Cleaning & Disinfecting Surfaces During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus or COVID-19?

These 2 terms are often used interchangeably, but it’s important to know the difference. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illness in humans or animals. COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that is caused by a novel strain of coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2.

COVID-19 causes major health problems like pneumonia, shortness of breath, and organ failure, and with no vaccine on the horizon, we all need to play our part in fighting this devastating disease.

Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

Here are some steps you can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO):

Wash your hands frequently
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
Cover your cough using the bend of your elbow or tissue
Maintain social distancing
Stay at home if you feel unwell
If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early – but call first
Stay informed and get information from trusted sources

coronavirus guide to prevent spread gif

How Long does the Virus Stay on Surfaces?

COVID-19 is classified as a respiratory illness which means that the disease is typically spread via airborne droplets. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets carrying viral particles are spread into the air which can then land onto surfaces, where the virus can live for up to 72 hours! These surfaces NEED to be disinfected.

coronavirus covid-19 lifetime on plastic cardboard metal steel

Fight COVID-19 by Cleaning & Disinfecting Surfaces

What’s the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? Cleaning is the physical removal of germs, dirt & impurities from surfaces. It does not eliminate germs but reduces their number and lowers the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting is using chemicals to eliminate germs. Disinfecting actually kills the germs.

coronavirus covid-19 sanitizing recommendation

Importance of Alcohol-based Sanitizers Vs Coronavirus

So what disinfectants should we be using? Not all disinfectants are made equal. To efficiently eliminate pathogens, a sanitizer must contain 70% to 90% alcohol as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

For a 75% alcohol-based surface sanitizer with medical-grade purity, read more here.

sanitizer alcohol based disable coronavirus

Why 70% IPA is Effective for Disinfection?

Isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol), also known as isopropanol or IPA, is the most common and widely used disinfectant. It is present in pharmaceutics, hospitals, clean rooms, and electronics or medical device manufacturing.

IPA, particularly in solutions between 60% and 90% alcohol with 10 – 40% purified water, is highly effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Below 50% alcohol concentration, usefulness for disinfection drops sharply. Likewise, higher concentrations of IPA don’t generate more desirable bactericidal, virucidal, or fungicidal properties. For example, formulations with over 91% IPA kill bacteria, but sometimes they require longer contact times for disinfection, allowing spores to remain in a dormant state without being killed.

But Not All IPAs are made equal

There are actually several grades of IPA. The higher the purity of IPA, the fewer the contaminants. A 99.9% purity means that there will be a lower percentage (0.1%) of possible contaminants in the solution. Different grades have different use cases.

Furthermore, one can generally purchase IPA as pure IPA or recycled IPA. Recycled IPA originates from previously used IPA that undergoes filtering and purification.

This process reduces waste and lowers emissions.

Generally, people use IPA at strengths between 98% and 99.9% for disinfecting purposes. It dries faster due to high evaporation rates and finds application in many industries for disinfecting hard surfaces such as kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas.

Hidden Dangers of Disinfectants

Some brands off the shelf contain ingredients that can cause harm. Chemicals such as benzalkonium chloride are known carcinogens that have been shown to cause blindness. In general, avoid products that contain hazardous chemicals such as:

Butane – Classified by the European Union as carcinogens, mutagens, or reproductive toxicants.
Eugenol – Designated as asthmagens by the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics.
t-Butyl Alcohol – Detected to cause cancer, renal adenomas and carcinomas in male rats, thyroid adenomas in female mice.
Isobutane – Classified by the European Union as carcinogens, mutagens, or reproductive toxicants.

Alcohol-based Surface Sanitizer with Medical-grade Purity

According to the recommendations of WHO, Ecoclean Pure formulates a 75% alcohol-based surface sanitizer that has demonstrated effectiveness against coronaviruses.

Made with medical-grade alcohol purity, plant-based ecoclean pure eliminates up to 99.99% bacteria, mold & viruses 💪🏼

sanitizer alcohol based eliminate virus mold bacteria ecoclean pure

And just for the record…

ecoclean pure was put to the test against 5 common pathogens. Check the 99.99% kill rate 😎

ecoclean pure challenge test pathogens

For more information on ecoclean Pure, read here.

If you’re in Malaysia and wish to purchase the product, we’re selling on Lazada and Shopee.

References:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-suggests-new-coronavirus-may-remain-surfaces-days
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html
https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext
https://blog.gotopac.com/2017/05/15/why-is-70-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-a-better-disinfectant-than-99-isopropanol-and-what-is-ipa-used-for/
https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals
http://www.permulab.com.my/microbiology.php
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313475187_Antibacterial_Effects_of_Aloe_Vera_Extracts_on_some_Human_and_Animal_Bacterial_Pathogens

Note: This product is not available for sale in North America