other ingredients

I do NOT find that EPA Reg number listed in the database of approved products when using 7616 as a search parameter.

However, a search using sodium hypochlorite returned several hits but to other products (meaning I did not see 7616 in the results).

I am confused with these results - sodium hypochlorite appears to be a substance that can be used to make an alternative disinfectant but I am concerned that I do not see this EPA Reg number in the approved list of COVID - 19 related disinfectants. It would appear Is this pool chlorine is NOT approved as a COVID - 19 disinfectant. Is that a correct conclusion? The product is HDX Chloronated Liquid, sold by Home Depot.

(The above was a copy / paste from an email submission to the EPA. I'll post any response I get..)

In the meantime, might someone here be able to shed some light on this?

I used this government website. I found that Clorox Urine Control is a disinfectant much like Clorox and would work in a pinch to kill Coronavirus. That’s one example, but I found many alternatives to bleach on the list.

The EPA site that provides List N, Disinfectants to use against SARS-COV2, only addresses disinfecting surfaces, not pool water, which is addressed by the CDC at:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.

www.cdc.gov

.

Chlorine for pool water treatment wouldn’t be on that list because that’s not what it’s meant for. It could be a bad idea to use pool chemicals to try to disinfect surfaces because the concentrations and formulations aren’t meant for that. It could also be quite hazardous, after all chlorine gas was used for chemical warfare in WW I. The pool chlorine I use is labeled to warn against using it in a non-ventilated area; I would take that warning seriously.

 

[bbodb1]

@icydog - the website you mention is the one I ran the searches on but I did not specify that - thanks for the reposting of the website.

@Eric B - Thanks too for your contribution. This is the first time I have had to navigate the maze of manuals and info that is the EPA. I think where my confusion lies is in the fact that sodium hypochlorite DOES APPEAR in the list of COVID-19 approved disinfectants. I guess I was surprised that a product with that ingredient ONLY would NOT be on the list (figuring it would likely need to be diluted...) At any rate, I know see that assumption was 100% wrong.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

IIRC pool chlorine is about 10% sodium hypochlorite. Household bleach is about 5% sodium hypochlorite. Lysol tub and tile spray is about 2.4% sodium hypochlorite. The common thought is that a 2 or 3% bleach solution is an effective disinfectant. Or roughly 1/2 cup of bleach to a gallon of water.

Last week I used the Lysol tub and tile spray and sprayed directly on the plastic packaging. It wasn't until I was done that I realized that instead of a 2 or 3% bleach solution that I was using around a 50% bleach solution. I suspect that any covid virus was annihilated.

 

[geist1223]

Use Everclear 190.

 

[Eric B]

Use Everclear 190.

A better use for that is to soak lemon peels in it for 3 weeks, add simple syrup and water to get to ~90 proof, and use it as limoncello.

 

[Tia]

This is off our County Health Department Cleaning/Disinfecting site

• Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:
• 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or
• 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

 

[pedro47]

BJ warehouse this morning had Lysol wipes.(4 per pack). Limit one per card holder.

 

[icydog]

I have been trying to get Lysol wipes for my son for three weeks. I have plenty but he didn't prepare like I did. He is in Buffalo and I am in Central NJ.

This is how it has been going: I think I have some ordered. I pay the fees and the cost of the wipes. Next I am told (three separate times) that the wipes didn't ship out. The same with Clorox Bleach. And each time I had to stay on hold for 1/2 hour while they try to get my money refunded to me.

 

[icydog]

New topic, yesterday, I was able to order Bounty Paper Towels online from Costco.com..

 

[Panina]

BJ warehouse this morning had Lysol wipes. Limit one per card holder.

Amazing. That means they are coming back on the market. Need to look again.

 

[mdurette]

My BJs instacart order for delivery next week allowed me to put Clorox wipes in my cart. We will see if they show up.

