Tips for choosing and using disinfectants

Disinfectants are designed to kill germs on surfaces, including bacteria and viruses that spoil food, create unpleasant odours and cause illness. Some products clean as they disinfect, so read the label if you're looking for a dual-purpose disinfectant. A product that does both will say so.

• Disinfectants contain microbe killers, which show up on the label as pine oil, quaternary ammonium compounds or phenols.
• Disinfecting cleaners also contain surfactants (surface-active agents) to remove various soils.

• Checking the label is especially important. Depending on the formulation and active ingredients, disinfectants may be designed to kill:
• Bacteria that cause intestinal illnesses, such as coliand salmonella
• Staphylococcus; kinds of bacteria that cause skin infections
• Fungi that cause athlete's foot
• Viruses, such as rhinovirus, which is the most typical cause of the common cold.

• For disinfectants to work, follow the package instructions to the letter. That usually means letting the disinfectant sit on the soiled surface for at least 10 minutes to kill bacteria.
• Many people use diluted household chlorine bleach as a disinfectant and stain remover. Make sure you follow label instructions and dilute accordingly.
• It's a good habit to daily clean and disinfect the areas where you prepare food.
• Moist surfaces, such as sinks and toilets, are also germ breeding grounds and should also be cleaned daily if someone in the family is sick or especially vulnerable to infection.

• Don’t use a dirty cloth or sponge. If you clean a surface with disinfectant but then wipe with a contaminated cloth, you're simply redepositing germs on the clean surface.
• Some people prefer using paper towels after disinfecting, since you throw away the contaminants. Paper towels are a more expensive way to clean, though.
• Cloths and sponges work as well, if not better, as long as you launder them with chlorine bleach and allow them to dry thoroughly between uses.

Disinfectants are available from supermarkets, home improvement stores and discount retailers.