# Low cost COVID cleaner / sanitizer



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I thought I'd share what I'm using for cleaning and sanitizing most surfaces. The following is what I use instead of things like lysol or bleach sprays. Those are expensive, in limited supply, have harsh fumes and are pretty harsh chemicals overall. Especially bleach.

I carry a small spray bottle (you can buy any sanitizer spray and re-use this bottle) and use this for surfaces. I think an important point here is that, because the contents are cheap, it can be used often and liberally. *It's also fine for hands*, which makes for flexible use in many scenarios. Can't do that with lysol wipes.

I don't go around sanitizing surfaces inside my home. Instead, I'm either cleaning things that I bring _into_ the home, or more frequently, things when I'm outdoors. For example I use car sharing and rental cars, and sanitize surfaces inside these cars. Or when I use the shared laundry room of my apartment building, I spray surfaces I'm going to touch or that could be contaminated. On a patio or table other people might have used, I will spray surfaces I'm likely to touch. And shopping cart handles, when they're parked outside and you're grabbing one another person recently returned.

For really high risk stuff (shared cars), I use the sanitizer spray liberally, and wipe it with paper towels. Other examples are doorknobs for entering the home, entryway light switches, faucet handles.

The main ingredient are these ethanol-based cleaners which have become plentiful thanks to our wonderful distilleries across Canada. In BC, there's lots of this product from Central City Brewers you'll see in the photo below. In SK/AB/MB, there's Minhas Distillery brand. The ones I've seen are 80% ethanol, plus some hydrogen peroxide and glycerin. A huge 750 mL bottle is around $15 and lasts several months for me.

It's CHEAP. Here's what I do with it:










I use one of these little spray bottles. Here it was already partially filled with the 80% ethanol stuff.










I add a small bit of liquid dish soap, because the soap ingredients are known to help destroy the virus's exterior. You can also see in the academic paper discussed here, a small amount of dish soap (3%) added to an alcohol cleaner actually enhances its virus-killing strength.










Then I fill the rest using this kind of 80% ethanol cleaner.

This is convenient to use ; cheap ; easy to refill ; the cleaner is not harsh ; the fumes are safer than other cleaners ; and the spray bottle has multiple purposes (hands, surfaces, objects).


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

One clarification: I occasionally use things like lysol or bleach in the home to thoroughly disinfect (really not very often).

But what I am dealing with much more often are risky things *outside* the home. That's where I use this liquid mix, pocket sized alcohol+soap spray.


----------



## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Thanks for sharing the above academic/scientific-backed disinfecting concoction of which I'll save a copy of so I can use later when I run out of Lysol wipes (used sparingly). And that I do find a store/pharmacy carrying alcohol with an 80% content. So far I have seen the highest alcohol content of 70/75% (ethanol or isoprophyl?) and nowhere near that 750ml size, biggest was only 500ml and it wasn't cheap either. 

Thus, I have been sticking with my little hydrogen peroxide (3% and no smell) sprays that I got cheaply at the dollar store, using that not-so-sparingly (it's also great for repelling flies too as it stings!) along with disposal gloves (sparingly) for the outdoors. Indoors, just use plain Ivory soap and water to wash hands & wipes down.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I do something similar. We bought a gallon jug of 99% isopropanol in the early days when hand sanitizer wasn’t available. At full strength it doesn’t work effective because it evaporates too quickly. I make my own hand sani with aloe and the rubbing alcohol, and put it in travel spray bottles. I will add a tad of hand soap on my next batch, that’s a good tip.

I also have Lysol spray in small travel bottle. I get 1.4 litres for about $12. It is stronger and has a shorter times it needs to kill the viruses Than the rubbing alchol. I also make Lysol wipes with this. I comformed it is the exact same chemical compound. I take bounty Select a size paper towel (can’t be a cheap brand), cut the roll In half so it is like 2 toilet paper rolls. I fold the paper towels like an accordion and put on the ziplock bag, and soak with Lysol. I also can take out the cardboard middle, put into an old Lysol container and soak. I have only had to open 1 container of wipes since this started. I bring the Lysol mini spray with me too because I find I can spray it on the surfaces like shopping carts for more even distribution than just the wipes. 

