Cleaning

The Disinfection Balance

A surge of late-summer illness-including COVID-has led to schools canceling classes and reinstating some safety measures. While the science has shown that COVID is most likely not transmitted via surfaces, there are plenty of pathogens that are.

A surge of late-summer illness-including COVID-has led to schools canceling classes and reinstating some safety measures¹. While the science has shown that COVID is most likely not transmitted via surfaces, there are plenty of pathogens that are. Disinfectants are still an important part of reducing absences is schools and workplaces. That means it's a good time to talk about trying to achieve the right balance when it comes to disinfectants.

What do we mean by "Disinfectant Balance?"

When we talk about “balance” here - we mean weighing the positive properties of a disinfectant with the negatives. In the past, compromises had to be made. To get the kill claims you needed, you had to use harsh chemicals. And/or you had to leave it applied for a long time.

When the Balance is Off

The pandemic caused a lot of panic and worry across the US, and many people who were not used to using disinfectants started using them. A lack of experience, available tools, and limited supplies meant that products were being sprayed everywhere that, frankly, shouldn’t have been. Not in the quantities they were sprayed and not on the surfaces / in the spaces they should have been sprayed.

The Health Consequences of this have included:

(Short Term)

Increased calls to Poision Control³
Damage to more delicate surfaces
Films on surfaces making them look old/dull

(Possible Long Term²)

Increased occupational illness (Asthma, COPD)
Possible respiratory damage
Increased exposure to carcinogens
Increased contamination of wastewater
Contamination of the ecosystem (food supply)

Damage to Surfaces

Beyond the serious health risks associated with many disinfectants that use quats, bleach, or other harsh chemicals as their main active ingredient, there’s also

the very real issue of damage to surfaces. Some cosmetic flaws such as milky residue can be cleaned away with a low-residue cleaning product such as EnvirOx H2Orange2 117 or 112. However, some damage can’t be fixed, meaning costly replacement of fixtures, electronics, or whole surfaces.

Finding The Right Balance

We invented OxiGenesis because there was a hole in the current disinfectant market. We needed a better disinfectant that used H2O2 technology (our specialty) but that was also perfectly balanced for maximum effectiveness while keeping the environment, facilities, and human health in mind.

No PPE Required*
Powerful Kill Claims
Low Residue, Low Odor, No Fragrance
Patented H₂O₂ Powered Cleaning Tech
EPA Design for the Environment Certification**
No More Need for Trade Offs

Bettelheim, Goldman. (2023). Schools grapple with COVID safety amid late summer surge. Axios. Retrieved from: https://www.axios.com/2023/09/06/covid-19-school-cases-summer-surge
CDC. (2008). Chemical Disinfectants . CDC. Retrived from: https:// www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/chemical.html.

*Under normal conditions as directed by the label. **Designed for the Environment as certified by the EPA. EPA/DfE recognition does not constitute endorsement of this product. The DfE label signifies that the product’s formula, as EnvirOx, LLC has represented it to the EPA, contains ingredients with more positive human health and environmental characteristics than conventional products of the same type. EPA/DfE relies solely on EnvirOx, LLC, its integrity and good faith, for information on the product’s composition, ingredients and attributes. EPA/DfE has not independently identified, that is, via chemical analysis, the ingredients in the product formula, nor evaluated any of EnvirOx, LLC’s non-ingredient claims. EPA/DfE provides its evaluation only as to the product’s human health and environmental characteristics, as specified in the Safer Choice Standard and based on currently available information and scientific understanding. Other products depicted have their own requirements and certifications. See their original label for full information.