With schools starting up, you’ve seen them. Maybe it’s been on your kid’s classroom list or displayed brightly in stores. They’re cheap & offer shiny promises of health. But the fact is, there isn’t data supporting the use of antibacterial wipes in the home. Or worse yet, you could be at risk for making your family sick by using them.
Health Hazards
Antibacterial wipes usually go by their trade name, but can also be referred to as sanitizing or disinfecting wipes. Sanitizing wipes are something we’ve all used incorrectly. Letting them touch your bare skin, not wiping toys or food surfaces off after you have cleaned them, or using them for every day cleaning are no nos. The CDC states that the best way to prevent diarrheal (the ‘stomach flu’) or respiratory (cold & flu) illnesses is proper hand washing with good ol’ soap & water. Some ingredients used in hand sanitizers & wipes were put on the market before proven safe. In fact, in April the FDA called for certain ingredients to be removed due to lack of safety evidence. And they had been in our homes & used daily for years!
Some ways you may have used these wipes incorrectly include:
- not wetting your surface
- using them on food surfaces
- having your bare skin touch them
- not washing your hands after using them
Certainly we don’t want to use these within our homes! These disinfectants also commonly use a group of compounds called “ammonium quaternary compounds” or “quats. There are quite a few problems with using these. They can cause skin irritation, trigger asthma, create antibiotic resistant bugs, & have caused infertility issues on mice whose cages were cleaned with them.
Disinfecting Ingredients
When looking at product labels, you can see “quats” under numerous names:
- benzalkonium chloride
- benzethonium chloride
- alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
- alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride
- didecyldimethylammonium chloride
- dioctyldimethylammonium chloride
How to Safely Clean Your Home
Because companies know you’re becoming informed of toxins and their dangers, be aware of greenwashing. Read your labels or make your own cleaning products! Ingredients we use in our home are:
- Essential Oils used for scents and disinfection. Nothing else should listed for fragrance.
- Saponified Oils (coconut, olive, jojoba, etc) help provide a gentle cleaner. During saponification, natural glycerin is created without harsh ingredients.
- Baking Soda is a great scrubber! I use a soap and baking soda paste to get rid of the ring in my bathtub.
- Hydrogen Peroxide is one of my favorites to use when someone is sick in our home or around the toilet.
- Vinegar is great for cutting through grease or mildew & absorbing odors.
Reading labels isn’t as hard as you thought it maybe! Knowing exactly what you’re seeing on your label is the easiest way to clean safely.
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