Do 75% alcohol wipes kill COVID-19?

Even though we’ve been in the COVID-19 pandemic for a few months now, disinfectant wipes may still be difficult to come by. Well-known brands such as Clorox and Lysol are still wiped clean from many store shelves, but there are other disinfectant wipes that you can use instead. According to the CDC, alcohol wipes are just as effective at killing COVID-19 on surfaces and may be easier to find in stores, but make sure that the concentration is at least 70% alcohol. 

You can also use soap and water on surfaces, followed by diluted bleach to rid your surfaces of the virus. Your surfaces should be visibly wet after disinfecting during the contact time and can then be wiped dry or let to air dry. If you want to check which disinfectants are effective for killing COVID-19, refer to the list of EPA approved disinfectants, which also includes the contact time for each one.

Just make sure not to ingest bleach or any other disinfectants.

 

Last update: June 10, 2020, 1:43 pm ET

Science review: AGB, GSN