At home, I clean like I did before, so no real difference there.


----------



## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

It isn't a bad idea, though you have to keep a few things in mind. Alcohol will evaporate over time if not stored in an airtight container. So having a higher concentration to start will help with shelf-life. Likewise, peroxide is fairly unstable and decomposes readily in light which is why it is normally stored in brown coloured containers. I only mention this because you talk about lasting for months and I wouldn't want you to get the idea that it will be as effective over time as when you first make the batch.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

@bgc_fan Good point about the evaporation. i store my alochola in the original air tight container j til I need to make a batch. My batches are a tad larger as enusre have enough for everyone person to have at least two small spray bottles, which is about a cup of mix. The evaporation is also the reason I use Lysol still.


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm using Dawn Ultra antibacterial hand soap. It just happened to be available bulk and cheap whereas I typically use a milder/gentler hand soap

Dawn Ultra is a known cheap hack in the auto detailing scene to help remove old wax/sealant/protectant/oily products that are designed to endure mild soap washes (car wash soap is typically mild). Diluted isopropyl alcohol is also used after soap to ensure the new products can bond better to the paint.

The stronger soaps are more concentrated. Even better might be those orange shop soaps with the gritty agitator?


----------



## calm (May 26, 2020)

Do you know anything about black light ? 
Would this be easy or worthwhile to use in a home?

Using UV light to kill viruses like COVID-19
A scientist at Columbia University found UV-C is effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in laboratory settings.
----
UV-C (also called germicidal UV) products tout pathogen kill rates higher than 99.9%. Because of their effectiveness, they're incredibly useful for hospitals, medical labs, senior care centers, fire and police stations, airports, transit stations, schools, government buildings, office buildings, and hotels.
By Beth Tornberg
August 07, 2020








Using UV light to kill viruses like COVID-19


Germicidal UV light, or UVC, is known for its ability to kill germs. We take a look at the advantages, how it works, and if it's safe.



insights.regencylighting.com


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

^ The antibacterial agent is irrelevant for viruses. The soap does all the heavy lifting.


----------



## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

calm said:


> Do you know anything about black light ?
> Would this be easy or worthwhile to use in a home?
> 
> Using UV light to kill viruses like COVID-19
> ...


The UV lights will work, but there is a consideration for exposure time. I believe the time required is 10-30 seconds. They can be fairly easy to travel with and probably useful for things that generally can't get wet like paper and cardboard.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Nice to hear all these ideas! Thanks to everyone who is sharing.

Regarding paper, I should mention that these alcohol cleaners can really mess up printed paper or ink in general (on plastic too). For example when there's a receipt or label, if I spray it with the alcohol cleaner and wipe a bit, the ink comes right off.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

calm said:


> Do you know anything about black light ?
> Would this be easy or worthwhile to use in a home?
> 
> Using UV light to kill viruses like COVID-19


 UV-C can be very effective for killing viruses. However, the little sands the are being sold for home use are not that effective and my have harmful human side effects. In order for the UV-C light to kill viruses, the light must come in direct contact with the virus for 10-90 seconds depending the strength of the light. Hospital and commercial grade lights would be in the lower end, home lights on the higher end. If there is wand style where there is light coming out, UV-C light exposure is harmful to humans. I have a UV-C light in my filter, but it is completely enclosed And only does the air. There are UVC boxes which could come in handy to sterilize soft products made out of cloth or paper like masks., N95 especially. It could be used for phone and small items , but k find it easily to spray and wipe the items down. 

With my kids going back to school, I may get a box so they can sterilize their masks each night. Otherwise, for day to day cleaning, anything you buy for home use will not be good enough.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

m3s said:


> I'm using Dawn Ultra antibacterial hand soap. It just happened to be available bulk and cheap whereas I typically use a milder/gentler hand soap
> 
> Dawn Ultra is a known cheap hack in the auto detailing scene to help remove old wax/sealant/protectant/oily products that are designed to endure mild soap washes (car wash soap is typically mild). Diluted isopropyl alcohol is also used after soap to ensure the new products can bond better to the paint.
> 
> The stronger soaps are more concentrated. Even better might be those orange shop soaps with the gritty agitator?


