ISO Clorox wipes or their equivalent?
July 15, 2020 12:52 PM Subscribe
I'm sure they're dreadful for the environment, but I feel like my house hasn't been clean since I stopped being able to get bleach wipes. I have been completely unable to find any online, and am trying to avoid searching place to place in person (I'm in DC, no car) for just this one thing.
The random online substitutes I've been able to find smell awful. So - what are you using in their place? I usually use them to clean up after my long-haired cat, wipe down the bathroom, and just generally make surfaces not-sticky.
Any help on where to get them now or what to use in their place?
Thanks for your help with this super low-stakes question!
The random online substitutes I've been able to find smell awful. So - what are you using in their place? I usually use them to clean up after my long-haired cat, wipe down the bathroom, and just generally make surfaces not-sticky.
Any help on where to get them now or what to use in their place?
Thanks for your help with this super low-stakes question!
Clorox wipes don't contain any bleach even though made by a company that sells bleach, They do however disinfect if used correctly so you'd probably get by just fine with a good disinfecting surface spray & microfibre cloth (or paper towel if being disposable is something you're after). If it's just for cleaning I like a lot of the scents of Mrs Meyers brand or Simply Green, if you want disinfecting power as well Lysol makes a range of disinfecting sprays that also clean.
If you particularly want bleach but don't like the smell, there are low odor & scented options available and make sure you dilute it enough you need very little in a gallon of water & it reduces the smell, well to my nose anyway, if diluted to the right ratios for everyday cleaning.
posted by wwax at 1:12 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
If you particularly want bleach but don't like the smell, there are low odor & scented options available and make sure you dilute it enough you need very little in a gallon of water & it reduces the smell, well to my nose anyway, if diluted to the right ratios for everyday cleaning.
posted by wwax at 1:12 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
Make a sanitizing dilution of bleach and water (around a tablespoon of bleach to a pint of water). Get a spray bottle meant for chemicals if you want the bottle to last longer than a month. Use white kitchen towels/rags (not paper towels) and wash those in bleachy water when they get dirty. To truly sanitize, you need to let the dilute solution sit on the non-porous surfaces for several minutes before wiping up. (This is the case even with wipes/lysol sprays/etc., btw.)
posted by lovecrafty at 1:18 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by lovecrafty at 1:18 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
We're mostly using a spray bottle with diluted bleach and these cloths. They're made to be sanitized in the dishwasher, so we chuck them into every load. They have been very durable so far and my husband loves them.
posted by katieinshoes at 1:35 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by katieinshoes at 1:35 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
The active ingredient is Benzalkonium chloride (alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, adbac), a mild surfectant (a soap, detergent).
They don't actually disinfect all that well - look for the asterisk next to the claims of 99.9(whatever)%, it's only achieved if the stuff stays on for, like, a full 10 minutes without drying out.
I'm not a fan of spraying bleach around (it bleaches stuff) except in my toilet bowl or other non-porous surfaces. Even then I'll wear "mud" clothes so I don't wreck clothing (again).
Bleach is an oxidizer and disinfects through chemically denaturing proteins.
If you do make a dilute bleach solution, keep in mind that it's only good for about a day - the bleach (sodium hypochlorite) rapidly degrades into table salt and water when diluted.
Something like Simply Green or 7th Generation or lysol (or pinesol) will disinfect probably better than adbac wipes. I like 7th Generation (very tolerable odour profile) and the active ingredient if thymol - a monoterpene from thyme herb/ plant - that disinfects by impairing microbial cell membrane integrity. It's generally efficacious against most microorganisms other than Pseudomonas. It's effective against viruses.
For heavier duty cleaning, I'm a huge fan of Zep Orange antimicrobial degreaser. It's based on terpenes from oranges, similar idea as thymol. You'll want to wipe surfaces down with water (clean damp cloth), afterwards, though.
posted by porpoise at 1:55 PM on July 15, 2020 [33 favorites]
They don't actually disinfect all that well - look for the asterisk next to the claims of 99.9(whatever)%, it's only achieved if the stuff stays on for, like, a full 10 minutes without drying out.
I'm not a fan of spraying bleach around (it bleaches stuff) except in my toilet bowl or other non-porous surfaces. Even then I'll wear "mud" clothes so I don't wreck clothing (again).
Bleach is an oxidizer and disinfects through chemically denaturing proteins.
If you do make a dilute bleach solution, keep in mind that it's only good for about a day - the bleach (sodium hypochlorite) rapidly degrades into table salt and water when diluted.
