At the moment, hand sanitiser and alcohol wipes are in short supply for the next few weeks. The situation will improve.
The good news is that washing your hands with soap is the most effective course of action.
Soap works better than alcohol and disinfectants at destroying the structure of viruses
Why does soap work so well on the new corona virus and, indeed, most viruses? Because the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) layer of the virus.
Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: RNA (genetic material), proteins (these play several roles, including breaking into the target cell and assisting with virus replication) and a membrane of lipids (fats).
Soap dissolves the fat (lipid) membrane, and the virus falls apart like a house of cards and “dies,” (or rather, it becomes inactive as viruses aren’t really alive). Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days.
Disinfectants, or liquids, wipes, gels and creams containing alcohol (and soap) have a similar effect but are not as good as regular soap.
The take away message: Soap is the best, but alcohol wipes are good when soap is not practical or handy, for example in office reception areas.
The Australian Governments Department of Health
Environmental cleaning and disinfection principles for COVID-19 source
Disinfecting hard surfaces with bleach.
- min 0.1% bleach solution (refer to attached pdf file)
- min 10 minutes contact time
