The coronavirus also known as COVID-19, has caused the general public to panic and over purchase sanitizer, bleach, and disinfectant spray. This demand has proven difficult for companies to meet the needs of the consumer.

These common household products will kill the virus:

Soap & Water-Almost every household will have some form of soap, dish soap, or bar soap. When you scrub your hands with soap, it breaks the protective barrier of the virus. It is important to either throw away the paper towel you use to dry your hands or wash the hand towel immediately after washing hands.

Bleach-If you were able to snag a bottle of bleach from the store before it sold out, or have a bottle sitting in the laundry room, you’re in luck. To kill the coronavirus, the CDC recommends diluting 1/3 cup of bleach in one gallon of water for it to be effective.

Isopropyl Alcohol-Alcohol solutions containing 70 percent alcohol or more are effective in killing the virus. Do not dilute the solution when applying it to surfaces, it must sit on the surface for 30 seconds for it to disinfect. This also means that you cannot use vodka from the liquor store, the alcohol content is not strong enough to kill the coronavirus.

Hydrogen Peroxide-It has been proven that this solution was successful in killing the Rhinovirus, which is more difficult to kill than the coronavirus. You can pour this solution into a spray bottle to spray surfaces. It is recommended that you allow the solution to sit on the surface for at least a minute.

Here are a few things that you should NOT use against coronavirus:

Homemade Hand Sanitizer-There are tons of hand sanitizer recipes circulating the internet. Doctors and professional chemists are advising against making your own at home. Unless the sanitizer is made using exactly the correct ratios of ingredients, it won’t be effective in protecting you against the virus.
Vodka-Again, this is not effective in combating the coronavirus. Many vodka companies have released statements, telling their customers that the proof of vodka is not the percentage of ethyl alcohol.

Distilled White Vinegar-Many other disinfectant recommendations involve the use of vinegar. There is no evidence that shows this solution effectively kills the virus.

Stay healthy friends!