Coronavirus: 5 Mistakes Everyone Makes With Bleach.
Because of the coronavirus, we spend our time cleaning and disinfecting the house.
And for many, bleach is the solution to killing this virus. Why ? Because bleach is a virucide.
But beware, bleach is also a toxic product. And if it is misused, it can be dangerous for your health and that of your family.
Indeed, according to the Anses health agency "poison control centers report numerous domestic accidents and bleach poisoning ".
So here is 5 mistakes everyone makes with bleach. Look :
1. Clean food with bleach
Have you just done the shopping and want to disinfect the products you have purchased?
ANSES reiterates that under no circumstances should "clean food with bleach or any other cleaning or disinfectant product not intended to come into contact with foods ".
In short, never put food in contact with bleach. Thus, no question of cooking eggs in bleach!
It is absolutely not recommended to clean food with bleach.
... Or to clean the packaging (like those of Easter chocolate eggs and bunnies) with bleach.
Why ? Because you are at risk of severe food poisoning.
As this official site reminds us, it is not necessary to use bleach to clean the packaging and it is dangerous to put it on food.
What to do instead?
Want to disinfect your food products after shopping?
No need to use bleach, you just have to leave them outside the home (or in the hall) for 3 hours without touching it.
If products need to be refrigerated, immediately remove the packaging and throw them away (think about recycling cardboard packaging!).
You can clean the products but only with disinfectant wipes or soap and water.
Wash fruits and vegetables in plain water or optionally, with water and baking soda, as explained here. Then wipe them off with a paper towel. You can also peel them immediately.
Each time, wash your hands before and after touching these products.
To discover : Coronavirus: 15 Tips For Safe Shopping.
2. Disinfect your hands with bleach
Do not put bleach on your hands to disinfect yourself!
As ANSES reminds us, "if you use bleach, use this product with care because it is strongly oxidizing and caustic to the skin, mucous membranes and materials. "
Bleach is a corrosive product. It is very irritating to the skin. It is not without reason that it is necessary to wear gloves to use it.
So do not use bleach to clean and disinfect your hands.
What to do instead?
The best way to sanitize your hands is to wash your hands with soap and water, using this technique here.
As explained here, the action of soap and water is enough to make the virus inactive.
If you are not at home, use a hydroalcoholic gel to disinfect your hands, before you can clean them at home.
3. Dilute bleach with hot water
Do not dilute bleach in hot water. Why ?
On the one hand, it makes it lose its effectiveness, but that's not all.
On the other hand, the contact between hot water and bleach causes a chemical reaction.
This reaction generates chlorine derivatives which are toxic to the skin, eyes, bronchi and mucous membranes.
What to do instead?
Instead of hot water, use cold water to dilute the bleach and stick to the following dosages:
- 0.25 liter of bleach for 1 liter of cold water.
ANSES recommends to "strictly respect the conditions of use of cleaning or disinfectant products (floors, surfaces in the home or in the workplace)."
Use bleach in exceptional cases, and the rest of the time use natural household products to clean your interior.
To discover : Coronavirus: 6 Tips to Clean & Disinfect More Often at Home.
4. Mix bleach with white vinegar
The Control Center for Disease Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning surfaces with a product and then disinfecting them.
But be careful, you must not do both at the same time!
Indeed, ANSES recalls that “cleaning or disinfectant products, in particular bleach and descaling agent” should not be mixed.
"We feel that people are anxious. they want to wage war against the virus at home and are pulling out their weapons, especially bleach and vinegar.
But this mixture gives off a corrosive gas, which causes irritation of the eyes, throat and can even sometimes lead to respiratory distress."explains Jérôme Langrand, head of the poison control center in Paris, in the JDD.
In short, bleach must not come into contact with an acid or a descaler: you should NEVER mix white vinegar and bleach.
This mixture gives off a very toxic gas which is dangerous for the respiratory tract: chlorine, which is very harmful to health.
It can burn the throat, eyes, lungs or cause asthma attacks or swelling of the lungs.
What to do instead?
First wash potentially contaminated surfaces with a natural cleaning product.
Then wipe down the surfaces. Then disinfect them with diluted bleach. Leave on for 5 minutes, rinse and dry.
But as Dr Jérôme Langrand from the Paris poison control center reminds us on BFMTV, in general, you have to continue to do everyday housework as you usually do.
Thus, cleaning with white vinegar is sufficient in most cases, as this study reminds us.
It is better to reserve the use of bleach for certain specific cases: when you come back from the outside, when you live with a sick person or a potentially contaminated person or when you work with sick people.
To discover : Is White Vinegar Really Effective Against Coronavirus? Answer Here.
5. Clean the animals with bleach
Since the start of the epidemic, veterinarians have observed poisoning and skin burns.
Why ? Because a lot of people thought they were doing the right thing by using disinfectants like bleach on cats and dogs.
Veterinarians remind us that pets should never be washed with corrosive products such as bleach.
The only time you can use bleach with an animal is to thoroughly clean the cat litter box as explained in this tip.
What to do instead?
For veterinarians, there is no need to clean dogs and cats when they return from a walk.
This is also true for any other pet: rabbit, bird, hamster ...
ANSES considers that it is very unlikely to be contaminated by your pet.
But if you want to take all the precautions and wash your dog after his walk, soap and water are sufficient. Find out how to do it here.
You can also just use baking soda if your pet smells bad using this trick.
Your turn...
And you, in which cases do you use bleach? Share your experience with us in the comments. We can't wait to hear from you!
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Also to discover:
Coronavirus: How To Properly Disinfect Your Interior?
Coronavirus: How to Disinfect Door Handles With White Vinegar.
