Surface disinfectants
December 13, 2020 3:26 PM Subscribe
Until I get a degree in chemistry or a hookup with a restaurant supply outlet, can anyone point me to safe and easy COVID disinfectants to use? By that, I think I mean: food-contact safe without rinse, contact time of 1 minute or less (ideally less), ideally available in a pre-diluted squirt bottle? Or does this not exist? Thank you!
Use bleach containing 5.25–8.25% sodium hypochlorite
from the link in my previous comment.
posted by aniola at 3:30 PM on December 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
CDC says 5 tablespoons per gallon, HOWEVER Health and Human Services says max one tablespoon per gallon for disinfection of food contact surfaces. Any higher proportion than that and you have to rinse, because it exceeds allowable free chlorine on a food prep surface. I found one Canadian reference that I think suggests you can use the lower concentration (specifically to address covid-19) but it requires a 10-minute wet time.
Which is probably why you're asking the question you are. It looks like if you can get your hands on Alpet D2 (a commercial product for food-preparation facilities) that would safely and successfully work, but I do not think this is something you can make at home.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:54 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Which is probably why you're asking the question you are. It looks like if you can get your hands on Alpet D2 (a commercial product for food-preparation facilities) that would safely and successfully work, but I do not think this is something you can make at home.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:54 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Yes, quat sanitizers are effective against coronaviruses but the risk of surface transmission is insignificant.
posted by mikek at 4:11 PM on December 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mikek at 4:11 PM on December 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I've been looking at the EPA list (filtering for "food contact no rinse") and using their contact time.
posted by Spokane at 4:11 PM on December 13, 2020
posted by Spokane at 4:11 PM on December 13, 2020
Response by poster: Sorry, hit post too soon. My previous comment was just to give context for my approach so far. Off to read the linked articles. Thanks!
posted by Spokane at 4:13 PM on December 13, 2020
posted by Spokane at 4:13 PM on December 13, 2020
Response by poster: Use bleach containing 5.25–8.25% sodium hypochlorite
Anyone know the contact time for that? (Did I just overlook it on that page?)
posted by Spokane at 4:24 PM on December 13, 2020
Anyone know the contact time for that? (Did I just overlook it on that page?)
posted by Spokane at 4:24 PM on December 13, 2020
Best answer: For homemade diluted bleach solution, the CDC recommends a contact time of at least 1 minute. I think only an alcohol based product would meet all of your criteria — I'd suggest Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer Spray. A quat sanitizer like 3M TB Quat Disinfectant Ready to Use Cleaner would meet all of your criteria, except that quat sanitizers require a rinse for surfaces in direct contact with food.
posted by RichardP at 4:29 PM on December 13, 2020
posted by RichardP at 4:29 PM on December 13, 2020
How food safe does it need to be? Is it for a surface where food will actually be in direct contact, or just incidental contact?
If it was a counter top, for example, I'd just wipe it down with soapy water (dishwashing liquid in water). I know that isn't sanitising, but my understanding was that soap disrupts the outer lipid layer of the virus.
If actual sanitising was required, I'd use bleach at the appropriate concentration/time.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:49 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
If it was a counter top, for example, I'd just wipe it down with soapy water (dishwashing liquid in water). I know that isn't sanitising, but my understanding was that soap disrupts the outer lipid layer of the virus.
If actual sanitising was required, I'd use bleach at the appropriate concentration/time.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:49 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Follow the manufacturer’s application instructions for the surface, ensuring a contact time of at least 1 minute.
per the cdc
posted by aniola at 5:39 PM on December 13, 2020
If you decide to make your own bleach solutions, you’ll have to make a new solution every 24hours as bleach solutions degrade quickly.
posted by quince at 9:29 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by quince at 9:29 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: How food safe does it need to be? Is it for a surface where food will actually be in direct contact, or just incidental contact?
It doesn't need to be super food safe. But I'd like to buy just one thing and also be able to use it on the kitchen table. And I have little kids who drink the bathwater, spill things on the floor then eat them, etc. (Not that I'm trying to sterilize the entire house. Just saying I never know what will be a food contact surface.)
posted by Spokane at 11:41 PM on December 13, 2020
It doesn't need to be super food safe. But I'd like to buy just one thing and also be able to use it on the kitchen table. And I have little kids who drink the bathwater, spill things on the floor then eat them, etc. (Not that I'm trying to sterilize the entire house. Just saying I never know what will be a food contact surface.)
posted by Spokane at 11:41 PM on December 13, 2020
Response by poster: I'd suggest Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer Spray
That looks like it will work! Something weird is that it doesn't show up on the EPA list even though it's supposedly registered with the EPA. They list some Purell wipes but not that spray. I did see it on some other state's health department website though.
posted by Spokane at 11:57 PM on December 13, 2020
That looks like it will work! Something weird is that it doesn't show up on the EPA list even though it's supposedly registered with the EPA. They list some Purell wipes but not that spray. I did see it on some other state's health department website though.
posted by Spokane at 11:57 PM on December 13, 2020
Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer Spray's EPA registration number is 84368-1-84150. The EPA says:
posted by RichardP at 1:13 AM on December 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
To find a product, locate the EPA Reg. No. on the product label, then enter the first two sets of numbers into the tool. For example, if EPA Reg. No. 12345-12 is on List N, you can buy EPA Reg. No. 12345-12-2567 and know you’re getting an equivalent product.If you search list N by EPA reg number, you'll find 84368-1 on the list (under a different product name).
posted by RichardP at 1:13 AM on December 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
Piggybacking: so are y'all saying I don't have to try to use bleach to sanitize my kitchen from raw chicken, I can just use this Purell product?? Because that would be WONDERFUL. I hate the smell of bleach as well as the bleaching other things accidentally. I also hate that diluted solutions lose their efficacy so you have remake a batch regularly. Basically bleach is the worst!
posted by purple_bird at 3:55 PM on December 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by purple_bird at 3:55 PM on December 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
@purple_bird, I don't cook with chicken anymore but back when I did I never would have bleach sanitised the kitchen after doing so. I would just clean with hot soapy water, which the internet also suggests is fine.
You might already know this but just in case: make sure you never wash chicken. Doing so can just potentially spread bacteria around your kitchen.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 5:03 AM on December 15, 2020
You might already know this but just in case: make sure you never wash chicken. Doing so can just potentially spread bacteria around your kitchen.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 5:03 AM on December 15, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by aniola at 3:29 PM on December 13, 2020 [3 favorites]