A Sick House And Hydrogen Peroxide

[The King of Spain]

I am now free for the first time alone today. The kids and wife are in bed a with a real dinky dye flu (one child is still OK). I had a vacc which the Doc says is just as well, otherwise I would be gone. The sanatizer I have been using is H2O2. I have been using this in a spray mister come brew day, but more recently have used it to keep my youngest daughter safe (cups, benches etc). Its great stuff, you can gargle it (please read directions) and kill on contact any nasties. Now imagine that was a chemical that you could patent, we would pay a fortune for it.

 

[Inge]

Seconded.

Every time I cut myself fairly badly (which happens more often than not if you are a lanky clutz like me), the first port of call is some nice diluted H2O2.

Sure it stings, but the fascination of watching an open wound on your body fizz and start dripping foam is more than enough to take your mind off the pain.

I also use it to clean the bathroom, and to soak my toothbrush in when I've left it out on the sink.

 

[Phrak]

Intersting... [I could search and find a million different answers, but] what dilution ratio is safe for gargling or toothbruthes?

 

[Mr Bond]

I use the 3% stuff you get from chemist(fauldings?) at a rate of 30 ml in one liter of Demineralised water.

 

[Darren]

Flu virus is actually piss weak once it lands on a benchtop (ie. outside of the body).

Bleach will work just as well and is a damn site cheaper.

cheers

Darren

 

[The King of Spain]

[

quote name='Phrak' date='Jul 25 2007, 12:17 AM' post='228976']
Intersting... [I could search and find a million different answers, but] what dilution ratio is safe for gargling or toothbruthes?

[/quote]

On the bottle I have, 15ml (6%) per litre

 

[Inge]

Flu virus is actually piss weak once it lands on a benchtop (ie. outside of the body).

Bleach will work just as well and is a damn site cheaper.

cheers

Darren

Bleach isn't exactly a great thing to be spraying around the house because it can discolour porous materials, it stinks, and it leaves a residue which needs to be wiped off. Peroxide will break down into water and oxygen in minutes; its much safer when used at the recommended dilution.

While influenza dies fairy rapidly outside the body, things like faecal coliforms don't. The reason illnesses like gastro seem to sweep through an entire household usually has a lot to do with contamination of bathrooms, toilets and laundries after someone with gastro flushes the toilet with the lid up. This effectively sends a fine mist of infectious ****-water into the air which goes on to settle on things like toothbrushes and taps. Peroxide would be my choice to decontaminate everything (just spray and leave).

I love the stuff

 

[Darren]

Bleach isn't exactly a great thing to be spraying around the house because it can discolour porous materials, it stinks, and it leaves a residue which needs to be wiped off. Peroxide will break down into water and oxygen in minutes; its much safer when used at the recommended dilution.

While influenza dies fairy rapidly outside the body, things like faecal coliforms don't. The reason illnesses like gastro seem to sweep through an entire household usually has a lot to do with contamination of bathrooms, toilets and laundries after someone with gastro flushes the toilet with the lid up. This effectively sends a fine mist of infectious ****-water into the air which goes on to settle on things like toothbrushes and taps. Peroxide would be my choice to decontaminate everything (just spray and leave).

I love the stuff

Inge,

Peroxide will certainly "bleach" too. High concentrations of H2O2 will also burn severely.

How will you know when the H2O2 has expired?

cheers

Darren

 

[bigholty]

I think they did a test on Mythbusters about airborne poo-particles and toothbrushes. I have a feeling that they didn't find significant turd on the toothbrushes. However, I tend put this show more in the 'entertainment' category than 'irrefutable scientific analysis'. I don't think either of the fellas had gastro either.

 

[PostModern]

I am wary about over sanitising households for two reasons:

1. If you don't come into contact with common pathogens, you won't become immune to them.

and

2. If you don't kill 100% of the bugs, those that survive will be those with an increased tolerance to the disinfectant you use. By wiping out their competitors, you are helping to breed super-bugs. Same thing as taking antibiotics for minor infections. Let your body's immune system deal with them.

Sure it's different if someone in the house is already ill and you're trying to contain the spread of a sickness, but as a daily or even weekly event, no (exception is the bathroom, naturally). Cleaning the kitchen surfaces with detergent each time you cook is enough.

EDIT: this isn't a brewing topic, moving to Off-topic.

 

[0M39A]

I am wary about over sanitising households for two reasons:

1. If you don't come into contact with common pathogens, you won't become immune to them.

and

2. If you don't kill 100% of the bugs, those that survive will be those with an increased tolerance to the disinfectant you use. By wiping out their competitors, you are helping to breed super-bugs. Same thing as taking antibiotics for minor infections. Let your body's immune system deal with them.

Sure it's different if someone in the house is already ill and you're trying to contain the spread of a sickness, but as a daily or even weekly event, no (exception is the bathroom, naturally). Cleaning the kitchen surfaces with detergent each time you cook is enough.

EDIT: this isn't a brewing topic, moving to Off-topic.

totally agree with everything you have said.

as a kid i was let play in the dirt and chew on those little teething bread stick things that i had dropped on the ground... all the things that normal kids will do, and thanks to that i have a great immune system.

Far too much paranoia regarding germs these days i think. Dont get me wrong though, im still a very clean person (especially regarding brewing!) but there is no need to go overboard otherwise you're immune system will get too weak and you'll end up with every single flu and bug going around.