Are Natural Disinfectants better than Chemical Disinfectants? | [Full Info]

With the entire world facing a pandemic of this proportion, we have taken a call back to our ways of hygiene passed down by our generations. It is important, now more than ever, to implement tried and tested methods to ensure that you and people around you maintain clean and healthy habits.

But with every chemical product that is consumed over in the house, it is imperative to ensure safety standards. In the long term, harsh chemical disinfectants come with a range of side effects, including corrosion and skin irritation. Not to mention how hazardous they are to the environment. 

What if we told you that you could disinfect surfaces and tools several times a day, without harming yourself, your family, or the environment? Pranapoorna Natural Disinfectants are changing the method that people use to disinfect their homes and offices, as they are designed to eliminate pathogens around you, without the unpleasant side-effects that the chemical disinfectants cause!

We have an abundance of resources from nature that work wonders in keeping your home germ-free and spotless. In addition to being safe and friendly for the environment, Pranapoorna Natural disinfectants are safer for your home too. They are perfect for long term usage, as they have no adverse effects on your health.

The best natural disinfectants from PraanaPoorna ensure children and pets are protected and you wouldn’t have to worry about toxic fumes that chemical products bring. Natural disinfectants are pocket-friendly and help you in adopting a better lifestyle that is both healthy and natural.

While using your regular home cleaning products and making it spick and span the way you know it, you actually end up eliminating all the good microbes that essentially help us and our eco-system. We need good microbes to thrive; they help us develop immunity.

Along with eco-friendly disinfectants and all kinds of cleaning products like floor cleaner, toilet cleaner, dish wash liquid, and many more, Pranapoorna also provides revolutionary natural and healthy products like mosquito repellents and STP odorizer.

We think we can all agree that the mosquito repellent we buy now is just as toxic for us as they are for our tiny friends who love to sing in our ears all the time.

A switch to alternate sources of cleaning will be indeed a much welcome move for your family and the environment. 

So, today let’s talk about disinfectants and try to see why natural disinfectants are a safer and healthier alternative to their chemical counterparts.

What are disinfectants?

To disinfect is to purify in order to demolish or prevent the development of sickness conveying microorganisms. 

Therefore Disinfectants are agents that disinfect by destroying or neutralizing the increase of disease-carrying microorganisms.

Disinfectants are products that are used on hard surfaces and objects to destroy or permanently inactivate fungi and bacteria. 

Disinfectants are separated into two main types: Hospital and General use.

Hospital type disinfectants are the most significant to control of infections and are used on medical instruments, wall, floor, and other surfaces 

General disinfectants are the major source of products used in household objects, swimming pools, and many other ways by the common public.

Cleaning:

It is cleansing of low-risk surfaces, such as the floor, windows, etc., where the likelihood of pathogen transfer from the surface is low. Cleaning a surface simply removes visible filth, dirt, and debris.

Sanitizing:

Sanitizing is applied to food contact surfaces only. Sanitizing a surface makes it hygienic and frees it from the dirt impurities that might affect our health. Sanitizing reduces the occurrence and growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It does not kill them. Home cleaning products are used to both sanitize and disinfect your home.

Disinfection:

Disinfection is suitable for regularly touched surfaces and the surfaces that are likely to be made a home by pathogens. Disinfectants kill the harmful bacteria, viruses, etc. and make the surface safer to use. They get rid of the pathogens completely to make the surface totally disease-free.

What are natural disinfectants?

Natural disinfectants, just like their chemical counterpart, kill the viruses and bacteria on various surfaces in your home and office. But the difference is that natural disinfectants don’t harm you in any way.
Not all bacteria are dangerous to our bodies; many help us stay healthy. Natural disinfectants don’t kill the good bacteria; only the bad ones. They get rid of the disease-causing viruses and bacteria and keep you safe and healthy in this virus infected world.

Ingredients of natural disinfectants come from fruits and natural oils that give you a pleasant smell and a cleaner environment. Anything coming from plants can in no way hurt the environment.

• Essential Oils

Essential oils have a wide range of medicinal and healing properties. They are versatile and have a natural fragrance. They are, without a doubt, quite powerful agents against bacteria and fungus.

When mixed with vodka or a solution of soap and water, some essential oils can enhance the cleaning properties, helping rid your home of mold, mildew, and musty smells.

There are a bunch of bacteria-fighting essential oils to choose from, including tea tree, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, orange, and patchouli. Currently, scientists are still studying essential oils’ bacteria-fighting properties. They are also potential antibiotics when used in proper quantities.

In addition to all that, essential oils are an amazing pest repellent. These oils can repel many kinds of bugs and insects without harming the natural environment of your house or your skin.