Something like Simply Green or 7th Generation or lysol (or pinesol) will disinfect probably better than adbac wipes. I like 7th Generation (very tolerable odour profile) and the active ingredient if thymol - a monoterpene from thyme herb/ plant - that disinfects by impairing microbial cell membrane integrity. It's generally efficacious against most microorganisms other than Pseudomonas. It's effective against viruses.
For heavier duty cleaning, I'm a huge fan of Zep Orange antimicrobial degreaser. It's based on terpenes from oranges, similar idea as thymol. You'll want to wipe surfaces down with water (clean damp cloth), afterwards, though.
posted by porpoise at 1:55 PM on July 15, 2020 [33 favorites]
If you're just using them for general cleaning and making surfaces "not sticky", then you might be fine using a torn up piece of an old shirt/holey sheet (i.e. a "rag") and a little warm water -- that has worked well for me in cleaning cat fur in the past. You'll develop a technique for holding it in your hand that protects your hand and gets up the stuff you want to get up.
I've also done pretty well using a dilute solution of dish detergent (unscented) in water in a recycled spray bottle. Wipe with a sponge, then spray with pure water and wipe that with a clean dry rag.
Bonus: the rags can be washed and used again, you can make them large enough to really protect your hands, and they're incredibly low-cost. Also, apparently soap kills the virus; I haven't read anything about cleaning surfaces with soap, but it makes sense that spraying with soap or detergent, letting it sit, and wiping completely clean would be effective.
You can also spray afterward with alcohol to disinfect if you want.
If you really want a disinfecting spray (I use it on things I can't easily wipe clean, like untreated wood), then I'm a fan of Second Generation disinfecting spray (active ingredient: thymol). They have wipes, too, but really -- you don't need disinfecting wipes unless you're in special circumstances, I think. I bought a box to use in case we have to move and use a rented truck, so I can easily clean the truck interior, but I might use the spray detergent method above mostly. The wipes are for convenience while traveling.
posted by amtho at 1:56 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
I've also done pretty well using a dilute solution of dish detergent (unscented) in water in a recycled spray bottle. Wipe with a sponge, then spray with pure water and wipe that with a clean dry rag.
Bonus: the rags can be washed and used again, you can make them large enough to really protect your hands, and they're incredibly low-cost. Also, apparently soap kills the virus; I haven't read anything about cleaning surfaces with soap, but it makes sense that spraying with soap or detergent, letting it sit, and wiping completely clean would be effective.
You can also spray afterward with alcohol to disinfect if you want.
If you really want a disinfecting spray (I use it on things I can't easily wipe clean, like untreated wood), then I'm a fan of Second Generation disinfecting spray (active ingredient: thymol). They have wipes, too, but really -- you don't need disinfecting wipes unless you're in special circumstances, I think. I bought a box to use in case we have to move and use a rented truck, so I can easily clean the truck interior, but I might use the spray detergent method above mostly. The wipes are for convenience while traveling.
posted by amtho at 1:56 PM on July 15, 2020 [4 favorites]
Yeah, disinfectant wipes are absolutely impossible to find, and disinfectants in general are pretty scarce as well. But shhhh, don't tell anybody: Windex makes a disinfectant spray that most people don't know about, even though it's on the EPA's list of approved disinfectants. At least in my area, it's on the store shelf with the other Windex products rather than the disinfectants, which is why I think most people don't know about it.
posted by DrGail at 2:03 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by DrGail at 2:03 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
For what its worth I've had Lysol wipes on "subscribe and save" monthly delivery with Amazon Prime for a while (over a year). Most of my monthly orders got canceled during Covid due to availability (March, May, June - though they did send me hospital grade Clorox wipes in April as a replacement) but my monthly Lysol allocation did arrive earlier this week. Not sure if that is random - or if they prioritize subscribe and save orders - but maybe if you a Prime member try that path?
posted by inflatablekiwi at 2:18 PM on July 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 2:18 PM on July 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I work at the Columbia Heights Target. We usually have wipes in the morning and sell out by noon. Doors open at 8 am. They are limited to one package per guest, but the limit is the honor system.
posted by fedward at 2:41 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by fedward at 2:41 PM on July 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
I have two disinfecting agents that I like. Mr Clean concentrate, which I have had the same bottle of since the before times, and Simple Green, which I got a gallon of last year. Both I use dilute in a spray bottle. This way I am able to spray and leave for a few minutes and then come back to wipe with white cotton terry towels. As has been said upthread, the pre-made wipes don't disinfect unless you manage to get a trifecta of circumstances to align.
