Why is it fine to wash my hands with hot soapy water but I must wash and then disinfect hard surfaces?

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Without stepping deeply into current events, I’d love some answers!

I spent the day cleaning (as I suspect many others did as well).

For personal hygiene, the guidance is to wash hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. Soap is effective, especially when used well. I get that.

However, there’s lots of mixed information about the best way to clean hard surfaces like countertops and doorknobs.

If I simply scrub and rinse those surfaces with a soapy solution, would they somehow be less clean than if I scrubbed them and then disinfected with a bleach solution, peroxide, or some other disinfectant?

Just trying to stay clean and safe over here… thanks!

In: Other

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Soap and water will work fine for your hard surfaces. But good luck with that. It’s hard to wipe up all the water and soapy residue. You use it for your hands and body because you have designated places to rinse them under running water where that water instantly goes away.

Disinfectant cleaning products are a lot more convenient for things that aren’t in your sink.

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