Some of the helpful pest repellent essential oils are

“A healthy ecology is the basis for a healthy economy.”

— Claudine Schneider, former U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, in The Green Lifestyle Handbook

 Chemical Disinfection is the destruction of pathogenic and other kinds of microorganisms by physical or chemical means.

Disinfectants are chemical substances used to wipe out harmful pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi, as opposed to an antiseptic which prevents the growth and reproduction of the microorganisms but does not destroy them. All disinfectants are also potentially dangerous (even toxic) to us or animals. They should be treated with suitable care. Modern household disinfectants contain Bitrex, an extremely bitter substance designed to depress ingestion, as an added precaution.
They are generally used in dental surgeries, hospitals, bathrooms, and kitchens to kill infectious organisms.

What are the drawbacks of chemicals commonly found in disinfectants?

i. Chlorine:

Chlorine is commonly used to sterilize swimming pools and is added in water in an attempt to prevent waterborne diseases.

Why is it harmful?

Harmful chlorine exposures are due to inhalation of the substance. Due to chlorine exposure, the common symptoms are:

-Difficulty breathing

-Sore throat

-Wheezing

-Eye irritation

-Cough

-Skin irritation

ii. Ozone:

A molecule of Ozone is composed of three atoms of oxygen. Two atoms of those atoms form the basic oxygen molecule, i.e. the oxygen we breathe. The third oxygen atom can disconnect from the ozone molecule, and re-attach to molecules of other substances, altering their chemical composition. 

It is used to sanitize water.

Why is it harmful?

When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Moderately low amounts of ozone can trigger chest pain, coughing, emphysematous, and throat irritation.

Other harmful effects of Ozone include:

Decreases in lung function

Aggravation of asthma

Throat irritation and cough

Chest pain and shortness of breath

Inflammation of lung tissue

Higher susceptibility to respiratory infection

 iii. Phenol

Mouthwashes and disinfectant soaps contain phenol. Phenol is probably one of the oldest disinfectants. In the early days of antiseptics, it was called carbolic acid.

Phenol is corrosive to the skin and very toxic to sensitive people.

Why is it harmful?

– It triggers highly irritation to our skin, eyes, and nose.  

– It can trigger weight loss, diarrhea, vertigo, and blood and liver problems. 

-Phenol inhalation risks the health of babies and children whose lungs are still developing. 

-Accidentally ingesting this chemical, by children or by adults, can also lead to vomiting and lethargy.

-Phenol-based disinfectants usually need dilution before they can be applied on a surface. This step can have human error since not everyone would know the proper way to dilute it.

iv. Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen peroxide generally used in hospitals to disinfect surfaces. It is also used in the food packaging industry for disinfecting foil containers.

However, various recent studies have shown that hydrogen peroxide is very toxic to growing cells as well as bacteria. Therefore, its use as an antiseptic is not recommended anymore.

Why is it harmful?

-The most serious consequence of hydrogen peroxide use is rapid oxygen discharge resulting in total gas embolus.

The breakdown of 20 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution releases 200 ml of gaseous oxygen; a larger volume or a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide will lead to the release of a greater volume of oxygen.

-In adults, as little as 20 ml of 1.5% hydrogen peroxide has been associated with hemodynamic instability, and even smaller volumes can cause cardiac arrest in children. 

v. Alcohol:

Ethanol or isopropanol.

Alcohol is wiped over inanimate surfaces and skin and allowed to evaporate for speedy disinfection. Alcohol is NOT effective against bacterial spores.

Why is it harmful?

When used too frequently, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can wash away your skin’s natural oils, which can cause drying and cracking. Dehydrated skin is likely to cause one of the following symptoms.

Itching

Slight to severe flaking, scaling, or peeling

Fine lines or crack

Gray, ashy skin color

Redness

-Fire hazard

Alcohol is also highly flammable. It catches fire very easily.

There have been cases where people’s hands have caught fire while using responsible fire igniters because they had alcohol-based sanitizer or disinfectants on their hands.

vii. Ethanolamine:

Ethanolamine is used to eliminate carbon dioxide from submarines. It is also used as an agricultural product; as an accelerator in the production of antibiotics, polishes; an intermediate in the production of soaps, and detergents; and in some hair-care products.

Why is it harmful?

Being exposed to ethanolamine with concentrations of greater than 1 mg/m3 can lead to bronchitis, disorders of the liver, asthenic syndrome, and dystonia.

 A case in which “a drop of amine fell” into the right eye of a sailor aboard a submarine recorded that even after flushing his eye for 30 minutes right after the incident and after proper medical attention, his right eye deteriorated from 20/20 to 20/200. The report stated that “he will have a partial permanent disability.” 

