Many times, due to being carefree, a lot of people fall sick or even die from using contaminated items. When your household appliances or personal items are contaminated, you are very likely to catch a disease or fall ill. Most times, merely washing items with soap can not decontaminate them.
You might have to make use of a cleaning solution. Some cleaning solutions also have disinfectant properties that will help you get rid of bacteria and germs. Spending some extra time sterilizing contaminated items will do you more good.
Below are some cleaning solutions you should use to sterilize contaminated items:
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BLEACH:
Bleach is very good at disinfecting surfaces and killing germs. Apart from its uses in the laundry, Bleach can also help you decontaminate tabletops, toilet floors, toilet bowls, and even some household materials. Bleach has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that enable it to kill off germs when it comes in contact with them.
Bleach is not intended to sterilize contaminated items that are for food. Bleach is poisonous when it gets into the human body, even the fumes are not good to be inhaled, so do not use bleach to sterilize plates, cups, spoons, or even your baby’s bottles.
However, as a precautionary measure, do not use bleach with a mixture of ammonia cause this is deadly.
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RUBBING ALCOHOL:
Rubbing alcohol is a very good household disinfectant. Rubbing alcohol is a very powerful solution used in killing germs, fungi, and many other microbes. it is not commonly used in house cleaning but you can make use of it to clean your house.
You can make use of rubbing alcohol to disinfect surfaces like doorknobs, tabletops, glass, and even wooden surfaces. Rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly when used on surfaces.
Using rubbing alcohol for very large surfaces like floors is not always very effective because rubbing alcohol comes in very small quantities most times.
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HYDROGEN PEROXIDE:
Hydrogen peroxide can serve as a solution for sterilization. Hydrogen peroxide is very effective for killing germs. You can use hydrogen peroxide to clean table surfaces, tops, doorknobs, and even some household tools. Hydrogen peroxide has germicidal properties and it enables it to serve as a sterilization solution.
However, it is not suitable for metal appliances. Asides from that, hydrogen peroxide is a very good decontaminator and can be used to sterilize contaminated items.
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VINEGAR:
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant that you can use in place of bleach. If you are looking for something similar to bleach that you can use to disinfect your utensils or items that you are not comfortable with using harsh chemicals on you can use vinegar.
It has antimicrobial properties and it can get rid of some bacteria and microbes on food surfaces too but it is not very powerful. Vinegar is not known to kill all bacteria and germs that’s why it is used for surfaces that do not need harsh disinfection.
Cleaning sometimes is not just enough to get all that dirt out of the item, sterilization is very important. Sometimes we may think that because an item looks clean it is sterile, that is a wrong thought pattern.
Sterilization is very important and needed in many areas like hospitals and homes and it is important for personal health and hygiene.
Getting rid of bacteria is as good as getting rid of disease as diseases are not always necessarily caused by the seen dirt but by bacteria, fungi, and viruses that lie on surfaces like floors, shelves, toilet bowls, doorknobs, and tables.
Germs and bacteria are not seen with the naked eye and they cause more diseases than dust and sand which we can see. Especially for items used for sensitive parts of the body or for invalid people or babies, sterilization is very important.
If you do not have a sterilization solution, you can use other methods such as boiling the items (that are not heat sensitive) in water.
TIPS ON HOW TO CARRY OUT SAFE DISINFECTION AND SANITIZATION.
Disinfection and sanitization help us to get rid of some microbes which are not wiped off or killed during normal cleaning. Most times disinfection can be done with some harsh chemicals and this may harm the user if proper care and procedures are not taken into consideration.
These are the tips on how you can carry out safe disinfection and sanitization on contaminated items:
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READ LABELS:
When purchasing a disinfectant, always make sure that you read the label to know how to use that particular product. Most products always come with certain instructions on how to use them.
Sometimes we ignore these instructions and this can be harmful to us if we happen to use the products the way they shouldn’t be used.
Always make sure that you read the labels and clearly follow the instructions to get the best of the products. Instructions like “flammable” or “keep away from children” should be adhered to.
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AVOID EXPOSING YOUR SKIN TO DISINFECTANT:
Harsh disinfectants and chemicals for cleaning toilets and floors should not be used on the skin. This is because most of these disinfectants for walls, toilets, and floors are not suitable for human skin.
Make sure that you protect yourself while using these to avoid them from causing harm to your skin or your eyes. Make sure that you do not use disinfectant products on your pets as this can also harm them too. Avoid getting your food exposed to disinfectants to avoid eating harmful chemicals.
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KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN:
There are many cases of children who have died from swallowing or drinking disinfectant solutions. If you are a mother or you have a child around, make sure that you keep your disinfectants somewhere safe and far from the reach of the children.
Do not allow your children to play with disinfectants. Always make sure that you keep your disinfectants in a closed cupboard or on top shelves. Disinfectants when ingested can cause death.
Also, make sure that you are careful to use your disinfectants when the children are not watching. Children are curious and sometimes they can watch you know where you keep the disinfectant.
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LABEL YOUR BOTTLES:
Be careful to label your bottles where you keep your disinfectants. Write boldly “disinfectant” on it, if you are using a different packaging from what it came in. Make sure you are not keeping disinfectants in a bottle that is similar to something else used in the house to avoid mix up.
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DO NOT MIX UP DISINFECTANTS:
Do not mix two different commercial disinfectants together. Most times two different disinfectants may contain chemicals that are not suitable for each other. Mixing them will produce a poisonous solution or fume that may harm you.
Make sure that you do not mix disinfectant solutions containing bleach with ammonia as this can produce poisonous chlorine gas which is harmful to the eyes and lungs.
Always make sure that you know what your disinfectant contains in order not to make the mistake of mixing it with the wrong chemical.
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WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR:
For disinfectants that contain harmful chemicals, please make sure that you use the protective clothing recommended on the label of the products when making use of it.
Some chemicals may produce fumes that may be harmful to you. You may need to wear a nose cover or a face mask. Ensure that you are not exposing yourself to harm when using a disinfectant product.
Also ensure that when disinfecting or sanitizing, you open the windows and doors for ventilation. This will make sure that you don’t get choked by fumes that may come out of the disinfectant.
The reason why we sanitize and disinfect is to reduce the number of germs in our surroundings. Sometimes cleaning with soap and water is not just enough. you may have to go a step further with disinfecting.
Cleaning is the first step to take. When you clean, you remove from surface dirt, stains, and other contaminants but however, disinfection is very needed if you intend to remove and kill the unseen bacteria and microbes lying on surfaces.
It’s very advisable to disinfect contaminated items even though they look clean because disinfection and sterilization help protect one from getting infected with diseases through contact.
Make sure you sterilize and disinfect your house or your items and even your clothes. Do not only disinfect when someone is ill make it a habit to ensure that your environment is always free from disease-causing microbes.
Care should be taken also when disinfecting as most disinfectants are made from strong chemicals. It is very advisable to protect yourself with protective gear when carrying out sterilization or disinfection. Disinfectants will help kill bacteria but can also harm you when not properly used.
Do not disinfect your house while it’s still dirty, Cleaning is the first step before disinfection and sterilization. They go hand in hand. Frequent cleaning and sterilization is a habit when cultivated, helps minimize the chances of falling ill.
