A common household cleaner has been found to be effective against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) — and it's not sold out everywhere.
Earlier this month, the Clorox Company announced that its Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner was given approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be added to a list of products and brands that successfully squash the coronavirus. It's listed under 5813-101 with the product name Tuck 3 and the active ingredient of glycolic acid on the EPA's website of approved cleaning products, according to Good Housekeeping.
The product was tested in a third-party lab that proved its efficacy against SARS-Cov-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) within a 10-minute contact time on hard, flat surfaces.
"Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner now offers the clean families have trusted through generations with the protection they need right now against the spread of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," Chris Hyder, vice president and general manager of the cleaning division at Clorox, said in a statement.
"We hope this new Pine-Sol kill claim will increase access to disinfectants that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19," he added.
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The company recommends using Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner at full strength and applying it with a clean sponge or cloth to hard, nonporous surfaces. Clorox added that people should let the product remain wet on the surface for 10 minutes before rinsing.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released findings earlier this summer that indicated many Americans might not be cleaning as effectively as they think.
In May, the CDC polled 502 adults in the U.S. about their cleaning habits during the pandemic. Sixty percent of respondents said they were cleaning their homes more frequently than they had in previous months. However, according to the survey’s results, more people were also calling poison control centers and reporting adverse health effects due to cleaners over the same period.
“Knowledge gaps were identified in several areas, including safe preparation of cleaning and disinfectant solutions, use of recommended personal protective equipment when using cleaners and disinfectants, and safe storage of hand sanitizers, cleaners, and disinfectants,” the CDC explained in June.
To properly clean, the CDC recommends removing dirt, dust, or debris on surfaces before disinfecting.
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