# Which Viruses and Bacteria to Kill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291 "2012-06-25T20:53:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/1 "2012-06-25T20:53:53Z")
All right, I’m caught in a bathroom cleaning dilemma here. I have two bottles of toilet bowl cleaner. One bottle is green, the other is blue. The blue bottle’s label purports to kill: Hepatitis A Virus Rotavirus WA Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV - 1 AIDS Virus) Poliovirus Type 1 Salmonella enterica (Salmonella) Escherichia coli (E. coli) Staphylococcus aureus Klebsiella pneumoniae The green bottle’s label purports to kill: Rhinovirus Type 39 Rotavirus WA HIV-1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) Enterococcus faecalis Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mold Mildew Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus) Which one should I use? I don’t want to use both because that would be cost-prohibitive. But I do want a clean toilet bowl. Which is better? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/2 "2012-06-25T21:07:17Z")
Regardless of the list they provide you on their bottles, look up the active ingredients online and see if there are more comprehensive lists. Also, if the active ingredients are the same, at least one manufacturer is probably misleading you. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/3 "2012-06-25T21:18:43Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Regardless of the list they provide you on their bottles, look up the active ingredients online and see if there are more comprehensive lists. Also, if the active ingredients are the same, at least one manufacturer is probably misleading you. The blue bottle is formulated with 9.5% Hydrogen Chloride. The green one is formulated with 2% Sodium Hypochlorite. Different ingredients, and understandably, different spectrum. Both are made by the same manufacturer (both are Lysol brand). ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/4 "2012-06-25T21:19:20Z")
Whatever you decide, do not mix together two different chemicals. That might be dangerous. Why not use one brand on even numbered days and another brand on odd numbered days? (Or alternate between the two brands if you don’t clean every day.) It won’t cost you any more and you’ll cover all your bases. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/5 "2012-06-25T21:25:38Z")
Unless you are going to perform open heart surgeries in your bathroom, both these products are overkill ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/6 "2012-06-25T21:31:07Z")
\*\*Ding! Ding! Ding! \*\* In this corner - weighing in at 9.5% HCL … we have BLUE Hepatitis A Virus Poliovirus Type 1 Salmonella enterica (Salmonella) Klebsiella pneumoniae In this corner - weighing in at 2% NaClO… we have GREEN Enterococcus faecalis Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mold Mildew Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus) Both Blue and Green kill a common array of viruses and bacteria. I’ve whittled down the list to the ones that only Blue can kill or only Green can kill. \*\*The question is now: which list of bacteria and viruses looks more insidious? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/7 "2012-06-25T21:45:51Z")
I was going to ask if I could use the OP’s bathroom, but I think it’d be safer to crap in the yard. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/8 "2012-06-25T23:10:32Z")
The GQ answer is that the list on each bottle is far from comprehensive. Some marketer picked a short list of things that they thought were scariest. Really, there aren’t any bugs that you need to worry about that will be killed by one but not the other. Off the top of my head, I know that bleach (GREEN) will kill everything but a few of the hardiest bacterial spores … so GREEN will kill all of the stuff on BLUE’s list. I’m a little less sure about what can be killed by strong acid, but I’d bet that BLUE can also kill everything on BLUE’s list. Really, unless you happen to be cleaning a bathroom in the midst of an epidemic of cholera or what have you, any ol’ detergent will keep the bathroom sanitary. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/9 "2012-06-25T23:34:46Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > \*\*The question is now: which list of bacteria and viruses looks more insidious? \*\* Surely, you should also factor in which pathogens are more common in your bathroom. The Ebola virus is terrifying, but hardly likely to shoot out of your ass to infect your commode. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/10 "2012-06-26T00:54:11Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Unless you are going to perform open heart surgeries in your bathroom, both these products are overkill Or perhaps eating out of the toilet bowl. Of that remaining list HepA is the most likely pathogen, so IF you have a guest who is excreting HepA, AND the spread is not from his/her hands to the toilet handle or the sink faucet handles or the bathroom door knob or some other household surface or to the food that (s)he brought to your house for the dinner party … AND you happen to clean the toilet between when (s)he used it and you did … AND you indeed stick your hand into the bowl AND then don’t wash your hands afterwards before eating … THEN BLUE might be better. Maybe. Does one make your bathroom sparkle better at least? Smell better? