Clorox or Peroxide?

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

I'm testing the effectiveness of different cleaners, and was curious as to what your hospital uses to regularly clean..(I'm not sure if there is legally a standard for this)

---I know, sort of a boring topic, but it's peaked my interest as I'm becoming more and more interested in Chemistry.

Just looking at some chemistry forums, some have stated that Peroxide works better than Bleach.(99% effective vs. 95% effective in killing staph and bacteria). I would have naturally assumed that hospitals use Bleach, so this Peroxide news has peaked my curiosity.. (err I should have titled this "Bleach or Peroxide")

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Cavi wipes. No idea what is in it, but it's neither bleach nor peroxide.

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Peroxide is good on anaerobics.... not sure what it would do to aerobic bugs... feed them? What about viruses, molds, fungi..... ????

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i'm testing the effectiveness of different cleaners, and was curious as to what your hospital uses to regularly clean..(i'm not sure if there is legally a standard for this)

---i know, sort of a boring topic, but it's peaked my interest as i'm becoming more and more interested in chemistry.

just looking at some chemistry forums, some have stated that peroxide works better than bleach.(99% effective vs. 95% effective in killing staph and bacteria). i would have naturally assumed that hospitals use bleach, so this peroxide news has peaked my curiosity.. (err i should have titled this "bleach or peroxide")

wow never thought of useing peroxide? what about alcohol i use 70% alcohol to clean catheters /bags are so forth . my olney gripe with bleach is that it leaves a reasdue that will not wash off fully

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

wow never thought of useing peroxide? what about alcohol i use 70% alcohol to clean catheters /bags are so forth . my olney gripe with bleach is that it leaves a reasdue that will not wash off fully

i have always been a big fan of bleach and never truly considered something clean unless i could smell the bleach...

however, if peroxide is more efficient and less toxic to humans than it only seems logical. i've used peroxide as mouthwash for years and never thought about it for sanitizing, for some reason. you're right about alcohol, though, probably the most used in medical settings (?). which brings me to consider alcohol vs. peroxide? lol

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The first link discusses peroxide VAPOR= where is that available?- and it needs to be left on the surface for 90 minutes....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2620839/

The second link uses basic H2O2, but also requires more than wiping the surface- 10 minutes..... this wouldn't be practical for rapid disinfecting of surfaces...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2620839/

:confused:

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

If I remember my college microbiolgy correctly, many bacteria contain enzymes that break down hydrogen peroxide into water and molecular oxygen. This makes hydrogen peroxide a fairly poor disinfectant. Plus, I would guess it has pretty limited action against spores (such as those produced by C. diff).

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

Thanks for your input guys!

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Bleach. I loooove the smell!

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.
Bleach. I loooove the smell!

Same Here!!

So, do most hospitals just use the Cavi wipes or Alcohol mentioned previously?

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

It depends on what needs cleaning. C-diff can only be killed with a 1:10 solution of bleach and water.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Agree with the above posters.

Having worked in hospitals which have dealt with clusters/outbreaks of c. diff and other infections, the choice of cleaners/disinfectants requires consideration of:

1. The length of time the agent needs to remain on the surface to be effective

2. What specific organisms are concerning, that need special attention. (c. diff is a MAJOR issue)

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