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Nov 09, 2024

Best disinfectants of 2024: Sprays, wipes and more

For the most part, scrubbing with soap and water or using an all-purpose spray is enough to clean your home. But some jobs call for stronger products, like getting rid of germs after someone is sick.

For the most part, scrubbing with soap and water or using an all-purpose spray is enough to clean your home. But some jobs call for stronger products, like getting rid of germs after someone is sick. In that case, you’ll need a disinfectant, which kills viruses, fungi and bacteria on surfaces so they don’t continue to spread, says Brian Boyle, co-owner of MaidThis Cleaning in Utah.

Using disinfectants isn’t complicated, but they’re more powerful than standard cleaners, so they require more attention to detail. For example, disinfectants are only effective if you use them exactly as specified by their directions, and you may have to wear protective gear like gloves or a face mask while handling them.

To help you learn how to disinfect your home and the best disinfectants to use throughout the process, I spoke to health and cleaning experts. They also shared when you actually need to use a disinfectant, which may be less often than you think.

SKIP AHEAD What are disinfectants? | The best disinfectants to use at home | How to disinfect your home, step-by-step | Safety tips for disinfecting | Cleansers v.s. sanitizers v.s. disinfectants | Why trust NBC Select?

Disinfectants kill viruses, fungi and bacteria on surfaces by destroying or inactivating them, says Heather Day, a principal scientist at Clorox. (Ed’s note: The inclusion of products sold by Clorox in this article was made independently of Day.) Some of the most common disinfecting ingredients are bleach, quaternary ammonium and isopropyl alcohol, which brands incorporate into products like sprays, wipes, mists and liquid solutions.

Disinfectants are pesticides, meaning substances that kill, repel or control pests like viruses, bacteria and fungi. Thus, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates disinfectants to make sure they meet certain safety and efficacy standards before people use them in their homes, businesses and medical facilities. The EPA keeps running lists of registered disinfectants on its website, noting which microorganisms each one has proven to be effective against, what type of surface it’s meant to be used on and contact time, meaning how long the chemicals need to sit on a surface before you wipe them away (more on this below). All disinfectants have an EPA registration number, which helps you look it up on the agency’s website. The EPA registration number is a two or three part number separated by dashes that’s usually on the back of the product.

While shopping for disinfectants, experts recommend keeping the following factors in mind. You can find all of this information on disinfectants’ labels.

All of the disinfectants I recommend below are EPA-registered and kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, according to the brands. I include the surface type you can use each one on, its active ingredients and its required contact time for disinfecting.

Keep in mind that some products are EPA-registered as sanitizers and disinfectants, so you may see both terms on products’ labels (more on that below). In these cases, brands list separate instructions for sanitizing and disinfecting on their packaging, so read carefully. Many sanitizers and disinfectants are also made with cleaning agents, so don’t be surprised if you see a label saying a product can clean, sanitize and disinfect — it can, depending on how you use it.

These disposable wipes are soaked in a bleach-free disinfecting solution, so you can take one out of the dispenser and immediately start using it on surfaces around your home, like finished wood, sealed granite and stainless steel. The wipes come in deodorizing lemon and fresh scents. There’s three canisters of 75 wipes in this set.

Active ingredients: quaternary ammonium | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 4 mins.

When you push down on the spray bottle’s trigger, Lysol’s disinfectant comes out as a continuous mist, so it’s useful for quickly covering large areas, like kitchen counters, sinks and toilets. It has a crisp linen scent and also acts as a deodorizer.

Active ingredients: quaternary ammonium, ethyl alcohol | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 3 mins.

You get one spray head and four bottles of disinfectant with this pack, so you don’t have to worry about running out of it. The solution has a lemongrass citrus scent made from essential oils and botanical ingredients, which helps deodorize areas in your home. The product’s packaging is also made from recycled materials.

Active ingredients: thymol | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 10 mins.

While you can use this disinfecting spray on most hard surfaces around your home, it’s specifically designed to get rid of germs on glass without leaving streaks or residue behind. The spray has a citrus scent. It comes in a pack with three bottles of solution and one reusable trigger cap.

Active ingredients: L-Lactic acid | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 10 mins.

Family Guard’s disinfectant spray is designed for home with kids and pets, according to the brand. It comes in fresh and citrus scents, and if you want to stock up, you can buy a pack of three.

Active ingredients: quaternary ammonium | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 5 mins.

CleanSmart’s disinfectant spray is fragrance-free, so you don’t have to worry about potential irritation if you or someone you live with tends to be sensitive to scents. It comes in a pack with three bottles.

Active ingredients: hypochlorous acid | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 10 mins.

Microban’s disinfectant spray comes out as a mist and has a citrus scent, so it also works as a deodorizer. You get four bottles in this set.

Active ingredients: quaternary ammonium | Surface types: hard nonporous | Contact time: 5 mins.

When using a disinfectant, it’s crucial to follow the exact directions specified on a product’s label. If you don’t, the disinfectant isn’t guaranteed to work as it’s designed to. Generally speaking, however, there’s two important steps to keep in mind while using any disinfectant. Experts say most people skip or don’t know about both of them, which can potentially reduce efficacy.

In order to properly disinfect, it’s best practice to remove visible dirt and debris first by using an all-purpose cleaner or soap and water, says B. Boyle. If too much grime covers a surface, it can be hard for the disinfectant to reach and kill germs, so cleaning essentially clears the path for the chemicals to effectively do their job.

After you apply a disinfectant to a surface, it needs to sit before you wipe it away — this is called contact time. “Most people use a disinfectant and then immediately wipe down surfaces. But you need to have some contact time for it to be effective and work properly, which is the biggest unknown out there about disinfectants,” says Bill Wuest, a chemistry professor at Emory University. “The chemicals in disinfectants need time to do what they need to do to disengage the bacteria and viruses.” The directions printed on a product’s label list its exact contact time, and the surface you’re disinfecting should stay wet during the entire contact time to make sure germs are killed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has a detailed list of safety tips to keep in mind while using disinfectants on its website, but here are the basics.

“A lot of times, people think they need to use everything but the kitchen sink to clean,” says Wuest. “But it’s important to be cognizant that there are different levels to cleaning, so you don’t need to use a full-fledged arsenal of cleaning agents all the time.” That said, knowing the difference between cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants can help you decide what’s right for the job at hand. Here’s how experts break it down.

The EPA only registers cleaning products if they sanitize or disinfect. Sanitizers and disinfectants have to meet their own respective testing requirements and clear a certain bar for effectiveness set by the EPA. Cleaning products that simply remove dirt from a surface, water or air are not regulated by the agency.

Disinfectants are harsh chemicals, so it’s important to only use them when absolutely necessary. It’s best to disinfect surfaces when someone in your home is sick, or if someone is at a higher risk of getting sick due to a weakened immune system, says Nachman.

If you need to disinfect your home, focus on high-touch and high-traffic areas that you or those you live with use constantly, says Day. For example, prioritize doorknobs, cabinet knobs, handles, light switches, sinks, drains , kitchen and bathroom countertops, toilets and bathroom fixtures.

Long story short, no, you cannot and should not make your own disinfectants. You might see DIY recipes online that use ingredients like white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, as well as botanicals like thyme, lemon and tea tree oil. But since these “disinfectants” are not registered with the EPA, you have no way of knowing whether they’re actually effective, says Day.

That said, if you want to avoid using hard chemicals, the good news is that you don’t need to disinfect very often, says J. Boyle. And if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of disinfectants, prioritize buying those with the EPA’s Design for the Environment certification.

At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

I’m an associate updates editor at NBC Select who writes about health and wellness, including Covid-19 tests, KN95 masks, N95 masks and whether honey treats seasonal allergies. For this article, I interviewed five cleaning and medical experts about how to properly disinfect your home and how to shop for the best disinfectants.

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Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor for Select on NBC News.