mother wants me to do this.

[sofysmommy]

she wants me to put clorox in the heat vents so that the heat evaporates the cloine and the vapors will kill the germs floating around in my house! Let me tell you first that we dh and dc are all fighting the flu or whatever virus is going around. so she tell me to spray the house with Lysol or do the cloros thing please tell me this is wrong. I have never heard such a thing.

Is spraying a solution of water with TTO and lavender oils enough?. I cleaned all the door knobs and all places we come in direct contact, laundered the bed sheets and pillowcases....

[maxwill129]

Originally Posted by sofysmommy

she wants me to put clorox in the heat vents so that the heat evaporates the cloine and the vapors will kill the germs floating around in my house! Let me tell you first that we dh and dc are all fighting the flu or whatever virus is going around. so she tell me to spray the house with Lysol or do the cloros thing please tell me this is wrong. I have never heard such a thing.

Is spraying a solution of water with TTO and lavender oils enough?. I cleaned all the door knobs and all places we come in direct contact, laundered the bed sheets and pillowcases....

I would tell her to not come over until the virus is gone. No way would I breath that stuff in or let my kids. Also, if the dc and yor dh all have the flu/virus, you've already been exposed to why bother? Just tell anyone that's scared of "catching it" to not come over. Sorry to be blunt. That's how I feel.

[KMK_Mama]

oh my gosh, never do that!

I would say cleaning the doorknobs and stuff like you have already done is a good idea...also, regular handwashing and covering up the mouths when coughing or sneezing should be enough.

I would NEVER put chemicals in the air ducts to be breathed in...that would definately do more harm than good.

[Ruthla]

I don't know if it will kill the germs floating in your house or not, but it will definitely put toxins into your family's lungs at a time when you're already vulnerable because of the illness.

Whatever germs are in your house, your bodies have already developed antibodies to (or are currently fighting off.) Whatever germs are "floating around your house" are no danger to anybody living there. Washing sheets, wiping down doorknobs, etc, is more than adequate. I would probably use a mild soap solution and/or distilled white vinegar to clean the areas you feel need to be disinfected.

[lindberg99]

Did your mom used to do that when you were a kid?? I can't even imagine what that would make the house smell like, let alone what it would do to your lungs!

And on a house note, I can't see that dumping bleach down the ducts would be very good for them either. Wouldn't it corrode them?

Sounds like a bad idea all around to me! If you have any bleach in your house, I would hide it so your mom doesn't start dumping it around your house when she is over visiting!

[sofysmommy]

sometimes I wonder wher does she get her info from: I grew up in a tropical island where the windows were/ are always open. I live in Central New York now we have not opened a window since late november

maxwill129 you are not being blunt at all!

[Leilalu]

Well, I think I will be another voice of reason and say this is absolutely ABSURD.
What you need is an ozone generator, but those can be expensive. Just clean as normal and you should be fine!!!!!!!!!!

We have an industrial strength ozone generator because we had mold issues in one of our rooms. Dh occasionally runs it outside, pointing into our crawlspace when we will be gone a few hours, to kill any mold that may be in there.

[eden/averymum]

Oh my golly! that wouldn't really help anyhow. :loco: the viral particles aren't really floating around in the air, they are coughed or sneezed up and land on surfaces. hand washing is all you guys need, that and plenty of rest and fluid forget about the bleach good lord!

[orangefoot]

: : :

Working on your *insides* will do more to heal yourselves than bleach.

: I hope you feel better soon.

[Fiestabeth]

Sheesh! If you all are already sick, plus bleach exposure - that could easily equal bronchitis or pneumonia. Definitely don't do it!

[MissLotus]

Yikes! No way. I'm in NY, too, but I'd open all the windows before I'd ever do that!

[Isis]

Another thing to keep in mind... give everyone their own hand towel after washing their hands, or their mouths on (after brushing teeth)... that way you don't send germs back and forth and change daily until all better.

I would never do what your Mom is suggesting, though.

[Meiri]

Wouldn't it corrode them?

Quite probably.

I wouldn't do this, and I'm not opposed to occasional judicious use of bleach.

I wouldn't do the ozone thing either though, as too many of those produce too much and are thus not safe either.

What we have is a UV light that does kill germs, at least some of them, as they come up from the furnace into the rest of the house.

[Jane]

yikes~ please don't do that. It wouldn't be terribly effective anyway. If you truly are concerned about germs, vacuuming works very well at removing germs from floors and chairs and curtains, if you have a HEPA filter vacuum. Wiping down sufaces with vinegar and rubbing until dry is also effective, much more so than some amount of bleach in the air!

Ignoring her while mumbling something vaguely reassuring is much less work, though.