Fighting the Outbreak | Interim Guide to Home Disinfection

With the Chinese New Year holiday coming to an end and people returning home, there remains some uncertainty on the precuations to take and how best to avoid the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). We at Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) taught you how to properly wear and dispose of a mask, wash your hands, and how best to protect pregnant women and newborns. Today, the China CDC responds to some common questions and misconceptions when it comes to disinfecting the household.

I heard that the virus is very serious. Does every household have to be disinfected?

If no stranger has entered your house, no relatives or friends have come back from the epidemic area, and if no patients or someone who seems sick has come to your house, then there is no need to disinfect.

Remember to ventilate and clean your house and wash your hands, however, if it's just for daily use, then it is not recommended to disinfect your entire home.

If I go outside and come back, do I need to clean my hands, shoes, and clothes?

If you touch something dirty outside, don't rub your eyes, pick your nose, or put your hands in your mouth. After going home, wash your hands first. The clothes and shoes you wear when you go out can be put by the door without disinfecting them.

People say that fumigating with vinegar and drinking white wine can prevent the virus, is this true?

The China CDC reminds you: this is false, these methods will not prevent the virus.

Can I use disinfectant on tables, furniture, floors, dishes, the car, or with laundry?

Yes, but it is not necessarily needed. It is necessary to use disinfectant only if relatives or friends from the affected areas visit, or if family members show suspected symptoms.

If you want to disinfect your cutlery, steam it or boil it.

I have dogs and cats at home. Do they have to be cleaned with disinfectant, too?

There is no evidence that cats and dogs can contract the new coronavirus. To be cautious, you can limit the amount of time your cat or dog spends outside.

After grooming the cat or dog, make sure to clean your hands with soap and water.

Can I wash the mop and rags with disinfectant? After washing it once, can the disinfectant be used again?

It is not recommended to use disinfectant in this way.

If you want to disinfect a tabletop or floor, you can spray the disinfectant directly on these surfaces. If you would like to disinfect a mop, you can wash it with a mixture of disinfectant and water. After washing, the water used to clean the mop should be discarded.

It is said that chlorine disinfectant should be used. What is this?

When you buy disinfectant and other cleaning products in the supermarket, you usually can see the column of "effective ingredients." The product that you choose is a chlorine-containing disinfectant, as long as the main active ingredient is one of the following: sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, sodium trichloroisocyanurate, hypochlorous acid, chloramine, or liquid chlorine.

Note that chlorhexidine and chlorine dioxide are not chlorine-containing disinfectants. Do not use them at the recommended dosage or amount of time recommended for chlorine-containing disinfectants.

Do I need to sterilize my phone?

People often use touch-screen mobile phones, which can be wiped with disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer after powering the phone off.

References:

1. Chinese Centers for Disease Control And Prevention

2. Beijing Hospital Infection Management Quality Control and Improvement Center

To learn more about BJU services, or if you have any additional questions, please call our 24hr Service Center at 4008-919191.