Disinfectant Spray

[candicec003]

Hi im looking to make a disinfectant spray, by request of a local gym. I plan on using essential oils of course but wondering if anyone has used or herd of a bacteria test strip? Looking to test the effectiveness of the spray. Thanks

 

[Dahila]

as long as you can dispose it in water, go for it, It must be preserved of course,

 

[candicec003]

why would i need to preserve the spray? essential oils are anti microbial in themselves

 

[DeeAnna]

Your statement tells me you really need to do a LOT more homework before leaping into this. First thing -- EOs do not necessarily offer sufficient broad spectrum preservation. It's possible that some EOs in the right blend ~could~ do the job, but you will need to be willing to do the research and testing to ensure that the product will remain sanitary for the expected shelf life of the product, since this is not an established, proven application for EOs. If that's not something you have the time, interest, and money to do, then plan on using a proven broad-spectrum preservative to ensure the shelf life is adequate.

Second thing -- even if you can develop a blend of EOs that offer broad spectrum preservation of your product, that doesn't mean the EO blend will actually disinfect gym equipment. So there's another goal for research and development.

If you really want to do this right rather than try to fly under the radar and hope no one notices, you should also plan on having an independent lab do a challenge test of your formulation both for shelf life preservation and for its efficacy for disinfecting gym equipment. Just you doing a "test strip" on your own is not sufficient proof of disinfection efficacy nor of shelf life. Your proposed product is basically entering the FDA's drug category (assuming you live in the US) and that is entirely different animal with more stringent rules and higher standards of liability than cosmetics or soap.

Furthermore, I know that a disinfectant for gym equipment should ideally be antiviral as well as antifungal and antibacterial, what with all the contagious viral diseases going around.

 

[candicec003]

Thank you for your suggestions. I do plan on experimenting, just thought id ask about the test strips as a starting point.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Assuming you want to test different formulations yourself before sending for independent testing to save costs, right?

Petri dishes and agar - even pre-poured with agar - are all over Amazon for pretty cheap. Millions of middle and high school students use them every year for the dreaded science fairs. Less than $20 would probably set you up for a dozen tests or so, with economy of scale kicking in hard as your numbers increase.

 

[TBandCW]

why would i need to preserve the spray? essential oils are anti microbial in themselves

My rule of thumb is anything with water or could be exposed to water needs a preservative.

 

[DeeAnna]

http://www.lotioncrafter.com/microbial-test-kit-lotioncrafter.html

 

[CMonkey]

Let me start by saying this is not meant to be negative towards you or your idea, just to give you a few things to think about if you decide to put money out to pursue this.

A large portion of my job deals with preventing pathogenic contamination on a daily basis and I use medical grade surface disinfectants constantly so I'm very familiar with this subject.

There are a few points to know about the type of product you would need to make:

It needs to kill the common pathogens found in gyms, including antibiotic resistant staph, and others (not in the gym industry and not sure what else is common there) that could cause people to end up in the hospital or at the very least get sick. If your product doesn't accomplish this you could be included in a large legal mess. Extensive testing would be required to make sure it kills all the pathogens it needs to.

The product would need to be safe for the gym equipment. A lot of EO's are known to damage plastics and other finishes. Any proper disinfecting procedure requires that you leave the surface wet with the product for the 10-30 minute kill time depending on the strength. You may be liable for damaged gym equipment for providing the product.

If you're in the US, the government regulates disinfectants and you would need to go through the process to get your product approved. Due to the serious nature of the diseases that can be present in a gym, it's not something to ignore and hope nothing happens.

The EO's you use would need to be absolutely safe for exposure to every type of person (young, old, pregnant, immune compromised, allergic, etc...). Residue, aroma, and possible mist from spraying will be left behind, albeit in small amounts, but it is something to consider.

And last, that gym is a business with a bottom line. High level medical disinfectants are about $20-$30 a gallon. Industrial disinfectants are a lot cheaper. A properly tested, effective, and approved product with EO's probably could not come anywhere near that cost so you might find you don't have a buyer once you develop your product.

I really don't mean to rain on you, and I'm sorry if it comes off like that; it's not intended to be that way. I just wanted to let you know about some of the risks you would be taking when disease and making sure the public stays safe becomes involved...however...a cleaner with some EO's for cleaning around the house sounds like it could be awesome!

 

[candicec003]

A lot to consider! Definitely going to rethink my plan off attack. I really appreciate everyone's input and opinion. This forum has helped me learn and develop my soap business. Thank you so much

 

[Zany_in_CO]

CMonkey, if you don't mind my asking, is there some surface disinfectant I can buy OTC?

 

[CMonkey]

CMonkey, if you don't mind my asking, is there some surface disinfectant I can buy OTC?

Bleach is the most effective disinfectant, but is also the most damaging. For surfaces and items that can handle it, it's the best and the cheapest. It is also one of the better options for soap making/bb equipment.
Good old soap and water is also incredibly effective in reducing germs to a much safer level.

As far as the disinfectants you can buy for your home at the store, they aren't as effective as advertising tries to lead you to believe, and end up just being more chemicals in your life. Normal cleaning and sometimes some elbow grease are all you need...my generation made it safely to adulthood just keeping things clean.

If you have a special situation where you do need a super hardcore surface safe disinfectant, message me and I'll let you know.

eta: Sorry for the hijack!!!!