EasyDECON DF200 provides a variety of benefits over bleach as a decontaminant / disinfectant in terms of use, efficacy, shelf life and environmental footprint. When people, organizations and businesses use bleach to decontaminate/disinfect a surface, they are assuming that the product they have purchased off the shelf is potent enough to achieve an effective kill of pathogenic organisms. Unfortunately, in a majority of cases, they are gravely mistaken!
Some very important facts about bleach that consumers are frequently unaware of include:
- Regardless of the brand, the hypochlorite content of bleach products decays over time – the effective shelf life of bleach (starting the moment it is created) is around 12 months. Taking into effect the time it takes to reach the commercial shelf, that leaves a maximum shelf life of around 9 months after purchase.
- In order for bleach to retain it’s effectiveness within it’s shelf life, it must be stored in an environment that retains a temperature of ~ 70? F (21?/C);
- The United States EPA sets the standard of 6% hypochlorite for disinfectants – check the labels, as many bleach products have a much lower content;
- Also, check the bleach label for an EPA registration number. Odds are it won’t have one!
People trusting their well-being to bleach based disinfectants have no way to verify the hypochlorite levels of the bleach product being used. As bleach is very often diluted prior to use, this fact is compounded and can result in a totally ineffective disinfecting process. Instructions for use on bleach containers are often disregarded; ‘wet’ contact time is at least 5 minutes, not the swift passover with a rag that we see on TV. Even if the bleach product used retains the 6% hypochlorite levels approved by the EPA, misuse very often leads to a ‘disinfected’ surface that remains hazardous and the solution used and its runoff becoming what can be thought of as a ‘toxic soup’.
EasyDECON DF200 (Part 2) does not contain hypochlorite, but instead uses hydrogen peroxide at a level of 7.98% to achieve its decontamination/disinfectant properties. The established and validated shelf life of EasyDECON Part 2 is up to 5 years when stored at ideal conditions, and date of manufacture is included on all packaging. There are many more advantages to EasyDECON over bleach. Take a look at the table below for a visual comparison of EasyDECON and bleach:
A Comparison Between EasyDECON and Bleach
Bleach is an inexpensive cleaner, but the numerous risks associated with flawed preparation, ineffective application and insufficient contact time far outweigh the advantage of cost and ease of purchase. Combine this with the potential that off the shelf bleach products may be dated or ineffectively stored or transported, and ask yourself if it is worth the risk. Use EasyDECON DF200 with confidence.
