On a day-to-day basis I’m perfectly satisfied with cleaning with vinegar and baking soda; it’s effective and reduces my family’s chemical exposure.  When the flu virus rears its ugly head, however, my gut instinct is to pull out the big guns: the Clorox bleach.  I can’t help it.  I’m looking for total annihilation.  I want to keep my kids healthy; I hate to see them sick.  I want those germs stopped in their tracks.

Don’t worry.  Knowing bleach has no place in the home, I stopped buying it long ago.

What can you do when you want to avoid exposing your children to toxic chemicals like bleach but still kill the germs that will make them sick?

It’s simple. Keep white vinegar in a spray bottle, and 3% hydrogen peroxide in another.  (The bottle containing the hydrogen peroxide should be opaque, as it will degrade in a clear bottle.)  Spray your contaminated surfaces with the vinegar and follow with the hydrogen peroxide.

This lethal (to germs) combination has been shown to be as effective as chlorine bleach, killing 99% of bacteria.

My little girl has been laid up with the flu all day, and I’ve been liberally spraying the hot spots where germs hide.  I’m happy to report that the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide treatment has also been effective at neutralizing the smell of vomit, although I did sprinkle baking soda on particularly stubborn areas (vacuuming up when dry).

And I’ve been reminding everyone to wash, wash, wash their hands with plain old soap and water.  Hopefully, we can stop this flu cycle right in its tracks…

Photo credit: Robin Elton