I have seen Mr. Clean at the hardware store around the corner from me, but I'm in a different city.
posted by bilabial at 2:45 PM on July 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have seen Mr. Clean at the hardware store around the corner from me, but I'm in a different city.
posted by bilabial at 2:45 PM on July 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
I bought a bottle of clorox spray, that is plenty bleachy, and I use a hot cleanup towel with detergent and wipe off the areas I have sprayed. I particularly feel good about the counters and the floor in the kitchen, the sink areas. It does bleach the porcelain, and I use it in the tub as well. The cloths are for general cleaning, and when I get enough of this solution on the cloths, I feel they are very clean, when I am finished cleaning. It seems to last as well.
posted by Oyéah at 3:41 PM on July 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 3:41 PM on July 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
Wow. If those favourites are for recommending Zep, I'd like to clarify. I have no affiliation with the company, I just really like their products.
Plants (continue) to make terpenes as one of many microbial defense mechanisms. "Like(ish)-dissolves-like" axiom applies to terpenes which will mix with lipids and solubilize them. Against lipid membranes, at a sufficient concentration terpenes will just obliterate them. This applies to covid19's lipid envelope (which it needs to be intact in order to bind to and infect a cell).
Without the envelope, the RNA inside gets eaten up by ubiquitous RNAse enzymes (your skin is chock full of them, that's why working with RNA in the lab can be difficult, people and ubiquitous environmental microbes keep shedding enzymes that destroy RNA). I'm a bit dubious as to detecting viral RNA in wastewater, but I guess it has to do with degrees/ concentrations and even highly fragmented (ie., completely useless) RNA is still detectable using the right methods. But care must be taken to examine the methods (and methods used to prevent false positives - because those methods required are prone to generate false positives unless extreme care is taken) that are employed.
Zep's citrus terpene based products are generally rated as "antibacterial" but works against envelope viruses. Some of their products are rated for virus, other aren't - but are still effective. It's a matter of having done the thorough tests in order to be able to make the specific claim.
I mention rinsing/ wiping surfaces because most of the Zep cleaning products are pretty concentrated. Like-dissolves-like also applies to (dead) skin cells of your surface skin. So, diluting it with a moist wipe/ rinse helps prevent skin dryness if you touch those surfaces afterwards.
In that vein, it's a good idea to wear latex/ nitrile gloves when applying/ removing the cleaning products. (Zep also makes hand sanitiziers, these have the active ingredient at a lower concentration and include emollients to counter the "drying" action.)
However, terpenes evaporate pretty quickly so there's little risk of "buildup" and residual amounts will evaporate away.
Personally, I like the smell of citrus terpenes and find the ones used by Zep to be benign/ inoffensive.
Where I am, there was never a shortage of Zep (and other "industrial" cleaning) stuff from Canadian Tire/ Home Depot. Though I suspect a lot of people found out how great (and less expensive) the "professional" stuff is. Hello "Frank's bleach" - the strongest commercially available bleach I've ever encountered, and costs less than retail Chlorox. From what I've heard, janitorial supply shops never really had supply issue at all - it was almost all just retail stuff.
Yes, I hate it that bleach isn't required to disclose it's concentration/ molarity. When buying bleach, look for a packaging date. It's definitely not obvious. Commercial bleach is kinda bunk after sitting on the shelf for 6 months. Never worth stockpiling bleach.
Recommendations for diluting bleach can be ineffective if you are using "cheap" (lower than standard concentration) or old bleach. When you open the bottle/ jug, you should get a decent whiff of "bleachiness." I've seen "Science!' bleach (from China, but through a reputable distributor) that was dyed yellow (to resemble higher concentration bleach) but smelled like total weak sauce. I complained, distributor cut that source after investigating.
Zep stuff is also relatively inexpensive, generally.
I will plug the orange degreaser - it's so much better than "oven spray" which is a strong caustic (alkaline) agent that will turn burnt grease/ fats into (basically) soap, over time. The orange degreaser stuff slowly "buddies up to" and dissolves the burnt grease/ fat and renders everything (somewhat) water soluble. So much safer, so much less hard on the lungs. May take a little more time or an additional treatment, but I really appreciate the much improved safety profile.
posted by porpoise at 8:51 PM on July 15, 2020 [8 favorites]
Plants (continue) to make terpenes as one of many microbial defense mechanisms. "Like(ish)-dissolves-like" axiom applies to terpenes which will mix with lipids and solubilize them. Against lipid membranes, at a sufficient concentration terpenes will just obliterate them. This applies to covid19's lipid envelope (which it needs to be intact in order to bind to and infect a cell).
