Tuesday, 17 June 2025

What Are Chemicals That Are Okay to Clean Your Home and Lab With?

Lab cleaning. Image by Tim Sandle 

Keeping your living areas and laboratory clean is necessary for health, safety, and effectiveness. Cleaning up regularly lowers the dangers of germs and helps to remove chemicals that can be harmful. Cleaned laboratories offer controlled conditions for experiments and ensure that data is kept accurate without contamination. A clean home improves your well-being by decreasing the risks of illnesses, allergies, and respiratory issues.

 

Below are several effective and secure chemicals are used for cleaning houses and laboratories.

 

Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)

 

People use isopropyl alcohol because of its strong ability to clean and sterilize surfaces. With a typical strength of 70% or more, IPA is best known for killing germs and sanitizing various surfaces. You can safely use it to clean sensitive electronics, lab tools, and everyday household items such as keyboards and phones since it quickly evaporates with no residue.

 

Hydrogen Peroxide

 

Hydrogen peroxide can be used safely and is environmentally friendly when cleaning. Owing to its effective oxidizing action, it eliminates harmful microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. No dangerous chemical remains after the reaction since it separates into water and oxygen, making it safe for daily and laboratory use. You can use hydrogen peroxide to clean your counters, sterilize equipment in a lab, and disinfect your bathrooms.

 

Acetic Acid (Vinegar)

 

Since vinegar is mainly made of acetic acid, it can be a safe and flexible cleaner. The high acidity in the detergent makes it efficient at dissolving mineral deposits and other unpleasant materials. Using vinegar is a safer way to clean than dangerous chemicals, but you should not combine vinegar with bleach because it will give off harmful chlorine gas.

 

Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)

 

Baking soda is appreciated for being abrasive and deodorizing, so it works well for various cleaning jobs. It is gentle for cleaning sensitive surfaces such as lab countertops, sinks, glassware, and household items that could be scratched. Baking soda is helpful at home to remove marks, reduce smells in carpets, and handle grease on surfaces in the kitchen.

 

Citric Acid

 

Adding citric acid makes it possible to remove calcium, rust, and soap leftovers. Maintaining equipment such as autoclaves and sterilizers that can collect minerals is often done in laboratories by using citric acid. It helps clean kitchens and washrooms, making devices like dishwashers safe from chemicals.

 

Even though there are safer ways to clean, it's important to realize that certain chemicals can be risky. Some home cleaning products and ingredients, such as bleach and ammonia, may irritate the skin, causing breathing and eye problems. A mixture of bleach with ammonia or acid (such as vinegar) causes toxic gases, namely chloramine and chlorine that can be harmful to breathe.

 

Cleaning chemicals should be used with good ventilation, proper protective equipment (gloves and masks), and well-labeled bottles in laboratories. Using alternatives such as isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, baking soda, and citric acid helps protect your health and leaves your surroundings safe and tidy. Rush University offers details on health benefit of cleaning, and the University of Colorado presents comprehensive cleaning and decontamination guidelines.

 

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning

Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)

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