The coronavirus pandemic has caused a number of changes in the everyday life including an increase in cleanliness and the concept of hygiene. Many people have begun to disinfect their homes and surrounding regularly in order to cut down the risk of spreading the infection.
By doing so, they are not only decreasing the chances of contracting the coronavirus infection but also multiple other infectious diseases. Because the pandemic has revealed the loopholes in the hygienic practices prior to the spread of virus, many have stated they will continue following preventive measures.
In fact, recent surveys on coronavirus guidelines have shown that the majority of people in the US are planning to continue disinfecting their spaces, wearing a mask, and avoiding crowded public places.
For healthcare providers, these are positive changes that can help prevent various infections. In addition, they may also help in controlling any future infectious outbreaks as people will already be aware of the basic measures for safety.
Even though many want to improve the hygienic conditions at their homes, they are not following certain guidelines in the right way. This is a common problem since the start of the pandemic.
Due to widespread panic before the summer of the past year, a big number of people were disinfecting their surroundings in a wrong and potentially harmful way. As a result, there were many reports on poisoning and toxin exposure.
Most of such incidents were due to people using very strong disinfecting ingredients together. In one such case, a woman had poisoning during disinfecting her groceries using a combination of bleach and other disinfectants last year.
Although such incidents have decreased along with the panic over the past few months, some people may still be using disinfectants in the wrong way. Among all disinfectants, bleach is most commonly used for cleaning purposes as it is the strongest.
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Bleach can effectively kill all pathogens including the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, this does not mean it is the only disinfectant that can be used to prevent infections. There are a number of other disinfectants that can provide a sufficient level of protection against coronavirus and other pathogens.
For people with children and pets, using alternative options in commercial disinfectants is better than using strong bleach solutions in homes.
When disinfecting, remember to wear gloves, safety goggles, and have all necessary equipment. After cleaning, open windows and turn on the fan for some time to have good ventilation.
Also, remember to use cleaners only where they are needed. Many times, poisoning cases occur due to people using disinfectants to clean their groceries including fruits and vegetables.
According to health agencies, groceries can be cleaned using plain water or left alone for a period of two to three days for coronavirus prevention.
Overall, it is highly unlikely that the virus will transmit via food as research has shown it is unable to survive temperature changes in storage and transport. Do not use cleaners especially bleach on foods as it can be harmful and lead to negative health outcomes.