 The makers of home cleaning products apear to be committed to making your house not only clean and sparkling but also totally antiseptic. In recent years, manufacturers have introduced hundreds, if not thousands of every days cleaning agents labeled "antibacterial" or disinfectant." There are now antibacterial products for almost every kind of cleaning job you might want to undertake.WHAT CONSUMER REPORTS TESTS HAVE FOUND A variety of disinfectant products are used to kill bacteria and germs on dishes, household surfaces and fabrics. Disinfectant cleaners for hard surfaces--such as floors, sinks, and countertops--contain chlorine bleach, quaternary ammonium compounds, pine oil, or ethyl alcohol as their active ingredients. All of these work against common disease-causing viruses and bacteria. Strictly speaking, antibacterials kill only bacteria, while disinfectants kill viruses and mildew (So there IS a difference.) as well. When you want instant disinfecting because you need to prepare food on a surface that was just touched by raw meat or meat juices, use a disinfectant appropriate for the surface, preferably a product containing chlorine bleach. Make sure you read the product's labeling carefully and follow any instructions about use on surfaces that touch food. Disinfectants may make you feel that your home is safe from germs, but because most bacteria is airborne and most disinfectants can cause problems in waterways by killing helpful bacteria (especially in septic tanks), use disinfectants with discretion. Focus on controlling viruses and bacteria where they are most likely to to cause illness. Normal cleaning is sufficient for walls, drapes and blinds, bedding, floors, and other dry surfaces where germs do not survive long. Ordinary cleaners can suffice even for toilet bowls, there's little chance that germs there can infect you and your family. Unless mold or mildew is a problem, you generally don't need disinfectants in your bathroom at all. Cleaning thoroughly with an all-purpose cleaner or bathroom cleaner and hot water will usually do the trick. THE LIMITS OF DISINFECTANT  Cleaning products manufacturers have ingeniously incorporated the antibacterial chemical triclosan in dozens of durable products--cutting boards, shower curtains, knife handles, socks, pillows, mattress pads, underwear--usually under the trade name Microban.According to Consumer Reports, these products containing this chemical offer minimal advantage. While the triclosan does inhibit the growth of bacteria and mildew within the product it's on, the main effect is to prevent bad odors. The truth is that there isn't enough Microban on the surface of these products to stop the accumulation of bacteria there, where they pose the reatest hazard. So evein if your cutting board or mattress pad has Microban in it, you will still have to clean it properly if you want its surface (and judging by the information I've been reading about these particular products, it ONLY covers the surface) to be free of disease-causing germs. |
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