消毒產(chǎn)品有保質(zhì)期嗎

We may be more inclined to stock up on disinfecting products now more than ever. This is especially true as we get closer to the cold and flu season this winter. However, experts warn that disinfecting products do in fact have a shelf life, and buying more than we can use before they expire may not be a great idea. That's because cleaning products lose potency after they expire. In fact, some disinfectants have shown a 20% decrease in potency after 6 months (via Martha Stewart).

我們現(xiàn)在可能比以往任何時(shí)候都更傾向于儲(chǔ)備消毒產(chǎn)品。這一點(diǎn)在冬天的感冒和流感季節(jié)來臨前尤為明顯。然而，專家警告說，消毒產(chǎn)品實(shí)際上是有保質(zhì)期的，在過期前購買超過我們使用量的產(chǎn)品可能不是一個(gè)好主意。這是因?yàn)榍鍧嵁a(chǎn)品在過期后會(huì)失去效力。事實(shí)上，一些消毒劑在6個(gè)月后的效力會(huì)下降20%。

This may be fine for cleaning surfaces that aren't touched frequently, but for surfaces like door handles, common area countertops, and refrigerators, it can mean germs survive the cleaning process and increase our risk of viral infections. While disinfectants remain on the low end of the expiration spectrum, other products, like glass cleaners, can last closer to 2 years. In any case, it's good to check bottles for expiration dates and properly dispose of any past their prime. If bottles don't have expiration dates, there are general rules of thumb you can follow.

對(duì)于清潔不經(jīng)常接觸的表面可能沒問題，但對(duì)于門把手、公共區(qū)域的臺(tái)面和冰箱等表面，這可能意味著細(xì)菌在清潔過程中仍然存活，增加了我們感染病毒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。雖然消毒劑的有效期比較短，但其他產(chǎn)品，如玻璃清潔劑，可以使用近2年。在任何情況下，檢查瓶子的有效期并妥善處理任何過期的瓶子都是有益的。如果瓶子沒有保質(zhì)期，你可以遵循一些一般的經(jīng)驗(yàn)法則。

Bleach has one of the shortest shelf lives, which may sound surprising considering how potent it is. However, bleach can degrade as early as 6 months after opening and lose 20% efficacy every year after (via Well+Good). Most multi-surface cleaners can work for up to 2 years, but if they contain an antibacterial agent, their shelf life can be cut in half (via Good Housekeeping).

考慮到使用效力，漂白劑的保質(zhì)期是最短的，聽起來可能有些令人驚訝。事實(shí)上，漂白劑在打開后6個(gè)月就會(huì)降解，并且在打開后每年會(huì)失去20%的功效。大多數(shù)多表面清潔劑可以使用長(zhǎng)達(dá)2年，但如果它們含有抗菌劑，其保質(zhì)期就會(huì)縮短一半。

Alcohol-based sanitizers can decrease in effectiveness over time due to the fact that alcohol evaporates when it's exposed to air. For alcohol-based disinfectants, in particular, alcohol concentrations less than 42.6% were found to be far less effective in killing viruses like the coronavirus, Ebola virus, Zika virus, influenza A and B, and herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (via Medical News Today). This also applies to disinfectant personal care products, like hand sanitizer. It's important to note that homemade mixtures or dilutions of any disinfectant products should be used immediately, as the disinfectant properties can lose their effectiveness as quickly as one day.

由于酒精暴露在空氣中會(huì)蒸發(fā)，酒精類消毒劑的效力會(huì)隨著時(shí)間的推移而降低。特別是對(duì)于酒精類消毒劑，發(fā)現(xiàn)酒精濃度低于42.6%的消毒劑在殺死冠狀病毒、埃博拉病毒、寨卡病毒、甲型和乙型流感以及單純皰疹病毒1和2等病毒方面的效果要差得多。這也適用于消毒個(gè)人護(hù)理產(chǎn)品，如洗手液。值得注意的是，自制的混合物或任何消毒劑產(chǎn)品的稀釋液，應(yīng)立即使用，因?yàn)檫@類消毒劑可能會(huì)在一天內(nèi)失去效力。