These days, disinfecting has become a common topic of conversation and something many of us spend more than a healthy amount of time thinking about. If you've had a family member or visitor test positive for COVID, this obsession is likely to reach a new level, and for a good reason.
If you're in this situation, you might wonder if there is a room sanitizing bomb you can use to quickly and effectively disinfect rooms in your home.
While there is no single product called a sanitizing bomb, there are plenty of options that fall into whole-room disinfectants. In this article, we'll look at these "room sanitizing bomb" options, discuss how safe and effective they are against COVID and other germs, and look at alternatives worth considering.
Disclosure:It is important you understand that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. All opinions are our own we pride ourselves on keeping our articles fair and balanced. For more info see our disclosure statement.What Is a Room Sanitizing Bomb?
A room sanitizing bomb is a fogger can that works similarly to a bug bomb. But instead of releasing insecticides, these products expel aerosolized disinfectants to clean the air and surfaces throughout the room.
In addition to can-style foggers, electric disinfectant foggers, electrostatic handheld sprayers, and disinfectant fogger machines can all be used to disinfect rooms in much the same way.
Are Room Disinfectant Foggers Effective?
The number of bug-bomb style can disinfectant products on the market is very limited, with SaniGuard Total Release being the most popular option. This product is safe for humans and animals and works in just 15 minutes.
The company claims its products are effective on 99.9% of germs, including common coronavirus, but no tests have determined its effectiveness against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Other room fogging options utilize chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonium. EPA listed these and many others as effective against the novel coronavirus. However, the CDC cautions against the use of foggers by untrained professionals to fight the spread of COVID or any other communicable disease.
Are Room Disinfectant Foggers Safe?
The safety of room sanitizing bombs and room disinfectants depends largely on the chemicals used.
SaniGuard Total Release utilizes didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride as its active ingredient. This chemical can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. The room should be vacated once the can has been activated but can be safely used once the room has been sufficiently aired out.
Traditional sanitizing products in foggers require more safety precautions like wearing safety equipment. If you're using an automated fogging machine, you will likely need to ventilate the room before it is safe to use again.
Alternatives to Sanitizing Bombs
Sanitizing bombs seem like a great idea but often fails to meet expectations. They require many steps for safe use, can be expensive, and many are not intended for home use.
Luckily, there are some safe, effective alternatives to room sanitizing bombs.
Air Purifiers
Air purifiers equipped with HEPA filters have been proven to remove germs like coronavirus from the air very effectively. These purifying options can be run throughout the day and night to keep your home free of viruses or used explicitly for disinfecting the air in rooms where infected people have been.
UV Air Purifiers
To take your air-purifying game to the next level, look for a unit that integrates UV sanitization into the cleaning process. These UV air purifiers not only use filters to trap germs but have UV lights inside to kill and denature these microbes to further their disinfection power.
Surface Cleaners
Of course, air purifiers will only help clean the air in your home; you will also need to manually clean surfaces like countertops, floors, and furniture.
Many products out there have been proven effective in killing coronavirus on surfaces. Some, like this Purell Surface Spray, can be safely used on hard and soft surfaces. Others are only approved for use on specific surface types and may not be safe for use in food.
No matter what product you are using, it is important to prep your surfaces before you start disinfecting. The video below has some great tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home against COVID.
Bottom Line on Room Sanitizing Bombs
Room sanitizing bombs can be a simple and effective way to disinfect rooms in your house quickly. Unfortunately, these products are not readily available, and their effectiveness against the novel coronavirus is unknown. More traditional room disinfecting products like foggers and electrostatic sprayers can be effective but are not the safest or easiest thing to use in the home.
Instead, we recommend investing in a quality air purifier and manually cleaning surfaces with approved home-use disinfectant products.
