February 25, 2008 | Bleach alternatives, Vinegar, Essential oils, Cleaning products
What do they mean? When you’re looking for a cleaner, what’s important? There are different things you want your cleaner to do. Most of us assume that clean means germ-free, but in reality not all cleaners hit the mark. The use of these words on product labels is regulated by the EPA, and here’s what they say the words mean, along with some natural alternatives to keep your lymph nodes and liver free and clear:
Antiseptic or germicide: Inhibits growth of micro-organisms. These can usually be used on living organisms, and are therefore regulated by the FDA.
Natural Antiseptic or germicide: St. Johns Wort, lime oil, bergamot, clove, eucalyptus, and many others.
Sanitizers: Used to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate micro-organisms. Some sanitizers can be used in food-contact situations (dish washing, counter top sprays, vegetable washes, etc.)
Natural Sanitizer: Borax, grapefruit oil, pine oil, lavender.
Disinfectants: Will destroy or irreversibly inactivate fungi and bacteria, but not necessarily their spores. They can be divided into 2 categories - hospital grade and general use. General use is typically plenty for even the ‘dirtier’ parts of your home, like toilets and floors.
Natural Disinfectant: Tea Tree Oil, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (especially when used together, one after the other), Baking soda, lemon juice, Oregano oil, thyme, and cinnamon.
Sterilizers: Used to eliminate all forms of microbial life including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and their spores. Most situations don’t require something this strong, but if you’re getting rid of toxic mold, tuberculosis, or something equally stubborn, you may want to look into it.
Natural Sterilizer: Sunlight, Heat and steam, garlic, oregano oil.
The next question is what cleaners actually do, if they don’t have antiseptic, sanitizing, or disinfectant properties. Most - if not labeled as disinfectant or otherwise - are general surfectants. That means they make water wetter - they make microbes, particles, germs, etc., slide off the surface but they don’t necessarily kill anything. We don’t recommend mixing these commercial cleaners with the natural cleaners mentioned above. If you’re not a chemist you could end up producing an unintentional and potentially harmful reaction. However, you can mix some of the natural cleaners with each other. Examples would be adding essential oils to vinegar, lemon juice, borax, or baking soda. Note that we don’t recommend mixing hydrogen peroxide (it’s highly acidic and can be reactive).
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victoria says:
Could you please tell me what I could use to sanitize my twins sippy cups when they drop them on the floor of the store (something portable so we can finish our trip) & to “try” and sanitize the shopping cart handles?
March 6th, 2008 at 3:30 pmNewly green attempter