The product that I chose to look into is the disinfecting wipes from the brand Boulder Clean. These disinfecting wipes were about $3 from Aldi for a pack with 75 wipes. I do not use these wipes too often, but when I do I just use them to sanitize mostly for our kitchen table rather than to disinfect. This product claims to clean (which in our terms means sanitizing), deodorize, and disinfect. In order to disinfect with these wipes, you need to wipe down the intended surface and keep that surface wet for 3-10 minutes. Rinsing is required with potable water on food contact surfaces. To clean/ sanitize or deodorize, all you need to do is wipe down the surfaces as needed.
The active ingredient in this product is citric acid. Citric acid is a weak acid, and it acts as an antimicrobial by lowering intracellular pH, causing damage to the DNA, proteins, and cell membrane of pathogens, according to research from the article “The Bactericidal Effect of a Combination of Food-Grade Compounds and their Application as Alternative Antibacterial Agents for Food Contact Surfaces.” Based on this information from the CDC, citric acid’s Health related Hazard Statement is that it can cause serious eye irritation. In general, citric acid has low toxicity and is considered to be a safe household cleaner. This product claims to be effective against: Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus after 3 minutes; Influenza A virus (flu virus), Adenovirus Type 2, Feline Calicivirus (Norovirus), Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2, Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1), Rotavirus, Vaccinia Virus, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecalis Vancomycin Resistant after 5 minutes; Canine Parvovirus and Poliovirus Type 1 after 10 minutes.
The blog “old house to new home” has a 3 ingredient recipe for an antibacterial cleaner that is promoted as a simple, nontoxic, and homemade. This cleaner consists of 3 cups water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, and 10-15 drops of lavender/ tea tree essential oil. The antimicrobial properties of white vinegar comes from its approximately 5% acetic acid. White vinegar is not as effective of a disinfectant as other chemical disinfectants (like bleach) against human pathogens, according to the research article “Vinegar: Medicinal Uses and Antiglycemic Effect.” I personally believe that homemade cleaners can be effective disinfectants, depending on their ingredients. The office that I work in even uses homemade cleaning spray to disinfect the surfaces in rooms. However, I would probably not use the cleaner from that blog if I were looking to seriously disinfect a surface.
Medical Microbiology 