How to Make a Budget Friendly MOO Version of Disinfectant Spray
March 2020
Right now everyone is frantically trying to work out how to disinfect their homes and kill viruses (especially COVID-19).
Most of you probably have a product in your laundry or kitchen that will do that IF it is used properly - common household chlorine bleach.
It's cheap, readily available and a 2 litre bottle will make up many, many bottles of a hard-surface spray that is truly effective at killing viruses.
Now not all household bleaches are the same. When making up your hard surface disinfecting solution, you need 1000pmm*. Check the label on your bleach to see the concentration of the active ingredient - hypochlorous acid2 - and use the table below to make up your solution to 1000pmm. (Note: Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a weak acid formed when chlorine (Cl) dissolves in water and dissociatedto hypochlorite (ClO–) which is the oxidising disinfectant in bleach.)
Most of you probably have a product in your laundry or kitchen that will do that IF it is used properly - common household chlorine bleach.
It's cheap, readily available and a 2 litre bottle will make up many, many bottles of a hard-surface spray that is truly effective at killing viruses.
Now not all household bleaches are the same. When making up your hard surface disinfecting solution, you need 1000pmm*. Check the label on your bleach to see the concentration of the active ingredient - hypochlorous acid2 - and use the table below to make up your solution to 1000pmm. (Note: Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a weak acid formed when chlorine (Cl) dissolves in water and dissociatedto hypochlorite (ClO–) which is the oxidising disinfectant in bleach.)
To Use Your MOO Disinfecting Hard Surface Spray
- It is recommended that you use rubber gloves when working with any form of bleach.
- Make each batch up daily as you need it i.e. don't make a bucketful if you're just wiping over the bathroom basin.
- Spray on the surface to be cleaned. Let sit 10 minutes (this is important - it takes a minimum of 10 minutes contact time for 99% of germs (viruses) to be killed by bleach.
- Wipe off with paper towel or disposable cloths. This is another important step - you are cleaning and disinfecting so being able to safely bin used cloths will prevent contaminating the washing machine and any loads of laundry the cloths may come in touch with. For general household disinfecting, use old cloths and wash separately after each use. Dry in the sunshine to further disinfect.
- After cleaning, dispose of the paper towel and rubber gloves and wash hands thoroughly for at least 30 seconds with soap and water.
- Take care not to get the solution on clothing or fabric; this is for hard surfaces only.