Germs and viruses are a constant threat to our homes. Every year, for many decades, we’ve been struggling with a common set of viruses and germs that typically invade households, causing illnesses and sicknesses that require medication. Some, if left untreated, or without timely medical interventions, can lead to more catastrophic outcomes. Some pathogens, like the CORONA virus, have evolved into “superbugs”, leaving homeowners scrambling for ways on how to sanitize the home after COVID. Thankfully, there’s Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) – a nontoxic disinfectant that’s simple to produce and easy to apply all over the home.
Why HOCI Makes a Great Household Disinfectant
Naturally, a home is the most precious place to every member residing there – and not just humans, but pets and plant life too! So, if you’re wondering how to disinfect your house after COVID, then you’ll only want to use the best, safest, and highly effective products available. But apart from pandemic challenges, household sanitization is likely a top concern for homes with vulnerable inhabitants. Well, HOCI is the natural disinfectant of choice of most homeowners, visitors, renters, and guests.
Amongst the chlorine family – which also includes sodium hypochlorite (bleach) – HOCI is the most potent (for germs and viruses!) oxidant. So, when it comes to efficacy, a homeowner knows they’re dealing with the most effective disinfectant around! HOCI’s slightly acidic, weak, neutral pH levels, of 5-7, aren’t harmful to human inhabitants and pets. In fact, HOCI naturally occurs in the white blood cells of all mammals, including humans, and has been around since millennia. Soluble in water, it forms a nontoxic solution. So, when it comes to safety, residents and guests in a home can trust that HOCI will do no harm to them.
Therefore, if you want to know how to disinfect a house, even if there are infants, toddlers, elderly inhabitants, and pets, then there’s one answer: Use HOCI as a safe product for disinfecting your house against germs and viruses.
Where to Use HOCI to Disinfect the House
The challenges that some germs and viruses pose to our environment are so severe, that we even have seasons named after them – like the “flu season” or “cold season”. The issue for households is further complicated by the fact that many germs have acquired a capacity to survive outside the human body. They infect common home-based objects and surfaces, and can remain active there for many hours or even days. To effectively deal with the problem, homeowners must consider the following:
- Disinfect all touch surfaces, starting with door handles and locks, to counter-tops and cabinet surfaces, furniture and fixtures
- Pay special attention to areas where vulnerable inhabitants frequent, such as bedrooms, toilets, and living rooms
- Remember to also disinfect utensils, including mugs, dishes, and cutlery
- Germs, such as the Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Salmonella and Norovirus cause illnesses from contaminated food eaten by residents. It’s therefore important to disinfect raw food, and food preparation areas and tools, with non toxic house cleaning products to kill these germs
- Germs often pass on amongst residents in a house through transference. For instance, someone infected with one of the more than 200 viruses that cause the common cold (rhinoviruses being the most common), can transfer the germs onto a TV remote control (or coffee pot). It’s vital to disinfect those surfaces because any member of the household, who touches those devices, is then susceptible to the virus
- Bacteria, viruses, fungi and germs often enter the house via our shoes. While there are protocols that households may implement to disinfect footwear at the entrance to a home; a convenient way to deal with the issue is by disinfecting all household floors – kitchen, bathrooms, foyers, living and dining rooms – and stairs with a non-corrosive disinfectant
The above is a broad-based list of where to use HOCI to disinfect the house. However, every house is unique, and each household has its peculiarities. Homeowners must factor those differences when drawing up a disinfecting plan. For instance, homes with children must also regularly disinfect children’s toys; while households using exercising and fitness equipment require disinfecting protocols for those devices.
How to Use HOCI to Disinfect the House
A house isn’t a “controlled” environment, like a hospital or laboratory. Therefore, one can’t frequently evacuate everyone, including infants, pets, and seniors with pre-existing medical conditions, to do a whole house “blitz” with a chemical-based disinfectant. So, how to disinfect your house after COVID, or how do you institute a routine, non-invasive disinfecting protocol?
Here are some best practices:
- Use a dry (clean) cloth to first scrub any visible dirt or grime on the surfaces requiring disinfection
- Before spraying HOCI on them, vacuum carpets first, to remove visible and invisible dirt particles on the surface. If germs reside on such particles, they’re more likely to transfer from one room to another. Vacuuming ensures lose debris won’t serve as germ-transferring agents
- Soak a clean dry cloth (not the same one used to clean and dust the house!) with an HOCI solution, and wipe down all touch surfaces around the home. Pay special attention to the areas mentioned in the section “Where to Use HOCI to Disinfect the House” above
- Change your wipe cloths frequently, as you move from one location (floor, wing, room) to another, ensuring you dampen each cloth (but not soaking it till it drips!) with HOCI before beginning your disinfection routine
- Use an HOCI solution to regularly mop floors, such as tiled or hardwood surfaces
- Soak, and then wash fruits and vegies, and other raw produce in a bath of HOCI before eating or cooking them
- Most importantly, only use homemade natural cleaning products to disinfect the house. This will preclude the need for evacuation-type scenarios
Some homes may have unique design and construction challenges that may make using cleaning and wipe-down techniques especially difficult. For instance, if yours is a house with high ceilings, or one that’s built with extensive tight-squeeze and hard to reach spaces, it may be difficult to access those places with your HOCI disinfectant cloth. But there’s a solution to your dilemma!
Use a portable EcoloxTech HOCL making system to produce large quantities of non toxic house cleaning product at home. Then, use a portable, handheld electrostatic fogger to effortlessly disinfect hard to reach places in the house, even ceilings, under stairwells and beneath kitchen counters and inside cabinets.
Other Uses of Hypochlorous Acid
We said earlier that hypochlorous acid is a general disinfectant. These are the other things that hypochlorous acid can be used to disinfect:
- Food Produce
- Meat
- Furniture
- Surgical/Medical Equipment
- Livestock
- Water
- Seafood
- Poultry
- Household furniture and fittings
- Toilets and bathrooms, among others.