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/11 "2012-06-26T01:17:31Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > \*\*Ding! Ding! Ding! > \*\* > > In this corner - weighing in at 9.5% HCL … we have BLUE > Hepatitis A Virus > Poliovirus Type 1 > Salmonella enterica (Salmonella) > Klebsiella pneumoniae > > In this corner - weighing in at 2% NaClO… we have GREEN > Enterococcus faecalis > Pseudomonas aeruginosa > Mold > Mildew > Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus) > > Both Blue and Green kill a common array of viruses and bacteria. I’ve whittled down the list to the ones that only Blue can kill or only Green can kill. > > \*\*The question is now: which list of bacteria and viruses looks more insidious? \*\* In my own bathroom, I’d go GREEN. But that’s because I have a mold issue - the orange wet looking mold, to be non-specific. Also, I think you’re more likely to run into Trich than, say, Polio, in your average American bathroom. Salmonella’s generally a problem in the kitchen, not the bathroom, and Hep A is the hepatitis that you get better from, and isn’t terribly common in the US (besides that, I’m vaccinated against it!) I guess maybe if someone in the house had a pre-existing lung condition or was prone to repeat UTI’s, it might be worth targeting Klebsiella, but that’s usually one we worry about in hospitals and nursing homes, not houses, and I’m pretty sure bleach (GREEN) kills it, too. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/12 "2012-06-26T01:41:05Z")
That’s MOLD? I always thought it was iron from the ancient city pipes. Blech! Something else to keep after more often. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/13 "2012-06-26T02:00:41Z")
I’m pretty sure that either one would be just as effective; I doubt much will survive HCl or bleach and the lists are just a small part of what they would kill; i.e. anything, unless there is something that can survive strong acids or bleach, especially if it was even more concentrated, like The Works (20% HCl, which is so strong that the pH is [actually negative](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid#Physical_properties); in fact, even 9.5% is negative pH according to the table in the link). ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/14 "2012-06-26T02:08:54Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > I’m pretty sure that either one would be just as effective; I doubt much will survive HCl or bleach and the lists are just a small part of what they would kill; i.e. anything, unless there is something that can survive strong acids or bleach … Good point, but again, why? The toilet bowl is not something you aim to keep sterile. It is not the source from which harmful infections spread. Funny enough there is even a [SD Staff report](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1598/what-diseases-can-you-catch-from-toilet-seats) on it! > [@](#): > > What EXACTLY can you catch from sitting on a toilet seat? … You can get cooties, and that’s about it … ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/15 "2012-06-26T02:30:56Z")
Is there a complete list of what HCL and Bleach can kill at their respective concentrations of 9.5% and 2.0%? I looked up the MSDS sheets both Blue and Green, and all I’ve realized is that I should NEVER mix the Bleach with HCL, unless I want salt water. Oh wait, there’s one more thing - an exothermic reaction with that salt water. > [@lazybratsche](#): > > The GQ answer is that the list on each bottle is far from comprehensive. Some marketer picked a short list of things that they thought were scariest. Really, there aren’t any bugs that you need to worry about that will be killed by one but not the other. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/16 "2012-06-26T02:44:55Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > Is there a complete list of what HCL and Bleach can kill at their respective concentrations of 9.5% and 2.0%? I looked up the MSDS sheets both Blue and Green, and all I’ve realized is that I should NEVER mix the Bleach with HCL, unless I want salt water. > > Oh wait, there’s one more thing - an exothermic reaction with that salt water. Never mind salt water, you will get chlorine gas, which is nasty stuff. It was used as a chemical weapon in WW1. Other than that, I agree with **lazybratsche**. Both those lists are marketing bullshit (not false, but just a rando selection from teh much longer list of things each will actually kill), and either cleaner (but never both together) will get your toilet adequately clean. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/17 "2012-06-26T02:46:29Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > That’s MOLD? I always thought it was iron from the ancient city pipes. Blech! Something else to keep after more often. Oh…maybe? I guess I don’t know. We have it on (the inside of) an exterior wall where I don’t think any pipes run, though. I’m pretty sure it’s mold, but I’m not certain. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/18 "2012-06-26T02:55:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Oh…maybe? I guess I don’t know. We have it on (the inside of) an exterior wall where I don’t think any pipes run, though. I’m pretty sure it’s mold, but I’m not certain. Ah. Maybe we do have different things going on. I get it where the faucet in the tub dribbles after a shower and a ring in the toilet when the bleach tablet needs to be replaced. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/19 "2012-06-26T03:10:49Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Ah. Maybe we do have different things going on. I get it where the faucet in the tub dribbles after a shower and a ring in the toilet when the bleach tablet needs to be replaced. Ah, yes, I think yours is iron. Mine is dots on the wall and ceiling - they start small, but grow up to 1cm if I ignore them for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291/20 "2012-06-26T03:23:17Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Whatever you decide, do not mix together two different chemicals. That might be dangerous… Do you really think Lysol would produce toilet bowl cleaners that are dangerous if mixed? :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-viruses-and-bacteria-to-kill/626291.md?page=2)