Disinfectant Spray for your Fabric Sofa
Mix 2 cups of rubbing alcohol and 1 cup of water into a spray bottle. Test out the spray bottle on another piece of fabric or in the sink to make sure your spray bottle is in the mist setting.
White vinegar is a safe and natural remedy for mold and mildew. Use a spray bottle and lightly mist your pillows.
Combine ½ cup of bleach per gallon of water or 2 tablespoons of bleach per quart of water. Combine ⅓ cup of bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water. Notes about using bleach: Solutions at stronger concentration are more effective at killing pathogens and require less contact time.
Here's how to do it: Combine 1 1/2 cups rubbing alcohol with 3/4 cups water and 15 drops each of lavender and lemon essential oil in a metal or glass spray bottle. You can use this spray to disinfect everything you would typically use Lysol for, including toilets, laptops, bathrooms surfaces, door handles, and more.
If you're hoping to eliminate germs like those that cause colds, flus, and other viruses, it's best to shelve the vinegar. Vinegar is not an EPA-registered disinfectant or sanitizer, which means it won't kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, as is deemed a safe level by public health standards.
Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle when you want to sanitize a load of laundry. The white vinegar kills bacteria, deodorizes your laundry, softens fabrics, and even helps maintain bright colors. Who knew vinegar might be the ultimate eco-friendly clothes detergent?
The best natural disinfectants include alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, hot water, and some essential oils. Evidence suggests that in some cases, many of these natural disinfectants can be as effective at killing germs as chemical cleaners like bleach.
In need of an effective fabric sanitizer? Tide to the rescue! Tide Antibacterial Fabric Spray is designed to kill 99.9% of bacteria* left behind on fabrics, as well as fight germs** on hard surfaces*** Every day, we come into contact with millions of germs on unclean hard surfaces.
How to properly clean and disinfect pillows. To eliminate odors, remove your pillowcase and sprinkle baking soda over your pillow. After 30 minutes, vacuum away the baking soda. Spray your pillow with a fabric-safe sanitizer to disinfect it.
The best disinfectant may not be the wash, but the drying process. Tumble-drying laundry, including pillows, on high heat for at least 30 minutes is sufficient for killing most influenza germs. Don't hesitate to tumble dry for longer, however.
The best disinfectant spray for a couch is Lysol Disinfecting Spray. Lysol will kill up to 99% of germs, viruses, and bacteria and is safe for most fabrics. To sanitize with it, you'll need to spray your couch thoroughly (but not saturate it) and allow the spray to air dry.
But can is baking soda a disinfectant? Sadly, the answer is no, you cannot disinfect with baking soda - it is ineffective against most bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli. and staphylococcus.
Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide work well to disinfect, but they should not be combined in a single container as they make a peracetic acid which can be hazardous. Instead, add undiluted white vinegar to one spray bottle and 3% hydrogen peroxide to another.
Currently, there are five main EPA-registered chemicals that hospitals use for disinfectants: Quaternary Ammonium, Hypochlorite, Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide, Phenolics, and Peracetic Acid.
Sanitizing towels and bed sheets
To wash bleach-safe bed sheets and towels, machine wash in the hottest water recommended using a good detergent and ⅔ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach in a traditional deep-fill washer, or ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach in a high efficiency clothes washer.
Does vinegar disinfect laundry? Vinegar is not an effective disinfectant. It only works on a few strains of bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella.
That being said, most products will work great for at least 3 months after mixing them up. Still, I find it easiest to mix up just the amount that will fit inside my spray bottles. I prefer not to be storing large bottles of excess product in addition to the spray bottle that I'm actually using for cleaning. Good luck!
Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda and 1/2 cup liquid soap in a bowl. Dilute with1/2 cup water and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir the mixture with a fork until any lumps dissolve. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle.