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| Noticed short discussion of this being "battlefield sterilization" in the snow mold thread. Looked at my gallon of Clorox and it indicated that it is 6% bleach and the rest water. Is this enough to kill virus or fungus?
Also, in a reference link to pruning in the other recent fungus thread, the author there said you could just wipe your pruning shears with peroxide or a bleach solution between cuts. How do you feel about the safety/efficacy of either of these: bleach or peroxide? If 6% bleach (as in Clorox for laundry) isn't strong enough, where do you get 10%? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by stitzelweller Md (My Page) on Thu, Nov 18, 10 at 22:39
| jank, you can make your own 10% clorox bleach solution by mixing it yourself. Use NINE parts water and then add ONE part bleach, in that order. 6% solution? This is the first time that I have heard of that. 10% is sort of a standard from WAAAy back. Perhaps, Nick our resident expert on medical stufff, might comment? Hellloooo, Nick - are you thar? I used to work in medical research. 10% was THE ONLY way to go to achieve a quidk sterilization without the benefit of the preferred autoclave treatment. We only used the 10% (emergemcy) solution when someone screwed up and forgot to autoclave surgical instruments. Autoclave is another word for GIANT pressure cooker! :) The usual treatment for surgical instruments was a MINIMUM of 15 minutes at 250°F at 15 lbs per square inch. I have seen very small autoclave to others so larger that you could drive a car into it (goverment money, there!). Back in olden times, I had daily access to humongous autoclaves and I sterilized potting media in them. As large as those big brothers were, they could still STINK UP large areas! --Stitz-- |
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- Posted by orchidnick z9Ca (orchidnick@yahoo.com) on Thu, Nov 18, 10 at 22:55
| This is not a hospital instrument sterilization process. I'm sure when they say 10% solution they mean 1 part Chlorox, 9 parts water. I doubt that they recognize that this will give them 0.6% bleach. As I indicated, the snow mold disappeared so I never treated but if and when I should, I would dilute Chlorox by a factor of 10 to start with. If it does not work one can always bump up the dosage. The key is not to hurt the plant. Nick |
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| Tnanks, Stitz Those autoclaves sound awesome! My Clorox, according to the label, is only 6% sodium hypoclorite (if I have the chemical name right), so I guess I was confused as to whether the 10% solution was 10% Clorox or 10% "bleach", which I thought was the chemical. If I have it right, the 10% solution I want is 9 parts water to 1 part of the 6% solution? This is what was used as a sub for the autoclaving? My husband has some "Outdoor Clorox" but the label does not divulge what percent of the chemical that is. TIA for any further input, |
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| Thanks for piping up, Nick! That's the figure I came up with too. Jan |
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| The 6% is the strongest solution of bleach you can buy over the counter. Be careful if you find an off brand for a lower price, check the label. It may be less than 6% dilution so for sanitizing you would need less water, more bleach. I don't think peroxide would kill any viruses. I wonder if Outdoor Clorox has no bleach in it? Brooke |
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