The National Environment Agency in Singapore has come out with a list of household products that have a suitable concentration of active ingredients (A.I.) that are known to inactivate coronaviruses. However, they have informed that for precautionary or routine cleaning, just using detergent and water is sufficient to kill coronaviruses.
If you want to disinfect areas that are possibly contaminated with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) such as cleaning the room of someone who has tested positive for the Wuhan virus, then you can use the list of the products NEA has suggested.
Here are the 18 household products that can be used to clean your home or any contaminated area:
Other than that, if you want to effectively inactivate coronaviruses, you can try using steam and heat treatment as well. Each of the recommended products by NEA contains at least one of these three active ingredients – quaternary ammonium compounds, chloroxylenol and sodium hypochlorite – which are effective in killing bacteria and viruses.
NEA also lists out some of the ingredients and the amount of concentration needed to kill coronaviruses so do keep an eye out if you’re looking for similar items. This is the list of ingredients:
It is important to note that the active ingredients should not come into contact with your eyes and skin. If you’re using products with sodium hypochlorite on metal, make sure that you wipe it away after 10 minutes with a wet cloth as it can corrode the metal.
When using the products, ensure that you always check the labels and use them according to instructions as some can be hazardous if not used correctly. “For disinfection of highly contaminated surfaces or material, avoid the use of spray, and allow the appropriate time needed for disinfection (refer to product instruction),” they added.
Use wisely and don’t hoard all these products! Everyone needs them!
Also read: Expert: Wuhan Virus Can Survive Up To 5 Days On Exposed Surfaces With The Right Conditions