Recognizing effective disinfectants - what to look out for!

Good hygiene never hurt anyone. But especially in the corona crisis, disinfectants are a useful product to protect against infection with the new virus. You can use it at any time, rub it on your hands and your hands will feel clean and perfectly disinfected. But which disinfectant works against what - and how do you recognize a high-quality one? Anti-virus disinfectant at all?

Characteristics of highly effective disinfectants

If you have an effective Anti-virus disinfectant If you want to buy something that will serve you well in everyday life, you can pay attention to several aspects. In particular, if you know you are infected with a virus, you should be meticulous about carrying an effective disinfectant with you to minimize the risk of contamination to others. How to recognize an effective disinfectant:

       ○ smell

In fact, you can tell high-quality disinfectants by their smell. The main ingredients of effective disinfectants are alcohols, such as ethanol or propanol. Alcohol is also known to be found in alcoholic beverages, but it is also used as a carrier for perfumes and deodorants. So you can take a quick scent sample in the drugstore. If there is no perceptible alcoholic odor - even with scented disinfectants, the smell of alcohol should still come through - you should leave this disinfectant and keep looking around.

By the way can Anti-virus disinfectant also smell of chlorine. This is then a sure sign that this preparation is not suitable for the hands, but can be used for surface disinfection or room care. Disinfectants are also used in the medical context that are unsuitable for the skin but reliably clean the instruments in doctors' surgeries and hospitals.

○ Consistency

If you get a chance to test the sanitizer before you buy it, put some in your hand and gauge the consistency. High-quality disinfectant causes a slightly cooling feeling on the skin and that should feel pleasant. Plus, it doesn't need to be wiped off because it absorbs into the skin on its own. However, if the product lies on your skin like water and does not simply absorb it, you should better not choose this disinfectant.

○ Awards

Finally, let's look at the packaging. Anti-virus disinfectant and bacteria fall under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation because they are effective against microorganisms that can be dangerous to humans and animals. Therefore, information about dangers and ingredients must be given on the packaging. If ethanol or propanol is listed as the main active ingredient, this disinfectant can be used to clean hands. If it contains more than 60 percent alcohol, it has a high probability of being effective against viruses. However, the note "virucidal" or "limited virucidal" provides security. Ideally, the product has a moisturizing effect and thus dries out the skin less.

Note the spectrum of activity

Overall, before buying disinfectant, you should think about what you expect from a product. All products give you the feeling that your hands are perfectly clean after use. But not every disinfectant destroys viruses.

○ Disinfection gel against Corona

If you want a disinfectant for your handbag or backpack that is effective against corona viruses and also against the novel SARS-Covid-2, you should choose a disinfectant that has limited virucidal activity. This means that such a disinfectant will easily eliminate enveloped viruses - and the coronavirus is also an enveloped virus. So if the package of the disinfectant states that this product is effective against all enveloped viruses, you can access it. Of course, you can also purchase the highest level of potency - a virucidal preparation - but that is unnecessary in this context.

○ Buy disinfectants virucidal

Basically, it is a good idea to own a virucidal disinfectant in order to be able to reliably protect yourself against all viruses and bacteria. Either way, these disinfectants destroy important proteins for viruses, which means that they cannot spread further. It is of course a plus if the disinfectant also has a pleasant scent and is skin-friendly.

○ Meaning virucidal

The term "virucidal" means that it renders viruses harmless. Anti-virus disinfectant attack the protein layer(s) that protect the genetic material in non-enveloped and enveloped specimens, thereby rendering the virus harmless. This is important, for example, if you have come into contact with a virus with your hands. With disinfection, it has no chance of getting into your body.

Conclusion

Both smell and consistency will tell you whether a disinfectant is useful. Even limited virucidal disinfectants provide excellent protection against the new type of corona virus, but masks or face shields should not be forgotten. Also pay attention to the information on the packaging of your disinfectant, such as hazard warnings and ingredients, to find the best product.