Good point about Dawn Ultra. This does seem to be one of the stronger soaps/detergents out there. Probably a good cleaner to use during COVID, either for washing with water, or adding to an alcohol solution.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Beaver101 said:


> So far I have seen the highest alcohol content of 70/75% (ethanol or isoprophyl?) and nowhere near that 750ml size, biggest was only 500ml and it wasn't cheap either.


You might want to try Safeway & Sobeys stores. In BC & MB, they have tons of this stuff. Try asking customer service or the pharmacy if they have seen bottles of 80% ethanol hand cleaner.

Some pharmacies also have isopropyl alcohol, but I've found these much harder to find, which is why I loaded up on this type.

I anticipate there will be shortages in cleaners this winter.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

You can find 99% isopropanol usually at electronics places. Then dilute to the concentration you need


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

james4beach said:


> In BC, there's lots of this product from Central City Brewers you'll see in the photo below. In SK/AB/MB, there's Minhas Distillery brand. The ones I've seen are 80% ethanol, plus some hydrogen peroxide and glycerin. A huge 750 mL bottle is around $15 and lasts several months for me.


I'm also using this liquid to sanitize money (coins and bills). I just put down a sheet of paper towel, spray onto the bills/coins, and then wipe them. Flip over and wipe the other side as well.

The 80% ethanol does not seem to damage the paper bills.


----------



## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

james4beach said:


> I'm also using this liquid to sanitize money (coins and bills). I just put down a sheet of paper towel, spray onto the bills/coins, and then wipe them. Flip over and wipe the other side as well.
> 
> The 80% ethanol does not seem to damage the paper bills.


good For you for being so thorough. I recently witnessed a friend who is still wiping down groceries before they enter the home.

We’ve given up on most of the “thorough cleaning” techniques. After shopping we use Hand sanitizer in the car and wash hands when we re-enter the home. Infection rates are current around 50 per 100,000 in our area. 

are we being too lackadaisical?


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Money172375 said:


> good For you for being so thorough. I recently witnessed a friend who is still wiping down groceries before they enter the home.
> 
> We’ve given up on most of the “thorough cleaning” techniques. After shopping we use Hand sanitizer in the car and wash hands when we re-enter the home. Infection rates are current around 50 per 100,000 in our area.
> 
> are we being too lackadaisical?


I think one should adjust to current infection conditions in the area. The BC numbers are rapidly rising right now, so I'm on high alert.

The groceries... I have always wiped plastic surfaces, things like containers. I only wipe smooth plastic as the recommendations seem to be that the virus survives best on smooth, hard, non porous surfaces. So for example I will quickly wipe a plastic yogurt container or any other smooth plastic. I do not wipe paper or cardboard containers, or produce.

Since this only means wiping a couple items out of the entire grocery trip, yeah, I always do it -- and have been doing it consistently since March. Like you, I also use hand sanitizer after exiting the store, and re-wash hands at home. I don't think too much more is needed for hands.

I also wipe milk containers and cartons, because they are a waxy (pretty smooth) surface and people tend to touch these a lot. But generally I'm only wiping plastic.

At the same time, the guidance coming from health people seems to be pointing increasingly to the human-to-human spread (talking, spitting, indoor time together) as a greater threat than viruses found on surfaces. So I'm a little less concerned about surfaces now than I once was. By the way, I get takeout food quite often and I'm not too worried about that. I still do wipe plastic containers though.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I haven't been doing any wiping of packages or containers. I just come home, carry things in, wash my hands, put things away and wash my hands again. I'm kind of counting on decay of the virus on surfaces. Not sure there is all that much evidence of people picking up the virus from fomites vs direct person-to-person transmission through the air or droplets.


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

james4beach said:


> I'm also using this liquid to sanitize money (coins and bills). I just put down a sheet of paper towel, spray onto the bills/coins, and then wipe them. Flip over and wipe the other side as well.
> 
> The 80% ethanol does not seem to damage the paper bills.


You use money?


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Spudd said:


> You use money?


Sure! Cash is nice and anonymous. Plus some local vendors (in particular my local sushi joint) prefer it, probably because credit card transaction costs are prohibitive when you're mainly selling $5 and $10 items.

I also gave a $10 cash tip to a delivery guy today. Lots of great uses for cash.


