Inside: Trying to clean and disinfect your home without using harsh cleaners? Check out simple tips on how to disinfect without bleach. Get rid of harmful viruses and bacteria without bleach!
I am one of those weird people that love to clean the house. In fact, my favorite day of the week is Tuesday because I like to deep clean the kitchen on Tuesdays.
However, I will admit until the last year I really haven't thought much about disinfecting my home on a regular basis.
I like my house free from clutter, and free from dirt and grim. I didn't really worry much about the viruses and bacteria that would come into our home unless someone was sick.
But, in March when everything started going crazy with the new virus I became a little more concerned with making sure I was disinfecting everything around the house too.
I use bleach to disinfect our white laundry and I also use it in the kitchen sink to clean the sink.
However, I don't like to use bleach all around the house to clean and disinfect. I am always afraid I will accidentally bleach something.
If you want to clean and disinfect your home but don't want to use bleach check out these simple tips on how to disinfect without bleach.
How To Disinfect Without Bleach
There are a few different products you can use to disinfect your home without using bleach.
Some bleach alternatives are really good at killing off just about any virus or bacteria and some only work on some germs. Choose what you use based on what you are trying to kill off.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing Alcohol is one of my favorite disinfectants. It is very cheap to buy and easy to use.
Rubbing alcohol can kill off just about any virus. With the current virus that is out, the CDC recommends using 70% rubbing alcohol to kill it. So if you are purchasing rubbing alcohol make sure you buy at least 70%.
If you are new to using rubbing alcohol to disinfect your home check out a few of my favorite homemade cleaners using it. I think you will find them easy to make and they work well.
Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the easiest ways to disinfect and it is cheap too! If you are using vinegar to disinfect I recommend using it straight up and not dilute it.
One of the easiest ways to use it is just fill up a spray bottle with vinegar.
For years I couldn't use vinegar because I hated the smell so bad, but finally, I figured out adding lemon essential oils or lemons to the vinegar really made a big difference. You can see how I make the lemon vinegar cleaner if you want to make it that way.
If you are new to cleaning with vinegar I highly recommend you check out my list of favorite ways to clean with vinegar.
While vinegar does work as a disinfectant for some things it doesn't work with the current virus so if you are trying to kill it off you may want to use something other than vinegar.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is an easy and inexpensive way to disinfect without bleach.
It is easily found in stores and is less likely to cause discoloration than bleach is. Hydrogen peroxide can damage some surfaces so I always recommend trying it in a small area first.
3% hydrogen peroxide is what is most commonly found in stores and it is very good at disinfecting the home. You can easily kill viruses and bacteria with it.
Hydrogen peroxide will kill off the current virus that is going around. Just spray it on a surface and let it sit for 8 minutes to kill off the virus.
As always with hydrogen peroxide, you will want to make sure it is stored in a dark container and dark room to prevent it from going bad.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is another way to clean and disinfect your home. Just put 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and add about 15 drops of tea tree oil to the bottle.
Shake the bottle before every use. You can use it as all-around multipurpose cleaner and disinfectant for the home.
If you have problems with mold or mildew around your home you can also spray it with the tea tree oil mix to get rid of it. It's perfect for the bathroom where mold and mildew tend to occur.
I have read that you can add a few drops to your laundry to disinfect the laundry, however, I have never tried it before so I would test it first on a few items of clothing.
If you want your home free from viruses and bacteria without using bleach just give one of these cleaners a try!
It's easy to clean and disinfect your home without using bleach.
Want a few more disinfecting tips? Check out how to clean and disinfect your laundry.
