Has anyone been able to buy disinfecting spray anywhere?

[Brian Elfert]

I can't seem to find disinfecting spray anywhere. Has anyone else been able to find any? I didn't realize how many disinfectants there are for COVID-19. The state of New York has a many page document listing disinfectants that are supposed to work against COVID-19.

I also didn't realize until today that Formula 409 works to kill viruses. I have about a gallon of Formula 409, but I think that will go quick for a project I have coming up mid summer. I might be able to make up a DIY bleach spray, but that smells so bad. (Maybe bleach smell is good now so people know you are disinfecting.)

[Edwin Santos]

I can't seem to find disinfecting spray anywhere. Has anyone else been able to find any? I didn't realize how many disinfectants there are for COVID-19. The state of New York has a many page document listing disinfectants that are supposed to work against COVID-19.

I also didn't realize until today that Formula 409 works to kill viruses. I have about a gallon of Formula 409, but I think that will go quick for a project I have coming up mid summer. I might be able to make up a DIY bleach spray, but that smells so bad. (Maybe bleach smell is good now so people know you are disinfecting.)

It will be very hard to find at this moment. Just like the toilet paper shortage, the supply chain did not anticipate the surge in demand. But just like the toilet paper situation, I would think by mid-summer it will be available. One good thing about the free market is that if there is a lot of demand for a product and not enough supply, it won't be long before additional supply will appear. You won't be waiting long.

[Brian Elfert]

The only real way disinfectant makers can make more product short term is if the plants weren't running 24x7 and they could add more shifts. Companies making disinfecting products are also running out of raw materials to make more. I read that some of the disinfecting wipes makers can't get enough containers to package the wipes in.

It was reported after the TP shortage started that a lot of TP plants already run 24 hours a day as that is the only way they can make a profit in normal times. I also read that some TP plants deferred maintenance and so on to keep production running flat out. That is not a great strategy long term as it means future downtime and expense to replace stuff that wore out prematurely from lack of maintenance.

[Brian Deakin]

I would suggest if you do decide to purchase a disinfectant to consider taking the following approach

Identify which disinfectants are available in a concentrated(dilutable) form and the name /concentration of the active ingredient
Decide which product based on concentration and pack size provides the best value for money
Choose which fragrance of disinfectant you prefer ( I had to choose between floral which smelt like a grandmother or linen and it does make a difference as this will be the background smell )
Purchase a spray bottle ,it is advisable to choose a better quality bottle for example a plant spray bottle that produces a superior spray pattern or a spray bottle used by professional cleaners
(You could try to source dilutable disinfectants used by professional cleaners )
Prepare the diluted product according to the manufactures instructions and clearly label the bottle

By taking this approach of diluting a concentrated product instead of purchasing disinfectant in a spray form I was able to make 20 times the volume for the same price

[Curt Harms]

How far are you from a farm supply store that has a lot of dairy customers? I was associated with that business growing up and sanitizers were a popular item. Is Quaternary Ammonia (name/spelling?) still in use? I don't remember that being especially strong smelling. Here's something a quick search brought up:


https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/infectious-disease/How-we-know-disinfectants-should-kill-the-COVID-19-coronavirus/98/web/2020/03?
Enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2—which rely on a protective lipid coating—are the easiest type to deactivate. In contrast with many gastrointestinal viruses like norovirus which have a tough protein shell called a capsid, viruses with this fatty wrapping are relatively vulnerable.

“It’s much more sensitive. It’s sort of a wimpy protective shell,” says virologist Seema Lakdawala of the University of Pittsburgh.

There are a few ways to burst this flimsy shell. Alcohol-based products disintegrate the protective lipids. Quaternary ammonium disinfectants, commonly used in health-care and food-service industries, attack protein and lipid structures, thwarting the pathogen’s typical mode of infection. Bleach and other potent oxidizers swiftly break down a virus’s essential components.

[Ole Anderson]

I don't see any point in disinfecting more than normal around the home if you don't have visitors stopping by. I found a quart bottle of 70% isoprophol (rubbing) alcohol under the bathroom sink. Put it in a fine spray bottle. Works good for misting keyboards and anything you have been touching (at church for me), plus a spritz on your hands, rub them and you are good to go. I spritz my n95 mask after I come out from the store as soon as I take it off in the car as I do my hands. (Hint, don't put the mask back on until the alcohol flashes off unless you want a quick buzz). Its going to last a long time. Plus I carry a pocket size gel sanitizer with me. It, too, seems to last forever. What the heck to people do with gallons of the stuff?

