The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way that consumers shopped for Clorox and Lysol wipes and spray. There are three non-toxic alternatives that can take their place and are effective.
Gone are the everyday cleaning supplies that consumers routinely use, left are the non-toxic alternatives sitting lonely on the shelves.
Pre-pandemic this was unheard of, for consumers to go to the market and not see the shelves stocked with Clorox and Lysol wipes or spray. Walk into your neighborhood market today, and you’ll still see barren shelves.
Panic buying is the moment that we’re in, with everyone being guided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to routinely wipe down and clean most commonly used surfaces in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.
It’s not surprising that consumers are going to pick up trusted brands, and out of sheer desperation to have a disinfectant on hand, pick up the non-familiar non-toxic brand that’s left.
At this point, having a reliable disinfectant is imperative.
People are still testing positive, the vulnerable in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are dying at incredibly fast rates due to comorbidity, and nurses in hospitals are still asking for N95 respirator masks.
In conjunction with states reopening.
As of May 4, Florida is in Phase One of reopening. Establishments that are able to, have to make sure to follow federal guidelines, as well the CDC guidelines.
Review:
These guidelines ensure the use of social distancing, hand washing, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, to not only protect the health and safety of workers, but also consumers who want to get out of their houses for the first time in 2-3 months.
The alternatives that are left on the shelves, are a better buy than the commercial brands.
According to a Today Show article, Clorox and Lysol bleach wipes are on back order and won’t fully be in stock until June and July.
There are naturally derived ingredients that perform the same function as the chemicals that are found in the common household products, which makes switching to the alternative cleaners a good choice for the environment.
Important characteristics to look for are the antimicrobial actives, disinfectant, which kills germs and bacteria and the surfactant, detergent, which provides the cleaning capability.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, ingredients that have the green circle, are “low concern based on experimental and modeled data.”
These ingredients are citric and lactic acid that derive from corn, and ethanol that can be fermented from starches to provide disinfecting qualities.
Palm-kernel oil which is a fatty acid, and decyl glucoside is a sugar alcohol that comes from corn and coconut to provide cleaning qualities.
I went to my local Target to purchase these items, and all of them were under five dollars.
Three alternative products that contain these ingredients:
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner
Method All Purpose Cleaner
Ever Spring All Purpose Cleaner (Target brand)
Each of these products has its pros and cons. Here is how each of them fared on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces:
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