The effectiveness of three home products in cleaning and disinfection of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli on home environmental surfaces.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to investigate three products for: (i) cleaning effectiveness on two common household surfaces, and (ii) disinfection effectiveness against two common bacteria. Products included conventional ('bleach'), environmentally preferable (EP), do-it-yourself (DIY: distilled white vinegar, club soda, tea tree oil), 24-h old DIY, and individual DIY components in dilution.


RESULTS
For cleaning ceramic, no product was effective (≥85% removal of Hucker's soil), however, DIY performed better than EP and bleach. On stainless, only DIY failed to meet the standard. For disinfection, bleach and EP achieved ≥5·00 log10 reductions under all conditions. DIY and components were more active against Escherichia coli than Staphylococcus aureus but only fresh DIY and 50% vinegar achieved ≥5·00 log10 reductions.


CONCLUSIONS
EP is an effective alternative to bleach. DIY may be an adequate alternative for cleaning ceramic and for household use, where complete elimination of micro-organisms is unnecessary; however, it must be freshly prepared each day.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report of performance of purportedly safer alternatives for both cleaning and disinfection for use in home health care. The EP product and DIY are potential alternatives for some household uses.
Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
N
N
Goodyear
Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
N
N
Brouillette
Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
K
K
Tenaglia
Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
R
R
Gore
Toxics Use Reduction Institute, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
J
J
Marshall
D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D006794:Household Articles; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
D004202:Disinfectants
cleaning; disinfection; environmental surface; home health care; infection control