PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some consumers and businesses are having a hard time tracking down common cleaning supplies such as disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer have other options. A Center City preschool has found a way around that by making their cleaning solution to kill germs, including the new coronavirus.
Kristen Ozer, owner of the pre-school, which she declined to name, says they've been doing this a while and need to now more than ever because vendors have a tight grip on supplies.
Shaw says they started making their own — and it turns out, they're saving some money too.
"Definitely cheaper than buying Lysol, Purell, things like that," she said. "And it is effective. But you have to make sure that it's a germicidal bleach, ... because (typical laundry bleach) will not kill all the micro-organisms."
Germicidal bleach is available at most hardware stores, and it costs less than $5 a gallon. Shaw says they follow the manufacturer's instructions on the label, and they use it to spray tables, toys, door knobs — practically any surface that needs cleaning.
Shaw says they do it every day at the pre-school. She says a new batch should be made every day to make sure it is effective.
The CDC has recommendations for mixing disinfectant solutions at home. Apart from cleaning all "high-touch" surfaces every day, the CDC recommends washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
If soap and water are not readily available, the agency recommends as a back-up using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of the hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
