9 ways to protect yourself when using disinfectant

For many household cleaning products, particularly those containing bleach, there are chemicals that can be an irritant, corrosive or even toxic when on your skin or inhaled. In these situations precautions are necessary but you don’t usually need full PPE.

We’ve compiled some advice for you from the WHO website to serve as a reminder about the best way to safely and effectively use these products, and thereby reduce any associated risk:

The disinfectant and its concentration should be carefully selected to avoid damaging surfaces and to avoid or minimise toxic effects on users of that space. Here's what you can do to protect yourself and those around you:

• Avoid combining disinfectants, such as bleach and ammonia, since mixtures can cause respiratory irritation and release potentially fatal gases
• Keep children, pets and other people away during the application of the product until it is dry and there is no odour
• Open windows and ensure proper ventilation. Step away from odours if they become too strong
• Wash your hands after using any disinfectant, including surface wipes
• Keep lids tightly closed when not in use. Spills and accidents are more likely to happen when containers are open
• Do not allow children to use disinfectant wipes. Keep cleaning fluids and disinfectants out of the reach of children and pets
• Throw away disposable items like gloves and masks if they are used during cleaning
• Do not use disinfectant wipes to clean hands or as baby wipes
• The minimum recommended personal protective equipment when disinfecting in non-health care settings is rubber gloves, waterproof aprons and closed shoes. Eye protection and medical masks may also be needed to protect against chemicals in use or if there is a risk of splashing

As an added note there is a reminder that frequent handwashing and avoiding touching surfaces are also effective prevention methods for any potential transmission associated with surface contamination.

We would also like to take that a step further and highlight CCL’s products containing hypochlorous acid. These are a non-toxic alternative to bleach based disinfectants, using only natural ingredients that are kind to the skin, and therefore reducing many of the risks normally associated with disinfectant products. Nevertheless, our products remain intensely powerful and efficient at killing pathogens.

For more information, read our previous blog posts to find out how this works and browse our current product range.