Think of it like this: cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants are tested to three different standards of rigor—cleaning products being the least rigorously tested, sanitizers being the middle ground, and disinfectants being the gold standard.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb While cleaners can remove things like dirt and grime, they don’t necessarily kill bacteria or viruses. Products are classified as sanitizers if they kill bacteria (the particulars of which will be listed on the product’s label), but have not been proven to kill viruses. Finally, products classified as disinfectants have been thoroughly tested and proven to kill both viruses and bacteria. The EPA explains that confusion has emerged because some products are classified as both sanitizers and disinfectants, but are only labeled as sanitizers. These products have actually been tested to both standards, and many of these can in fact kill COVID-19. However, this has led many people to assume that all sanitizers kill coronavirus, a dangerous misconception. It should be noted that this information does not pertain to products used on the body. The EPA points out that these rules specifically pertain to surface cleaning products—meaning there’s no reason to distrust claims made by your hand sanitizer’s label, or discontinue its use. To find a complete list of products registered with the EPA as a disinfectant, you can search its “List N,” a convenient directory of products known to effectively kill viruses. It will specifically tell you whether coronavirus is among the pathogens the product can target, so you can go ahead and clean your home with confidence. And, need a simple cheat sheet for which products are most effective? Here are Your Favorite Disinfectants, Ranked by How Quickly They Kill Coronavirus.
