Tag: hydrogen peroxide

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The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning After Your Child Gets Sick - Without the Toxins

The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning After Your Child Gets Sick - Without the Toxins

As a parent, it is a top priority to keep your child and your home healthy and clean. However, traditional cleaning methods often involve harsh chemicals that can be harmful to your family's health and the environment. In this ultimate guide, we will show you how to clean after your child gets sick without the toxins, using simple and effective nontoxic solutions.

Why Use Nontoxic Solutions?

Nontoxic solutions are free of harsh chemicals and are gentler on the skin and the environment. They do not release harmful fumes or leave behind toxic residue, reducing the risk of respiratory or skin irritation. Moreover, nontoxic disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar are proven to be effective against common germs and viruses, making them the perfect solution for keeping your home clean and germ-free.

In recent years, the use of toxic cleaning products has come under scrutiny due to their potential health risks. Exposure to toxic cleaning chemicals has been linked to a range of health problems, including respiratory issues, headaches, skin irritation, and even cancer. Children, who are still developing and have weaker immune systems, are especially vulnerable to the negative effects of these chemicals.

However, the good news is that nontoxic solutions offer a safe and effective alternative. Not only are they better for your health, but they are also better for the environment. Nontoxic solutions are biodegradable, so they break down naturally without harming the environment. This makes them a more sustainable choice for cleaning after your child gets sick.

8 Items You Need to Disinfect After Your Child Gets Sick

  • Toys: Children often put toys in their mouths, making them a hot spot for germs. Nontoxic solutions like white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect toys, keeping your child safe. To clean toys, simply mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the toys and let them air dry. For plastic toys, you can also add a few drops of tea tree oil, which is known for its antimicrobial properties.
  • Doorknobs and light switches: These items are frequently touched and can easily spread germs. Disinfect them regularly to prevent the spread of illness. To clean doorknobs and light switches, simply spray them with a solution of 70% alcohol or a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water. Wipe them down with a clean cloth and let them air dry.
  • Bedding and towels: After your child has been sick, it is important to wash bedding and towels in hot water to kill any germs. For an extra boost, add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. White vinegar has natural antimicrobial properties, and it can help kill germs and freshen the laundry.
  • Toilet: The toilet is a prime location for germs, and it is essential to disinfect it after your child has been sick. Nontoxic solutions like hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar are effective for cleaning toilets. To clean a toilet, simply add a cup of hydrogen peroxide to the bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush. For a more powerful cleaning solution, add a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar to the bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrub and flush.
  • Kitchen: The kitchen can easily become contaminated with germs from raw meat, fruits, and vegetables. Nontoxic solutions like white vinegar can be used to disinfect kitchen surfaces and utensils. To clean countertops and cutting boards, simply spray them with a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water. Wipe down with a clean cloth and let air dry. To disinfect utensils, soak them in a bowl of hot water and white vinegar for 5-10 minutes, then wash with soap and water.
  • Carpets and furniture: Carpets and furniture can harbor germs and allergens, making them important to clean after your child has been sick. Nontoxic solutions like baking soda and white vinegar can be used to clean carpets and furniture. To clean carpets, sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then vacuum. To clean furniture, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the furniture and wipe down with a clean cloth.
  • Baby gear: When it comes to cleaning baby gear like car seats and strollers, it's essential to use a disinfectant that is safe for your child AND the safety components of the gear. Nontoxic solutions like hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar are a great option for most things, but when it comes to child car seats it may be safer to leave that to the pros. To disinfect strollers, use a mixture of equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water. Spray the solution on the stroller and wipe down with a clean cloth. Make sure to let the stroller air dry completely before using it again.
  • Bathroom: The bathroom is another prime location for germs, and it is essential to disinfect it after your child has been sick. Nontoxic solutions like hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can be used to clean the bathroom. To clean the sink and shower, mix equal parts of baking soda and water in a bowl. Apply the mixture to the sink and shower, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then rinse with water. To clean the toilet bowl, follow the steps outlined in item 4.

In conclusion, it's crucial to maintain a clean and healthy home, especially after your child has been sick. Choosing non-toxic solutions like hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and baking soda, will not only protect your family's health but also help preserve the environment. Don't let illness spread in your home, take immediate action by regularly cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched items, bedding, towels, bathroom, and baby gear. The power to have a healthy home is in your hands. Start today, and experience the peace of mind that comes with a toxin-free environment for your family.