----------



## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

About 8 years ago I was gifted a bunch of basic lab chemistry stuff from a pal who ran biotech that could not trace the chems to fda satisfaction after a bankruptcy of the us parent.

Most I use as basic chems in my home photo darkroom work. 

So Covid and scarce sanitizer situations come along and I had about 10l of 99% isopropyl alcohol stored in tins in the garage. Mix a bit of glycerin to combat the alcohol's drying effectt and a small bit of biocide to keep the water and glycerin part from getting slimey. 

Put it into empty small perfume spray bottles or car refresh spray bottles. Leave in car, and at front door, and in purse,etc, to squirt hands after being out of and otherwise more sterile place.

Oh, and for before and after taking mask off, when I remember to do that step.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Ponderling said:


> So Covid and scarce sanitizer situations come along and I had about 10l of 99% isopropyl alcohol stored in tins in the garage. Mix a bit of glycerin to combat the alcohol's drying effectt and a small bit of biocide to keep the water and glycerin part from getting slimey.


Sounds like a solid mix. Though at 99%, it may evaporate too quickly to remain on the surface. Based on my very limited understanding of this, slower evaporation helps kill more bugs because of increased contact with the bugs. So you might get better results from diluting it down a bit to slow the rate of evaporation.

I'm just buying this prepackaged stuff. What is your opinion on the effectiveness of 80% ethanol + small amount of glycerol? It's pretty easy on the hands but I hope it's actually killing viruses.


----------



## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

actually when I mix starting with 99% I add enough water after glycerine so we end up with just over 70% isopropyl alcohol in the final solution


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

james4beach said:


> I'm just buying this prepackaged stuff. What is your opinion on the effectiveness of 80% ethanol + small amount of glycerol? It's pretty easy on the hands but I hope it's actually killing viruses.


Just make sure your prodcut t isn’t on the recall. There are slot with ethanol in the list 

Sanitizer recall list


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

I just wash my hands, I don't use paper money, but since it's plastic you can wash it, or douse in alcohol if you want.


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Plugging Along said:


> Just make sure your prodcut t isn’t on the recall. There are slot with ethanol in the list
> 
> Sanitizer recall list


??

I'd hope that ethanol based hand sanitizers have ethanol.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

MrMatt said:


> ??
> 
> I'd hope that ethanol based hand sanitizers have ethanol.


i just read the recall quickly. There were a lot on the list that were recalled that had ethanol. I didn’t know if James had those brand’s


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Plugging Along said:


> i just read the recall quickly. There were a lot on the list that were recalled that had ethanol. I didn’t know if James had those brand’s


I think you misread.
They SHOULD have ethanol, that's the active ingredient in hand sanitizer!

There are alcohol free hand sanitizer, but they're a small fraction of the market.


----------



## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> i just read the recall quickly. There were a lot on the list that were recalled that had ethanol. I didn’t know if James had those brand’s


To be clear, it was the wrong grade of ethanol that was used. It was technical grade ethanol that was used which has more impurities than food or pharmaceutical grade ethanol. Recall of certain hand sanitizers that may pose health risks - Recalls and safety alerts


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

bgc_fan said:


> To be clear, it was the wrong grade of ethanol that was used. It was technical grade ethanol that was used which has more impurities than food or pharmaceutical grade ethanol. Recall of certain hand sanitizers that may pose health risks - Recalls and safety alerts


The stuff I use on my hands has not been recalled. It's made by a small local company (Pure Joy Naturals in Winkler MB) and I bought tons of it during the winter. A really nice mix of isopropyl alcohol plus some essential oils ... it's very easy on the hands.

It appears to have been made by special arrangement with Sobeys. I love this kind of thing and I wish these big stores like Sobeys/Safeway received more appreciation for filling the shelves this winter. Some very sharp people, both at Sobeys and these local producers, really did a great job making deals and supplying the product.

At a time when all hand sanitizer everywhere was gone, the Sobeys/Safeways in Winnipeg had a seemingly endless supply of this stuff... locally made a few km away. Same with the ethanol cleaner from Minhas distillery (SK), also clearly a special arrangement. The 80% ethanol cleaner I mentioned in BC is from another Canadian distillery, Central City Brewers.


----------

