Most know that no matter how much they scrub and scrape at something, it won’t get any cleaner. That’s why cleaning supplies were invented and have continued to be improved upon over the years, for when elbow grease and water are just not enough. But how to choose? Let’s start with what you are trying to do: clean or disinfect?

As stated above, disinfecting attempts to remove germs, not just their breeding grounds. It is recommended that you regularly disinfect surfaces that come into contact with multiple people. (1) This is especially important when there are people who are, or have fallen, ill that probably came into contact with said surfaces. If children are involved, the need to disinfect is even stronger considering most younger children like to put things in their mouths.

The most popular and accessible cleaner is dish soap. This may be because it tends to be high-foaming and is gentle enough that skin irritation doesn’t happen often. Besides dishes, dish soap has many other convenient uses including: mopping floors (unless they are wood), removing laundry and carpet stains, wiping down various surfaces including appliances, air conditioner filters, and window blinds, clearing glass, degreasing kitchen cabinets, washing patio furniture, grills, concrete slabs, jewelry, and even your body during a shower. (2) To use dish soap for these tasks, some dilution with water is usually required. The best part is, there are many scents and brands to choose from to better fit your lifestyle.

The most popular disinfectant is probably the one that does its job the best, with the least harm to the user; this may be as simple as not having known, harmful chemicals included in its production, or that the user takes the correct precautions when handling the disinfectants. One of those precautions is to never disinfect in a small, enclosed space. You should always have a door or window open to allow any harmful fumes to escape.

Some other factors that may sway your choice to only clean, or only disinfect instead of doing a little of both (or even none at all) include hidden fees and dishonesty. Most people think hot water is always the best choice for cleaning and yes, hot water does usually make it easier and is for the best, but some products actually call for cold water; in those cases, the hot water would only make them ineffective. You may decide to focus on cleaners or disinfectants that use cold water to be more energy efficient because, “cleaning with hot water accounts for 10-15% of your energy bill.” (3)

Many people are aware that there are things in today’s world that are not always good for you. So, it is important to remember that many of our cleaning supplies and household products can indeed hurt us. There can be irritation of the eyes or throat, headaches and other health-related problems, including one of the biggest killers of all, cancer. Some might say, well then, I’ll just be sure to read the labels and ingredient list before I buy. But again, it’s not so simple because it just so happens, “manufacturers are not obligated by U.S. law to list all ingredients in consumer products.” (4)

When you really stop to think about it though, pretty much anything can be toxic to you (sunlight anyone?). It would be nice if the companies creating these products would be a little more honest so that users may, as they say, ‘pick their poison.’. Until then, be sure to do your research before buying a cleaner or disinfectant. At this point you might be wondering, why bother with these decisions at all? Well, our world could always get dirtier and more disease-filled as humans’ actions continue to be left unchecked as many are out of anyone’s control. Cleaners and disinfectants in general may not be your favorite choice, but they may just be you and your family’s best defense against the germs immediately affecting you. And this is because, as said in the opening, sometimes elbow grease isn’t enough.

Stay Sparklin’,

Gwen

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