Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, medical staff have repeatedly emphasized that personal protection should be taken and living areas should be disinfected .
As a result, people bought various disinfectants in large quantities and sprayed disinfectants on the outside of their homes, furniture, floors, and even our bodies, hoping to keep the virus away from us.
The disinfectants that people usually buy include alcohol , 4 disinfectant and hypochlorous acid disinfectant for comprehensive indoor disinfection.
So, which disinfectant is better? Let’s first look at how long the virus can survive in the environment, and then analyze the role of each disinfectant in detail.
Different viruses have different survival times in different environments and temperatures. In the same environment and temperature, viruses attach to different surfaces and have different survival times.
As far as the new coronavirus is concerned, they like cold environments . In a low-temperature environment, the new coronavirus can survive for 21 days, but if the environment changes, its survival time will also be affected. When the temperature rises, the new coronavirus will become very sensitive and its survival time will be greatly shortened.
Research shows that when the temperature rises to 20 degrees but the humidity is appropriate, the new coronavirus can survive for 5 days; when the temperature rises to 25 degrees, the activity of the new coronavirus will significantly decrease and cannot survive for 5 days; When the temperature reaches 56 degrees, the new coronavirus will have a very difficult time surviving.
Therefore, if things contaminated with the new coronavirus are boiled at high temperature, or sterilized with a 56-degree ultraviolet sterilizer, the new coronavirus will no longer exist in just 30 minutes.. However, these two methods are not as convenient as disinfectants that can be used anytime and anywhere.
Alcohol Disinfectant
Alcohol Disinfectant is the most well-known and longest-used disinfectant. But not all alcohol is effective in disinfecting the new coronavirus. To kill the new coronavirus, you must choose alcohol with a concentration of 75%. The higher the concentration of alcohol, the better.
In medical research, alcohol with a concentration of 5% is often used. Despite its high concentration, its disinfecting effect on , new crown is not good. This kind of alcohol can instantly denature the protein on the surface of the virus, blocking the alcohol from entering the virus, and therefore cannot kill the virus.
html Alcohol with a concentration of 195% is basically used as fuel for alcohol lamps for experiments and cannot be used as a disinfectant . Alcohol with a concentration of 75% can denature the protein spike on the surface of the new coronavirus, that is, the glycoprotein of the virus shell, and lose its function, making it impossible for further infection.
Therefore, when alcohol is used as a disinfectant, the concentration must be appropriate.
But there are also disadvantages to using alcohol for disinfection: Alcohol is flammable and volatile and is not suitable for spraying to disinfect airborne viruses. Some people think that spraying large amounts of alcohol multiple times is more effective in killing the virus, but they do not know that doing so may cause a fire.
Furthermore, inhaling a large amount of alcohol can also cause nasal discomfort. Some people may even be allergic to alcohol or be poisoned . When choosing alcohol disinfection, it is best to apply disinfection on the skin surface, and then wash it with water after disinfection to prevent poisoning.
84 Disinfectant
This disinfectant was invented in 1984, so it was named 4 Disinfectant . It is widely used to kill bacteria and viruses. Its main component is sodium hypochlorite , which is suitable for the disinfection of object surfaces and the environment. Most of the public places we see used for disinfection use this kind of disinfectant.
Sodium hypochlorite is highly oxidizing. Through hydrolysis, it can generate a higher level of oxidizing hypochlorous acid , which will oxidize the reducing microorganisms , causing them to lose their reproductive function.
In view of the powerful antivirus effect of 4 disinfectant, many people choose it for home disinfection. Compared with alcohol, 84 disinfection is not flammable, but it is too irritating and corrosive, and the smell is also very unpleasant.
If a person inhales excessive amounts of 84 disinfectant, it will burn the respiratory tract and cause inflammation or edema of the respiratory tissue.
In this case, the person's physical reaction is coughing and phlegm, and in severe cases, it will be difficult to breathe.. If you accidentally inhale excessive amounts of 84 disinfectant, it will also damage your lungs.
Therefore, when using 84 disinfectant, you should maintain air circulation, wear masks and waterproof gloves correctly, and avoid direct contact of the disinfectant with the skin. In addition, the disinfectant must be diluted in strict accordance with the proportion, just like alcohol, the higher the concentration, the better.
Moreover, it is important to note that 4 disinfectant cannot be mixed with other disinfectants. Doing so will not only cause the risk of poisoning, but will not double the antivirus effect.
Hypochlorous acid disinfectant
The hypochlorous acid component disinfectant hydrolyzed from 84 disinfectant is a weakly acidic but strongly oxidizing disinfectant. Its biomolecules are small and can more easily penetrate the cell walls of bacteria and viruses , directly destroying their proteins , and killing viruses more thoroughly.
The antivirus method of alcohol is to inactivate the virus protein, rather than directly killing it. In comparison, hypochlorous acid has a more powerful disinfecting function.
Hypochlorous acid is colorless and odorless, non-irritating and non-corrosive . It will not harm the human respiratory tract, and there is no need to worry if it gets on the skin. Because its pH value is very close to the PH value of the human body, that is to say, it is a mild disinfectant. Even if it is inhaled into the human body, it will be completely water after metabolism and can be safely excreted from the body.
Hypochlorous acid is actually a bactericidal factor in the human body and plays an important role in the human immune system. Many people may not know that the human body can synthesize hypochlorous acid by itself.
There is a substance called myeloperoxidase in human neutrophils that can produce hypochlorous acid . When microorganisms that harm the human body invade, neutrophils, which are the first line of defense of the human immune system, will start phagocytosis, and then go through a series of changes, eventually producing hypochlorous acid.
Therefore, hypochlorous acid disinfectant is more widely used. Whether it is human skin, mucous membranes, tableware, or food , hypochlorous acid can be used to disinfect it. It is also a good choice to disinfect living environment, clothes, and even domestic pets with hypochlorous acid.
Hypochlorous acid disinfectant does not require a certain concentration like alcohol. Its low concentration can effectively sterilize, and its high concentration can kill viruses in the air , so it is more casual to use.
However, no matter how good the hypochlorous acid disinfectant is, it also has its shortcomings, that is, it has instability . If it cannot be used up in a short time, it must be stored in the dark at room temperature and strictly sealed, otherwise, it will soon become ineffective.
After reading the specific pros and cons of these three disinfectants, I believe that everyone can choose a suitable disinfectant based on actual needs.
