Disinfecting wipes swap to Swedish dishcloth + soap

Why make the swap

• Why switch to swedish dishcloth + soap

  Soap, water and a damp cloth lift away dirt and most germs with no disinfectant residue left behind. A Swedish dishcloth is made of plant cellulose, so it washes and reuses for weeks and doesn’t shed plastic fibres the way microfiber does.

• What's the concern with disinfecting wipes

  Many disinfecting wipes rely on quats (quaternary ammonium compounds), which linger in household dust. Healthcare workers exposed to quats were more likely to have diagnosed asthma.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Rinse and hang it to dry between uses, wash it with your towels, and give the kitchen and bathroom their own colours. CDC says cleaning alone removes most harmful viruses or bacteria from surfaces. Disinfect when someone is sick or at higher risk of getting sick, and sanitize any surface touched by raw meat, poultry or their juices.

• Sources (4)

  1. Quats found in over 90% of house-dust samples, higher in homes that disinfected more (Zheng 2020) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Healthcare workers exposed to quats had higher odds of diagnosed asthma (Gonzalez 2014) (opens in a new tab)
  3. CDC: regular cleaning is enough in most situations; disinfect when someone is sick (opens in a new tab)
  4. Washing synthetic clothes released 640,000 to 1.5 million microfibres per kg of fabric (De Falco 2019) (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.