[Stan Calow]

We have a few local distilleries making alcohol hand sanitizer that is really just denatured alcohol. Its a sprayable liquid, not a gel, and pretty available in grocery stores. Doesnt smell that good either.

[Brian Elfert]

I want disinfecting spray for my little food business I do once a month in the summer. I expect to be able to resume yet this summer. I expect to use a lot of disinfectant spray to constantly be cleaning things like the table at the spots where the food and money are slid through.

Formula 409 will apparently kill COVID-19, but I have read it might take ten minutes to do so. I really don't want the surface wet for ten minutes so I have to look for plan B. My employer got a pallet of liquid disinfectant in five gallon jugs. They use a lot to disinfect a 400,000 square foot manufacturing plant and a large fleet of trucks that are on the road every day.

[Jim Becker]

TI read that some of the disinfecting wipes makers can't get enough containers to package the wipes in..

Yes, there was an article I read on CNN.com not long ago that one of the manufacturers applied for permission to be able to package their disinfectant wipes in soft packages like are commonly used for baby and butt wipes...they can't get the round plastic containers that they historically have been packaging their disinfectant cleaning wipes in in the quantities they need. They have plenty of production capacity for the actual product. It's the packaging that's the problem.

The larger bottles of hand sanitizer from the distileries that Stan mentions could likely also be used for disinfecting surfaces. The one sold at the food market I've been patronizing is only $7 for what is essentially the equivalent of a "fifth of the good stuff"...same bottle. Inexpensive and available in quantities.

[Nathan Johnson]

http://thefittercritter.com/rescue-disinfectant-concentrate-gallon/

Veterinary disinfectant. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide.
We have a couple gallons plus the wipes. (My fiance is a veterinary practice manager.)

[Brian Elfert]

I will have to look for sanitizer from a distillery. I have only shopped for groceries at Walmart and Costco in the past two months so I have not been to a traditional grocer to see if they have the liquid sanitizer.

I read somewhere that some distilleries are winding down sanitizer production as the market is getting saturated. I know a lot of people prefer the standard gel type sanitizer, but were buying the liquid type out of necessity.

[Kev Williams]

Most grocery stores and Walmarts around here have had Clorox disinfectant spray on hand since April, other stores have their generic brands too. Outside is our 'disinfecting station'; a bottle of Winco spray w/bleach and a mircrofiber towel--
433106
NOTHING comes into this house without getting 'treated'. Basic mail and some customer parts and cash get Lysol'd. I have a 2x2' sheet of copper on work table in the garage that certain things get set on for at least a day. Aside from ourselves I'm worried for our customers. Just found out yesterday that the anodizing shop I, and many of my customers use, have 3 employees out who've contracted the virus. Which means it's possible the virus has been delivered here...

speaking of Lysol, THAT'S what I can't find, it's still absent from all stores I frequent...

[Brian Elfert]

I'll have to check the next time I able to get to Walmart. I just checked Walmart.com and every disinfecting spray is shown as out of stock.

I noticed the other day that Target is not allowing store pickup of disinfecting items. If a store actually shows the item as in stock you have to go there in person to buy.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Fill spray bottle almost to the top with water. Add about a quarter cup of bleach.

You're done.

Spray, let sit for a minute, wipe off.

[Bruce Wrenn]

One of my vendors sent out an email yesterday stating that they had sanitizing supplies and masks in stock now. A couple weeks ago, president of Kroger was on TV. Said they had no problem getting 55 gallon drums of hand sanitizer. Again, it's the container that's the problem.

[Brian Elfert]

The liquid hand sanitizer that is mostly just alcohol seems to be plentiful. The gel type hand sanitizer most of us are used to is very hard to find.

A local coalition of distilleries is making and selling hand sanitizer as a fundraiser. They sell a 32 oz spray bottle for $12.99 at four local grocery chains. (A grocery store I was just at had at least half a pallet for sale.) They intend to sell 35% of production and give away the other 65% to government, healthcare, and so on. The strange thing is they are sourcing ethanol from ethanol plants rather than producing their own alcohol. All they are doing is mixing the ethanol with other ingredients and packaging it for sale. If they make any profit on the venture it goes to a local food shelf agency.