This chemical is hazardous in a domestic environment.

viii. Triethanolamine

Triethanolamine is a vital commercial chemical. Triethanolamine is used in dry cleaning. It is found in cosmetics, household detergents, metalworking fluids, polishes, and emulsions. 

Why is it harmful?

– It has seen to cause severe skin and eye irritation.

– Cases of Bladder tumors due to exposure to Triethanolamine have also been recorded.

ix. Chemical used as fragrance

A lot of cleaners, disinfectants, sanitizers, and fragrances contaminate the air, water, and soil. Even those marketed as ‘green’ don’t really tell the truth about how toxic they can be. Fragrances are found in nearly all cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products, and contain chemicals called volatile natural compounds (VOCs). VOC’s impact both indoor and outdoor air quality. It also pollutes the water supply. 

“One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that a noticeable makes difference—all the difference in the world!”

—  Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, primatologist

Why use Natural Disinfectants?

Now you know about chemical and natural disinfectants. Now, we will tell you why to choose natural disinfectants over their toxic chemical counterparts.

1. Healthier home

Studies show that using cleaning spray just once a week increases the risk of developing asthma. Using natural disinfectants reduce the chances of asthma in the family and, most importantly, the children in the family since they are at greater risk of developing asthma.

Natural disinfectants do not harm you if they are, by mistake, consumed or enter your body by an open wound. Chemicals in other disinfectants can give you serious infections.

2. Safer products

Conventional cleaning products can give you or the children in the house chemical burns to the skin and eye. Floor cleaning products are especially harmful as there is the requisite of keeping people off the floor until all the cleaning is done. Natural disinfectants and natural floor cleaners are not corrosive and do not show any signs of inhalation toxicity, compatibility, and harmful skin absorption.

3. Purer environment

Most cleaning products release harmful chemicals into the environment, which is not good for the people breathing it in or the plants around us.

We put a chemical-based cleaning product on fresh leaves of a healthy plant and let it sit. Just after half an hour, the fresh leaves had turned black and died. If those chemicals can kill fresh leaves, they can surely do serious damage to our bodies.

Most green products come in recyclable packaging, which minimizes waste and keeps our environment and our planet cleaner and healthier. 

4. Better air quality

We can all agree that the stench of pungent chemical odor is unbearable. Many natural disinfecting products include pleasant natural essential oils. Cleaning with products with the enjoyable natural smell is found to be like aromatherapy. Natural based products are the best when it comes to mosquito and flies repellents.

With the process of fumigation taking over many areas, there is a dire need to protect ourselves and our environment, and at the same time, ensure those pesky flies do not still continue to harm us. Natural flies repellents are the best choice to keep your family protected. 

5. Less expensive

 Natural disinfectants themselves are cheaper than most major toxic chemical disinfectants. Using the natural disinfecting products will also avoid you and your family from getting sick. 

6. Fewer Antibacterial

It is a proven fact that washing with antibacterial soaps is not any better than regular soaps, and the American Medical Association (AMA) says that the everyday use of antibacterial ingredients can increase bacterial resistance to antibiotics. 

“Triclosan, a common antibacterial agent found in many soaps, mess with your hormonal system and thyroid. Most green or environmentally friendly cleaning products don’t contain antibacterial agents.” says Sara Snow, author of “Sara Snow’s Fresh Living.”

7.  Growth of good microbes

Natural disinfectants and other natural products encourage the growth of good microbes in water and soil ensuring a good and pure environment for you and your plants to thrive in.

Summary:

Advantages of Natural Disinfectants:

• Toxin-free Home.
• Completely safe product
• Non-combustible
• Better for the environment
• Enhances air quality
• Gives out a pleasant smell
• Less expensive
• Fewer toxic Antibacterial

Conclusion:

While disinfecting surfaces around your house and office every time someone touches them seems too excessive and dangerous because of the toxic chemicals, it should be a common practice now that the whole world knows the importance of good personal and public hygiene. 

Natural products bring a healthier and non-toxic environment into our lives and can be used as many times as you want since they are less deadly and less pricey than their chemical counterparts.

At PraanaPoorna, our wide range of floor cleaners, natural multipurpose disinfectants, flies repellents, dishwashing liquids and many more are structured specifically to take the best of nature and ensure not only a balanced, but also a blooming environment for you and your family.

PraanaPoorna products are processed with fermented citrus and concoctions of jaggery and pineapple peals, infused with the best technology. Our disinfectants come with a multitude of uses, but they are also infused with good enzymes intended to be healthy for your family.

Choose Praanapoorna for home and society that is close to godliness. But also, choose Praanapoorna to invite more life-force into your lives to be strong and healthy!

Feel free to share this with your family and friends and help make their lives cleaner and healthier.