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Pine-Sol Added to EPA’s List of 32 Cleaning Products Proven to Kill the Coronavirus

Lysol, Clorox wipes and other household cleaners also kill virus that causes COVID-19

spinner image Cleaning off a table with a disinfectant, illustrations of the coronavirus are on top of the table.
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The multipurpose cleaner Pine-Sol Original has been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) growing list of products that have proven effective in killing the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on hard surfaces, based on results from laboratory testing. The cleaner, with the active ingredient glycolic acid, has been shown to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 after about 10 minutes of contact time on a surface.

The latest update brings the total number of products approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2 to 32; Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist were the first to receive agency approval in early July. (See the full list below.)

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The list now includes six products from the Clorox Company, including the brand’s namesake disinfecting wipes and Pine-Sol, 16 products from manufacturer Lonza and six from Lysol, which is owned by Reckitt Benckiser. Four other companies each have a single approved disinfectant on the EPA list. The most common active ingredient among the list of cleaners is quaternary ammonium.

Four products on the list have an active ingredient other than quaternary ammonium. Sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in two variations of professional-grade disinfectant wipes from Clorox Professional Products Company; hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in Midlab’s approved HP2O2 product; and glycolic acid is the active ingredient in Pine-Sol (listed as Tuck 3 on the EPA’s website).

Lonza products are sold under different brand names at a variety of retail stores throughout the U.S. The company did not name specific brands that use its formulations, but it said they can be found in several retail-branded disinfectant products, and that consumers can verify an approved Lonza formulation by the EPA registration number listed on the product’s package. (See the table below for these numbers.)

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While all 32 EPA-approved cleaning products were already on the agency’s so-called “List N” — a collection of more than 490 disinfectants that are presumed to kill the coronavirus based on past testing against other pathogens — “they now carry additional weight against the virus that causes COVID-19” based on SARS-CoV-2-specific testing performed by the manufacturer and confirmed by the EPA, the agency said in a news release. Consumers can expect more products to be added to both List N and the EPA’s list of approved products for SARS-CoV-2.

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Don’t disregard other measures of prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces as one way to protect against a coronavirus infection, since it may be possible to become infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth or nose. However, “spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads,” the CDC says.

Even still, many consumers have had a difficult time tracking down cleaning products during the pandemic. Shelves once stocked with everyday wipes and sprays remain picked over — or worse, bare — in retail stores across the country. In a statement, The Clorox Company's vice president mentioned that he hope's Pine-Sol's news "will increase access to disinfectants that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you can’t get your hands on cleaning products for your home, don’t panic. After all, frequent handwashing is “the most effective way to break the chain” of virus transmission from contaminated surfaces, Joseph Allen, an assistant professor of exposure assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told AARP in a previous interview. Wiping down surfaces with soap and water also goes a long way when it comes to eliminating germs.

And don’t forget about other preventive measures, such as physical distancing and wearing a mask in public. The coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, the CDC says, making space and face coverings powerful tools to stop the spread of the virus.  

If you do have access to cleaning products, it’s important to follow label instructions. Many Americans have dangerously misused them during the pandemic, CDC data show. This has led to an uptick in calls to poison control centers across the country. The CDC has a list of tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home safely and effectively.

The EPA-approved products proven to kill SARS-CoV-2:

1. Lysol Disinfectant Spray

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium; Ethanol (Ethyl alcohol)
  • EPA registration number: 777-99

2. Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium; Ethanol (Ethyl alcohol)
  • EPA registration number: 777-127

3. Lysol Disinfecting Wipes (All Scents)

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 777-114

4. Lonza Formulation R-82

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-78

5. Lonza Formulation S-21

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-75

6. Lonzagard RCS-256 Plus

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-349

7. Lonzagard RCS-128 PLUS

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-348

8. Lonzagard RCS-128

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-347

9. Lonzagard RCS-256

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-346

10. Lonza Formulation R-82F

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-139

11. Lonzagard R-82G

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-381

12. Lonza Formulation S-18

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-77

13. Lonza Formulation DC-103

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-152

14. Lonza Formulation S-21F

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-140

15. Lonza Formulation S-18F

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-136

16. Lonza Disinfectant Wipes

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-313

17. Lonza Nugen Low Streak Disinfectant Wipes

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-382

18. Lonza Disinfectant Wipes Plus

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-336

19. Lonza Disinfectant Wipes Plus 2

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 6836-340

20. Lysol Laundry Sanitizer

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 777-128

21. Clorox Commercial Solutions Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 67619-31

22. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 5813-79

23. The Clorox Company’s CDW

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 5813-113

24. CloroxPro Clorox Germicidal Bleach

  • Active ingredient: Sodium hypochlorite
  • EPA registration number: 67619-32

25. The Clorox Company’s Tuck 3 (Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner)

  • Active ingredient: Glycolic acid
  • EPA registration number: 5813-101

26. Spartan Chemical Company Inc.’s NABC

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 5741-18

27. Midlab’s HP2O2

  • Active ingredient: Hydrogen peroxide
  • EPA registration number: 45745-11

28. Clorox Healthcare Bleach Germicidal Wipes

  • Active ingredient: Sodium hypochlorite
  • EPA registration number: 67619-12

29. Stepan Company’s Detergent Disinfectant Pump Spray

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 1839-83

30. Lysol Kitchen Pro Antibacterial Cleaner

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 777-91

31. Lysol Brand All Purpose Cleaner

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 777-66

32. Dr J’s Surface Disinfectant

  • Active ingredient: Quaternary ammonium
  • EPA registration number: 97092-1

Editor's Note: This article, originally published on Aug. 4, has been updated to reflect new information.

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