[Bert Kemp]

most big box stores and pool stores have clorox and pool shockers that could be diluted to sanitize, I picked up a 1lb jar for 6 bucks and 2 qrt bottles of Hydrogen peroxide at wally world yesterday

[Kev Williams]

Fill spray bottle almost to the top with water. Add about a quarter cup of bleach.

You're done.

Spray, let sit for a minute, wipe off.

The CDC recommends 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon, 4 teaspoons per quart. Hoever, they also say this mix 'will be effective for disinfection up to 24 hours.' Part of the reason for the short duration is light, which causes algae to form, which the bleach wears itself out killing. Use an opaque spray bottle if possible, it'll help. But 1 teaspoon per 8oz made fresh daily is pretty cheap :)

Me, I put on gloves and dampen the rag with the spray, then just wipe down the item...

[Al Launier]

The disinfectant sprays still are in short supply here in NH, so during the interim I've been using Isopropyl 70% alcohol, i.e. rubbing alcohol. It was also out of stock for a while, but it finally became available up at our grocery store, no where else. It doesn't skin lotion mixed with it, but it is an effective disinfectant.

[John K Jordan]

I can't seem to find disinfecting spray anywhere. Has anyone else been able to find any? I didn't realize how many disinfectants there are for COVID-19. The state of New York has a many page document listing disinfectants that are supposed to work against COVID-19.

I also didn't realize until today that Formula 409 works to kill viruses. I have about a gallon of Formula 409, but I think that will go quick for a project I have coming up mid summer. I might be able to make up a DIY bleach spray, but that smells so bad. (Maybe bleach smell is good now so people know you are disinfecting.)

Brian,

What is your upcoming project? The type of surface may make a difference.

Be careful in using hand sanitizer mixed with things (like aloe vera) for skin as some can leave a film on surfaces like dining tables. Probably shouldn't be used to disinfect things like oral thermometers.

A couple of months ago I bought several gallons of 99% isopropyl alcohol locally to make of hand sanitizer. Diluted with water to 75% or 80% (volume, not weight) it makes an effective sanitizer. I put it in spray bottles for local charities who provide food and meals for those in need.

I see many industrial suppliers sell IPA in quantity, for example 5-gal cans. It was unavailable for a while but seems to be coming back - google shows me some have it in stock now and some are backordered but expect deliveries in a few weeks. I've seen prices as low as about $20 and as high as $50+ for a gallon of the same product, not including shipping or the hazmat fee some charge. I'm going to try to order a 5-gal container in case the pandemic doesn't magically go away as some suggest. Dilute and put into spray bottles. Big caution - this stuff is HIGHLY flammable, especially when sprayed.

UPS will deliver but the USPS told me it would NOT. They won't even accept a package with an old label that has the word "sanitizer" even if the word is marked out with a sharpie and you certify there is nothing liquid or hazardous! (Found that out yesterday)

You can also buy 190 proof ethanol (vodka) at a liqueur store but it's far more expensive than isopropyl. I recently bought a quantity to make vanilla extract - the cheapest I found was about $35 for 1/2 gallon. Ethanol smells a lot better. Denatured ethanol is cheaper since it's not made for drinking and avoids the liqueur tax but be careful, some today is denatured with methanol which is toxic.

Don't know what you are sanitizing but some wood finishes (on tables, handrails, etc) don't play well with any kind of alcohol. My wife accidentally dripped some on our hardwood floor and it left spots.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

What is your upcoming project? The type of surface may make a difference.


I need to disinfect plastic folding tables. I am looking at using distillery sanitizer in a spray bottle for this.

[John K Jordan]

I need to disinfect plastic folding tables. I am looking at using distillery sanitizer in a spray bottle for this.

Alcohol should work fine for this.

I don't know about your area, but sanitizer from distilleries is just now threatening to be available in our area. (Odd, since TN and KY are saturated with distilleries.) I've been following this with several retailers and the prices they are expecting are shameful. Maybe you can do better.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

A 32 oz spray bottle of distillery sanitizer is $12.99 at the grocery store. One distillery sells direct at $30 per gallon and another at $35 per gallon.

