A Guide to Popular Disinfectants

If there was a prize for the most used word (next to virus and Covid-19) currently, it would probably be either sanitiser or disinfectant – products specifically designed to kill/destroy pathogens. (See our article on the difference between cleaning, sanitising, disinfecting etc here)

What isn’t always obvious from labels is that it’s also toxic to other living creatures, including humans and animals, sometimes dangerously.

At Biodx we’ve spent the last 15 years researching and developing the perfect natural disinfectants that work with, not against nature and are immensely proud that currently our products meet the CDC’s list below closer than any other disinfectant currently on the market.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) properties of an ideal disinfectant:

• Broad spectrum: should have a wide antimicrobial spectrum
• Fast acting: should produce a rapid kill
• Not affected by environmental factors: should be active in the presence of organic matter (e.g., blood, sputum, faeces) and compatible with soaps, detergents, and other chemicals encountered in use
• Nontoxic: should not be harmful to the user or patient
• Surface compatibility: should not corrode instruments and metallic surfaces and should not cause the deterioration of cloth, rubber, plastics, and other materials
• Residual effect on treated surfaces: should leave an antimicrobial film on the treated surface
• Easy to use with clear label directions
• Odourless: should have a pleasant odour or no odour to facilitate its routine use
• Economical: should not be prohibitively high in cost
• Solubility: should be soluble in water
• Stability: should be stable in concentrate and use-dilution
• Cleaner: should have good cleaning properties
• Environmentally friendly: should not damage the environment on disposal

Biodx’s guide to popular disinfectants (active ingredients) will answer all your questions from typical application to how it kills/destroys, pros and cons and most importantly its environmental/human impact.