One of the many responsibilities we have on our plates is keeping our homes and the spaces we occupy in order. Whether that means house maintenance, doing home renovations, updating your decor, or simply keeping the house clean. Cleanliness, in specific, is something that has to be done regularly to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and comfortable, especially if there are children in the house. It’s normal for surfaces to get infected with germs and bacteria from outside factors.
However, that also means you need to stay on top of that weekly cleaning session, constantly sterilizing them and keeping your home germ and dust-free. To help you do that, we’re here to tell you how you can find the best cleaning and sterilization products out there.
Differentiate Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, Sterilization & Disinfecting
To be able to find the right cleaning and sterilization products, you need to understand the two processes and differentiate them from others; such as sanitizing and disinfecting. On one hand, cleaning is getting surfaces rid of germs and dust, while sterilization kills all forms of life and other biological agents from surfaces. As for sanitizing, it involves destroying all bacteria using specific products, and finally, disinfecting is to get rid of all living organisms. Many people don’t know that surfaces need to be thoroughly cleaned before using sanitizers and disinfectants since they are considered antimicrobial pesticides.
Match Cleaning Agents to pH Scale
To find the top sterilization and cleaning products, you need to sharpen those chemistry skills that we all probably left behind in the high school’s lab. Getting to know the ingredients of products before purchasing them is crucial; you need to choose one that is safe and effective. Most, if not all, cleaning products have pH adjusters to alter the product’s pH so it can catch and remove specific kinds of soils more efficiently. The higher the pH the more the product is alkalic, like chlorine or bleach; they are used to fight protein-based soils, fats, and greasy, oily compounds. Meanwhile, low pH products are acidic and remove chemical stains; hard water scale, mineral deposits, and soap scum as well as attack residue left from road salts that are used to melt snow and ice.
Consider Versatility vs. Specialty
Another thing that can help you find the best cleaning and sterilization products is taking into account versatility as opposed to specialty. While it’s important for a product to be versatile, the sterilization pioneers at www.leadsonics.com recommend getting specialty cleaners for specific objects or materials; like jewelry, artificial teeth, etc. Delicate items like these need special ultrasonic cleaners that use heat technology to properly sanitize them without causing any damage. It’s actually much more sensible to get versatile cleaning products, you won’t find yourself spending too much money and hoarding a bunch of chemicals you don’t need at home.
Look For Effectiveness & Efficiency
With the hectic lives we are leading, most of us don’t have time to waste cleaning the entire house every few days, which is why it’s important to get specialty products that are effective. Most cleaning products give the illusion of cleanliness, not leaving behind any visible dirt, yet, they do leave chemicals and other residues behind that the naked eye would never notice. These residues attract bacteria and dirt, continuously inviting it back to the exact same spot.
A great way you can tell if a product leaves behind such residues is by trying it out on a clear pane of glass and seeing if it leaves behind a hazy or foggy surface, that would mean it does leave residues behind. Another way you can make sure a product is efficient and safe to use is to check for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) logo on the container. That logo signifies that the product follows the agency’s rules of what constitutes a safe disinfectant.
Make Sure They’re Durable
Durability is integral when it comes to finding a great cleaning and sterilization product, especially with major tools like steamers or carpet cleaners. At the same time, even the smallest, most everyday products you purchase should be durable since cleaning products usually come in huge quantities and are not easy to finish in a short period of time. That’s why we recommend you take a thorough look at the bottle to check its expiration date. If it’s an expensive tool, check for a warranty as well in case it breaks or wears down and needs to be fixed up or replaced.
Prioritize Ease of Use
For some, cleaning in itself is a nightmare, so you want to find cleaning and sterilization products that don’t make this nightmare worse. Vigorously rubbing until you can’t feel your arms is not the ideal way to go if you’re cleaning your house on a weekly basis. There are a variety of products and cleaning tools out there that make this necessary process much faster and more accessible. Do proper research online before you go buy those basics so as to avoid making uninformed and unnecessarily ineffective choices with what you buy.
Know What Ingredients To Avoid
It’s no secret that cleaning and sterilization products are mainly made of chemicals, which is expected. However, there are certain ingredients used in these products that should be avoided; yet another reason to read the label before purchasing. These ingredients include Ammonia, which is toxic when inhaled, as well as Butyl Glycol, Ethylene Glycol, and Monobutyl, which are dangerous to the nervous system, liver & kidneys.
There are also fragranced chemicals in products that can pass through the skin, enter the bloodstream, and cause hormone disruptions or skin and respiratory irritation. Other ingredients to avoid are Chlorine Bleach, Petroleum Solvents, dyes, Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT), Phosphates, Phthalates, and Ethanolamine compounds (DEA, MEA, TEA).
These are basically the main points to have in mind as you’re looking for the top sterilization and cleaning products out there. It helps if you hit the web to do some research on products before hitting the shops so you know ahead of time what to get and what to avoid. Remember to always read the labels and check ingredients, the EPA approval, a safety to children and pets sign, as well as environmental considerations.
You can always choose to be responsible and eco-friendly and opt for greener options when it comes to cleaning products without compromising on efficiency. It’s important to know all your options; let’s not forget the plethora of natural cleaning ingredients available, like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and castile soap; but those are another world on their own.
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