Like most people, I've been spending more time at home to practice social distancing. But my husband—who has type 1 diabetes and is immunocompromised—still has to occasionally go into the office to work. In an effort to keep our family safe, I've been disinfecting our home like crazy with these EPA-approved cleaning products for coronavirus.
I was using a homemade bleach spray and Lysol wipes at first, but those quickly ran out of stock at my local grocery store. Plus, the harsh ingredients aren't my favorite (have you ever smelled your hands after wiping down the counters with bleach?), so I was excited when the EPA added some more natural disinfectants to their approved list for fighting COVID-19.
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These disinfectants include an ingredient called "thymol," which is a component found in thyme oil—yes, as in the herb. The EPA added a few products containing thymol to their list earlier this month.
CleanWell
I tried out CleanWell's lemon-scented wipes and spray disinfectant and was pleasantly surprised by the thyme smell. Instead of an overwhelming bleach or chemical scent, it smells like a fresh herb garden (which I absolutely love).
All of their products are nontoxic, alcohol-free, cruelty free, and come in recyclable packaging, so you can feel good about cleaning to your heart's content. Look for them in retail stores (find your nearest store here) or online at Thrive Market (membership required). If they are not available now, keep checking back as both websites restock frequently.
Buy it: Botanical Disinfectant All-Purpose Cleaner, Lemon; $2.99, Thrive Market
Buy it: Botanical Disinfecting Wipes, Lemon; $9.49, Thrive Market
If you can't find CleanWell's products, there's another brand called Melaleuca that may be worth looking into (fair warning: I haven't personally tried it). Melaleuca's "Sol-U-Guard" cleaning concentrate was just added to the EPA's list on April 9 (read: not many people know about it yet). Made with citric acid and thymol, it's a botanical solution that's powerful enough to disinfect your entire home. Head's up: you need to create an account to purchase these disinfectants, but you can score them online here.
Once you've got that kitchen clean, you're going to need recipes to cook! Subscribe to the Cooking Light Diet today and start receiving thousands of customizable meal plans.
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