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Hydrogen peroxide is used as a fogging agent. should it be though?

Full disclosure, we offer a disinfectant fogging service. We do not use hydrogen peroxide for some of the reasons outlined here.

Hydrogen Peroxide For Fogging?

Change is Here

The pandemic brought about a lot of change in the world, particularly in the cleaning industry. We’ve seen the use of PPE explode, which meant resources we’ve been using in the industry for decades became scarce and expensive. Disinfectants that were once commonplace are now replaced with EPA List “N” chemicals. Companies have turned to “enhanced” cleaning practices, which means now they are actually cleaning. Another change has been the rapid adoption of electrostatic sprayers and ultra-low-volume foggers.

From classrooms to churches to casinos to mom-and-pop storefronts, fogging has been deployed as a reliable, common sense solution to effectively combat viruses and other germs. Professionally, we’ve been using foggers for over a decade before the pandemic started and have been pushing for their use in the industry for a long time. To finally see foggers get their time in the sun is fantastic, but as with any rapid adoption, it comes with risks.

One of those risks is improper application. Specifically, what is being used in the fogger as the disinfectant? Not all disinfectants are created equal and not all disinfectants are meant for fogging. For instance, you wouldn’t want to use bleach to fog with due to its myriad of detrimental health consequences. However, a very popular solution people have turned to is hydrogen peroxide. While hydrogen peroxide is known to be a good nontoxic solution for disinfecting, it has many risk factors to consider as a fogging agent. We’ll highlight a handful below.

Dilution Rate

In order for any disinfectant to be effective, the proper dilution rate must be achieved. One cannot simply eyeball an amount of disinfectant and slosh it around with water and expect to effectively disinfect. Hydrogen peroxide is no different. What percent of it do you need to kill germs? Can you use tap water to dilute it? Is the mixing container contaminated with other chemicals rendering the H2O2 useless?

Those questions are reason enough to go with a ready-to-use (RTU) solution. The dilution is already optimal. However, in my research, an RTU hydrogen peroxide for fogging does not exist.

Yellowing

Making proper dilution even more important, hydrogen peroxide, like bleach, has oxidative properties. Apply H2O2 to a fabric that is not colorfast and watchout! Yellowing or whitening may occur (just like bleach). When fogging spaces that contain high-value inventory or precious, priceless items do you want to take that risk or allow a company who’s internal controls you can’t verify destroy thousands of dollars of goods?

Reaction with other chemicals

It’s true that, by itself, hydrogen peroxide is nontoxic; but it breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen. That latter element is known to be highly reactive with other elements. When H2O2 reacts with chemicals or their residue from prior cleaning, toxic gasses can form leading to detrimental health consequences. Imagine a janitorial crew cleaning with bleach (as most traditional services do). Now imagine that a few minutes later the fogging service comes in with hydrogen peroxide to fog with. If ventilation is not adequate, what happens?

Flammability

Hydrogen peroxide is not typically flammable. However, H2O2 is known to enhance the flammable effects of other combustible compounds because it does break down into oxygen. As we know, oxygen feeds fire.

Return to Space

No, not that space! Return to space or RTS is how long it takes you to re-enter your space, dwelling or what have you. While I do recommend an opportunity for the space to air out--45 minutes to an hour or so-- fogging with hydrogen peroxide can lead to an RTS time over 24 hours. If you are trying to continue operations or want to forgo the expense of a hotel room, H2O2 may not be the best fogging solution.

Not Approved

Every disinfectant sold on the market must be registered with the EPA. The EPA registration includes a review of the disinfectant's efficacy such as log reduction, dwell time, hazards, application and such. Hydrogen peroxide sold in the market follows this same process.

Read the label of most H2O2 bottles and notice there is no mention of use in a fogger. This means that using H2O2 in a fogger is a severe violation of EPA regulations.

There are disinfectants approved for use in foggers. Hydrogen Peroxide is not likely one of them.

The Bottom Line

Hydrogen peroxide is a great nontoxic disinfectant in general; just not as a fogging agent.