Without the envelope, the RNA inside gets eaten up by ubiquitous RNAse enzymes (your skin is chock full of them, that's why working with RNA in the lab can be difficult, people and ubiquitous environmental microbes keep shedding enzymes that destroy RNA). I'm a bit dubious as to detecting viral RNA in wastewater, but I guess it has to do with degrees/ concentrations and even highly fragmented (ie., completely useless) RNA is still detectable using the right methods. But care must be taken to examine the methods (and methods used to prevent false positives - because those methods required are prone to generate false positives unless extreme care is taken) that are employed.
Zep's citrus terpene based products are generally rated as "antibacterial" but works against envelope viruses. Some of their products are rated for virus, other aren't - but are still effective. It's a matter of having done the thorough tests in order to be able to make the specific claim.
I mention rinsing/ wiping surfaces because most of the Zep cleaning products are pretty concentrated. Like-dissolves-like also applies to (dead) skin cells of your surface skin. So, diluting it with a moist wipe/ rinse helps prevent skin dryness if you touch those surfaces afterwards.
In that vein, it's a good idea to wear latex/ nitrile gloves when applying/ removing the cleaning products. (Zep also makes hand sanitiziers, these have the active ingredient at a lower concentration and include emollients to counter the "drying" action.)
However, terpenes evaporate pretty quickly so there's little risk of "buildup" and residual amounts will evaporate away.
Personally, I like the smell of citrus terpenes and find the ones used by Zep to be benign/ inoffensive.
Where I am, there was never a shortage of Zep (and other "industrial" cleaning) stuff from Canadian Tire/ Home Depot. Though I suspect a lot of people found out how great (and less expensive) the "professional" stuff is. Hello "Frank's bleach" - the strongest commercially available bleach I've ever encountered, and costs less than retail Chlorox. From what I've heard, janitorial supply shops never really had supply issue at all - it was almost all just retail stuff.
Yes, I hate it that bleach isn't required to disclose it's concentration/ molarity. When buying bleach, look for a packaging date. It's definitely not obvious. Commercial bleach is kinda bunk after sitting on the shelf for 6 months. Never worth stockpiling bleach.
Recommendations for diluting bleach can be ineffective if you are using "cheap" (lower than standard concentration) or old bleach. When you open the bottle/ jug, you should get a decent whiff of "bleachiness." I've seen "Science!' bleach (from China, but through a reputable distributor) that was dyed yellow (to resemble higher concentration bleach) but smelled like total weak sauce. I complained, distributor cut that source after investigating.
Zep stuff is also relatively inexpensive, generally.
I will plug the orange degreaser - it's so much better than "oven spray" which is a strong caustic (alkaline) agent that will turn burnt grease/ fats into (basically) soap, over time. The orange degreaser stuff slowly "buddies up to" and dissolves the burnt grease/ fat and renders everything (somewhat) water soluble. So much safer, so much less hard on the lungs. May take a little more time or an additional treatment, but I really appreciate the much improved safety profile.
posted by porpoise at 8:51 PM on July 15, 2020 [8 favorites]
If you want general cleaning and dirt/grime removal (not disinfection), get a bunch of microfiber cleaning cloths from any big box home or hardware store. Wet them, wring them out, and use them with any spray cleaning solution you want. Sometimes I use them with just vinegar or even plain water, when the surface isn’t too dirty. Compared to normal rags, they do a really superior job of “scrubbing” the surface (even though they feel soft and won’t scratch anything).
I also used to clean everything with Clorox or Lysol wipes, and have found that microfiber cloths compare well in their cleaning ability.
Also: Check the automotive aisle (with the car wash supplies) as well as the home cleaning supplies aisle. Sometimes the microfiber cloths marketed for car washing will be cheaper than the ones marketed for house cleaning.
posted by snowmentality at 5:46 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
I also used to clean everything with Clorox or Lysol wipes, and have found that microfiber cloths compare well in their cleaning ability.
Also: Check the automotive aisle (with the car wash supplies) as well as the home cleaning supplies aisle. Sometimes the microfiber cloths marketed for car washing will be cheaper than the ones marketed for house cleaning.
posted by snowmentality at 5:46 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
I use rubbing alcohol around the house.
posted by whitelotus at 6:18 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by whitelotus at 6:18 AM on July 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: These are all super useful answers and I even learned things. Thanks!
posted by Space Kitty at 8:35 AM on July 17, 2020
posted by Space Kitty at 8:35 AM on July 17, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 1:12 PM on July 15, 2020 [11 favorites]