I have been thinking about wipes and the difference between sanitize and disinfect. The whole idea about how long a product needs to stay wet to actually disinfect. I think a pump spray all purpose cleaner would probably be more effective as say a countertop disinfectant because more solution is sprayed and can sit longer wet than say a wipe. Same idea with Lysol aerosol spray, a lot needs to be sprayed to stay wet for the allotted time.

 

[IngridN]

I finally found some bleach at our local hardware store and am using the diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle to disinfect. Now if only my asthma didn't kick up whenever I use it. Fortunately, with only DH and myself in the house, that isn't very often.

Ingrid

 

[Panina]

I finally found some bleach at our local hardware store and am using the diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle to disinfect. Now if only my asthma didn't kick up whenever I use it. Fortunately, with only DH and myself in the house, that isn't very often.

Ingrid

I cannot use bleach. It gives me headaches and causes me dizziness. As many precautions I am taking I have chosen not to use it.

Not sure its worth the risk using it if can trigger your asthma.

Keep checking this tug thread. You might find another option.

"Sightings" Found online, hard to find: sanitizer, wipes, cleaners, etc

Let's help each other find the hard to find items as they start coming back online. Post "sightings" of hard to find items that can be ordered online here. Hand Sanitizer Bath and Body works has some available, not the most cost effective, but they are made with 68% alcohol...

tugbbs.com

 

[IngridN]

I cannot use bleach. It gives me headaches and causes me dizziness. As many precautions I am taking I have chosen not to use it.

Not sure its worth the risk using it if can trigger your asthma.

Keep checking this tug thread. You might find another option.

"Sightings" Found online, hard to find: sanitizer, wipes, cleaners, etc

Let's help each other find the hard to find items as they start coming back online. Post "sightings" of hard to find items that can be ordered online here. Hand Sanitizer Bath and Body works has some available, not the most cost effective, but they are made with 68% alcohol...

tugbbs.com

My asthma is mostly chemical-triggered so any type of chemicals cause problems to varying degrees. One of the most severe reactions I had was when there was a tire dump (or something similar) type of fire across town and I was driving to a gym in another town, upwind I thought! I make sure there is good ventilation when cleaning with any type of chemicals. Fortunately, my asthma is relatively mild and I just received a fresh inhaler and spacer.

Ingrid

 

[SteelerGal]

My sister lucked up and found Bleach. I am using spray bottles filled w/ multi purpose cleaners. Also I made our own hand sanitizer after finally finding aloe Vera gel.

 

[IngridN]

My sister lucked up and found Bleach. I am using spray bottles filled w/ multi purpose cleaners. Also I made our own hand sanitizer after finally finding aloe Vera gel.

I was also using cleaners (409) until I finally found the bleach and am now able to disinfect.

 

[Panina]

I have a simple question. Since soap and water is good for washing your hands for the covid virus, is there a reason it wouldn’t be good for cleaning surfaces?

 

[VacationForever]

I have a simple question. Since soap and water is good for washing your hands for the covid virus, is there a reason it wouldn’t be good for cleaning surfaces?

I believe soap and water is good enough for cleaning surfaces. Disinfectant spray and wipes are better suited for objects... like when I take something out of a package, I cannot always run it under soap and water. I use disinfectant wipes on airplane seats and trays, cannot do that with soap and water.

 

[Panina]

I believe soap and water is good enough for cleaning surfaces. Disinfectant spray and wipes are better suited for objects... like when I take something out of a package, I cannot always run it under soap and water. I use disinfectant wipes on airplane seats and trays, cannot do that with soap and water.

When I get boxes delivered I spray the outside with disinfectant and let it dry. Thinking if a spray bottle with soap and water might be as good.

 

[VacationForever]

When I get boxes delivered I spray the outside with disinfectant and let it dry. Thinking if a spray bottle with soap and water might be as good.

I have a feeling it does not work as well if all that you are doing is spray with soap and water. For soap and water to work, you need to wash the soap off.