If you’ve learned that someone that lives in your home, or even visited your residence, is infected by staph, you need to seriously consider taking concerted action to address the potential for the spread of staph to others who enter into your house. In this regard, you likely have a number of questions about preventing the spread of stab.
Does Peroxide Kill Staph?
According to the National Institutes of Health, peroxide can kill staph bacteria. Two lines of comprehensive studies support the conclusion that peroxide does have the capability to kill staph bacteria. The peroxide solution used to kill staph is not the common over-the-counter 3% variety used to treat wounds and for other health-related purposes. Rather, it is a stronger 6% derivation of the chemical.
The problem associated with using peroxide as a staph bacteria eradication agent in your home is the fact that this chemical has the ability to damage surfaces and objects. It has propensities similar to bleach that can impact the color of a surface or object. Diluting it as a means of preventing damage to surfaces or objects can reduce its effectiveness at killing staph bacteria. In addition, there are items like carpeting, cushions, and similar objects that are not amenable to a peroxide cleaning.
In summary, peroxide might be a helpful agent to assist in eradicating staph bacteria in your home. However, there are limitations to the extent to which it can be used in many instances.
Does Rubbing Alcohol Kill Staph?
Rubbing alcohol does have a demonstrated ability to kill staph bacteria. Specifically, 70 percent ethanol or isopropanol alcohol has an established track record of killing staph.
Alcohol of these types is particularly effective at killing staph bacteria on a person’s skin, as well as other germs. (Alcohol swabs are used to sanitize skin before an injection or insertion a needle for other purposes.)
In theory, alcohol can also kill staph bacteria on surfaces and objects. Alcohol doesn’t present the same nature of the risk of damage as does peroxide. With that said, alcohol may not be as effective of a staph killer on certain surfaces and objects than is peroxide. There are also limitations on where alcohol can be used. For example, it isn’t a recommended or effective option surfaces or objects like carpeting, sofa cushions, and so forth.
Does Vinegar Kill Staph?
Unfortunately, the internet is littered with a good amount of inaccurate information about the ability of vinegar to kill the staph virus. This misinformation can prove harmful to people like you who conclude that they can use vinegar to eradicate the staph bacteria.
Be clearly advised that the answer to the question of “does vinegar kill staph?” is:
No!
Does Steam Cleaning Kill Staph?
As mentioned previously, there are surfaces and objects in which some of the staph elimination methods discussed thus far are ineffective. These include such thing are carpeting, sofas and cushions, and similar items or objects. Steam cleaning can be an effective alternative when it comes to eradicating staph bacteria.
Steam cleaning typically is capable of killing over 90 to 95 percent of staph bacteria on certain surfaces and objects. In order to increase the percentage, a second round of steam cleaning might be recommended.
Although technically steam cleaning may not eliminate 100 percent staph bacteria, it is capable of reducing its presence to a level that presents no health risk. (Other types of disinfectants mentioned in this article may not eradicate 100 percent of staph, but to reduce it to a minuscule level that doesn’t present an appreciable health risk to humans.
Does Chlorine Bleach Kill Staph?
Chlorine bleach oftentimes is used as a means of killing staph bacteria. Typically, chlorine bleach is used in a solution with water. The water to bleach ratio is 9 to 1 in most cases.
Bear in mind that bleach has a similar propensity for causing damage to certain surfaces and objects as does peroxide. Thus, care must be taken before forging ahead and cleaning a surface or item with a bleach solution without first testing the negative or damaging impact it might.
Does Soap and Water Kill Staph?
It can be helpful to scrub a surface you think may be contaminated with staph if there is some sort of debris on it. However, do keep in mind that even vigorous scrubbing with high-quality soap (with water) will not kill staph. It may eliminate a small number of bacteria. However, it doesn’t come close to reducing the number of staph bacteria to a safe level.
Should I Hire an Infectious Disease Cleaning Professional?
If you believe staph may be present in your home, you are wise to give consideration to hiring an infectious disease cleaning company to assist you to eradicate the bacteria from your residence. A biohazard remediation specialist has the background, skills, equipment, and other resources necessary to clean up staph bacteria thoroughly and safely. This proactive tactic can protect your family from a staph infection, particularly children, older men and women, and individuals with suppressed immune systems.