[Tom M King]

I just ordered 7 packs of 2 spray bottles of Clorox Cleanup from Home Depot. The reason for the amount was to get past the minimum dollar amount for free shipment to home. Everything else "clorox" was out of stock. It remains to be seen if it's really available, but they took my money, so we'll see. The price was the normal price.

[John K Jordan]

A 32 oz spray bottle of distillery sanitizer is $12.99 at the grocery store. One distillery sells direct at $30 per gallon and another at $35 per gallon.

Hey, if you got some can you tell me what is listed on the label as the active and inert ingredients and percentages of the distillery sanitizer? (Can't check here until I find some!) What kind of alcohol?

I found one store with gallon jugs of isopropyl hand sanitizer for sale but at shameful rip-off prices ($60/gal). The label indicated they used the WHO formula.
I found another store selling 4 oz bottles of hand sanitizer for almost $20. Good grief. The other stores in the area usually have none, very low supplies, or 2 oz bottles at 8 oz prices.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

The organization selling the 32 oz spray bottles for $12.99 lists denatured ethyl alcohol (80.0%), glycerol (1.45%), hydrogen peroxide (0.125%) and water as the ingredients.

[John K Jordan]

The organization selling the 32 oz spray bottles for $12.99 lists denatured ethyl alcohol (80.0%), glycerol (1.45%), hydrogen peroxide (0.125%) and water as the ingredients.

Thanks. That's more or less Formulation I of the WHO, except they list ethanol instead of denatured ethyl. The instructions are here if anyone want's to mix up some themselves: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144054/

If mixing with DNA I would, however, try to find out if the bitterant used in the DNA is not methanol which I understand is toxic and can be absorbed through the skin. From reading the MSDS on various denatured alcohol products available to consumers (through Home Depot, etc) it was difficult for me to tell exactly which were using methanol. It appeared to me that some of the major brands were switching to higher and higher percentages of methanol over time.

(Keep in mind that my understanding of all this is not deep - I made As in chemistry in college but unlike physics it was my nemesis, an embarrassingly serious struggle! :)

This is disturbing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol , in particular "In the United States, mixtures sold as denatured alcohol often have much greater percentages of methanol, and can be less than 50% ethanol." And while ingestion is the most toxic, I found this from the Methanol Institute, www.methanol.org: "Direct exposure to methanol should be avoided, as methanol can be harmful if swallowed, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled." And as hand sanitizer...?

I suspect what the distilleries are selling is non-toxic. If mixing a batch at home for use on the skin and in doubt, a safer method might be to use the more expensive drinkable ethanol or the WHO Formulation II with "pure" (99%) isopropyl alcohol, the formula I used when I mixed up some earlier.


JKJ

[Neil Gaskin]

We found simple green at Home Depot a while back. The jug label says it’s affective against Corona Virus?

[Stan Calow]

I was curious so went to the Simple Green website. This is what it says in the FAQ:

Q: Can Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner be used against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2.
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is not a disinfectant and will not kill bacteria or viruses. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can not treat a disease. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can be used to clean a surface before applying a disinfecting solution.

[Jim Becker]

We found simple green at Home Depot a while back. The jug label says it’s affective against Corona Virus?

And then you'd need to understand if it's effective against "this" particular corona virus (often referred to as COVID-19) or the common cold which is also a corona virus or...

[Bruce Wrenn]

Dollar Tree sells Lysol Brand New Day multi-surface cleaner for a buck. For general cleaning, it makes up to 5 gallons when mixed with water. For disinfecting, use one ounce to five ounces of water. Comes in a couple different flavors. We bought the orange, because I prefer orange.

[Tom M King]

I just ordered 7 packs of 2 spray bottles of Clorox Cleanup from Home Depot. The reason for the amount was to get past the minimum dollar amount for free shipment to home. Everything else "clorox" was out of stock. It remains to be seen if it's really available, but they took my money, so we'll see. The price was the normal price.

Just got the email notification that this order was shipped.

[Jim Becker]

Home Depot has a disinfectant piled up just inside the entrance to my local store. I didn't look at it really carefully, but it looked like (based on the packaging) like something originally intended for commercial sale, rather than retail sale. It may or may not have been something that I've seen at vets...not sure.

[Mel Fulks]

The ancient Romans used urine for some cleansing purposes. Washing clothes and teeth cleaning were among them.