New Delhi: The current pandemic has people taking cleaning and disinfecting much more seriously. There are some articles that have recipes for homemade hand sanitizers and disinfectants. But this is not always effective, it is best to use store-bought bleach-based surface disinfectants and alcohol-based hand sanitizers as they contain the right amount of chemicals advised by the World Health Organization. ALSO READ| Covid-19 Vaccine 'Covishield' To Be Ready By Jan 2021, Says Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla However, you can mix bleach and water together to make a disinfectant for hard surfaces, such as tabletops and kitchen slabs.
  • Recipe 1: 1:10 ratio (strong - Mark Warner formula) - Combine ½ cups bleach to one liter of water or ⅓ cup bleach powder per liter of water.
  • Recipe 2: 1:48 ratio (dilute - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Formula)- Combine ⅓ cup of bleach per litre of water or 4 teaspoons of bleach per litre of water.
Bleach is corrosive, so should be used in a dilute formula and with proper precautions. Bleach solutions degrade rapidly after they are mixed. It is recommended that you make a fresh batch every day. More dilute solutions will degrade faster, so for solutions that need to last longer (up to about a week), mix no more than a 1:4 ratio. Alternatively, you can make an alcohol-based disinfectant with these ingredients: • 1½ (95%) (preferably ethanol but can use other alcohol) • 1 litre distilled water • ½ teaspoon hydrogen peroxide • 30-45 drops essential oil as desired (optional) Instructions: Combine water and hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. Add in the desired essential oil (can use more than one oil). Add in alcohol. Shake well to combine the mixture. Note: The effectiveness of this combination hasn’t been proven in any study nor is it backed by scientific evidence. However, ethanol is the base for many disinfectants.