Does Clorox Kill Norovirus? The Science Behind Disinfecting


What Is Norovirus And How Does It Spread?

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus commonly termed as "stomach flu" or sometimes "stomach bug" too. The nature of this virus causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Amongst its list of symptoms, acute gastroenteritis is commonly observed. As the word contagious suggest, communicability people are the carriers and mode of transmission for
Noro Virus.

Norovirus is a group of viruses that leads to flue like symptoms, mainly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and gastroenteritis. This virus's outbreak is typical observed in colder months of a year.
Identified in the Caliciviridae family of viruses, Norovirus strains come in 10 groups with 48 types. This virus is amongst the leading causes of foodborne ailments globally.
Let's identify the symptoms of this virus precisely:

  1. Nausea
  2. Vomiting (more common in children)
  3. Diarrhea (more common in adults)
  4. Stomach cramps or pain
  5. Low-grade fever
  6. Chills
  7. Muscle aches
  8. Fatigue and weakness
  9. Headache

Symptoms in norovirus are usually identical amongst children and adults, the only difference being in the severity of infection. Adults are more likely to suffer from diarrhea than young children, while children may suffer from more vomiting that adult patients. The mode of transmission are usually, close contact with someone who has the virus.


When an individual touched contaminated objects, surfaces, shortly before touching their mouth or nose, transmission becomes highly possible. In a similar fashion, consuming contaminated edibles and beverages also directly exposes the virus inside a person's system.


You Might Wanna Know About: Can You Get Human Metapneumovirus Twice? Learn More !

Complications And Risk Factors Associated With Norovirus

If you get in the hands of Norovirus, its common for you to fall extremely sick. Gastrointestinal symptoms, diarrhea and vomiting are the severe outcomes of this disease. Likewise, dehydration
is also a major threat with the virus. Having to pee less often, dark-colored pee, dryness in the mouth, feeble sensations of weakness, throbbing headaches are common complications with Norovirus.
Children may encounter complications with crying without tears, fussiness, lethargic feeling through the day! The intensity of compilations can go as far as suppressing appetite or making eating and drinking
very difficult.


Knowing About Clorox:


Clorox is a well reputed brand of bleach and cleaning products employed be a high number of households to clean, whiten, deodorize and in the article's context, a disinfectant as well!
Clorox is a compound of bleach, chlorine and sodium hydroxide incorporated firmly in such a manner that it can kill 99% of bacterial germs as well as the COVID-19 virus!



Does Clorox Kill Norovirus?

Norovirus spreads fast and easily having the potential to contaminate anyone. Once contamination has been registered, there is no vaccine for this disease. Although vaccinations has not been invented, CDC suggest that 

products of Clorox such as Clorox Disinfecting Bleach or Clorox Clean-Up (Cleaner + Bleach) has been approved to work against this virus. With that being said, the answer to Does Clorox Kill Norovirus? is a big yes!

Step By Step Process To Kill Norovirus

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies:


-The disinfecting bleach you will need for this operation needs to be Clorox bleach which contains sodium hypochlorite at concentrations of 5.25% to 6.15% minimum.

-Cold water

-Disposable gloves
-Paper towels or disposable cloths
-Bucket or spray bottle
-Mop (for floors, if needed)
-You should allow ventilation with either window opening or turning on a fan.

Step 2: Preparing A Disinfecting Bleach Solution:


-Before use create a disinfecting bleach solution through the mixing process of Clorox bleach with cold water.

-For hard, non-porous surfaces (countertops, floors, doorknobs, toilets):

-The proper proportion of water to Clorox bleach solution requires 1/3 cup of bleach dissolved into a single gallon of water.

-A solution can also be made from 4 teaspoons of Clorox bleach mixed with a single quart of water for generating smaller amounts.

-A bleach solution with 1 cup of bleach per gallon of water must be prepared for cleaning heavily contaminated areas including feces or vomit or high-risk surfaces.

-The diluted bleach solution needs at least one cup of bleach for each gallon of water to create a sufficient disinfectant.

-You need to prepare new bleach solutions for each use since diluted bleach deteriorates in effectiveness rapidly.

Step 3: cleanup of contaminated zones:

-Verify the use of gloves during norovirus contact prevention.

-You need to remove all visible soiling through using paper towels to wipe the area. Dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag.

-Begin disinfection by first washing the area with soap water.

Step 4: Apply the Bleach Solution:

-Apply the bleach solution abundantly through either a spray bottle or a cloth that is soaked with the mix.

-Keep the surface wet during cleaning for no fewer than 5 minutes especially for cases of heavy contamination.

-The disinfection process for large flooring spaces requires a mop which you should saturate with the bleach solution.

Step 5: Rinse and Dry:

-Smooth surfaces require waiting for the appropriate time before wiping them clean with water before leaving the area to dry naturally.

Step 6: Disposing All Cleaning Materials Appropriately:

-Remove gloves and discard them.

-You should wash your hand extensively with soap and water since alcohol-based sanitizers cannot eliminate norovirus effectively.

Step 7: Wash Contaminated Laundry:

-Hot water with a temperature higher than 140°F (60°C) should be used for disinfection along with the addition of bleach.

-The set thermostat should be set to its highest level during drying.

Step 8: Prevent Reinfection:

-Disinfect frequently touched surfaces like room controls and bathroom fixtures, light switches and handles.

-Hand washes regularly should be done by using soap and water.

Best Disinfectants for Norovirus:

Clorox is deemed as the best killer of Norovirus. However, there are other disinfectants in the market too that resemble high killing potential to Clorox. Hydrogen peroxide- containing

disinfectants such as a sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is claimed highly effecting against elimination of this contagious virus.The CDC recommends using either a 1:50 or 1:10 dilution solution 

of bleach at 1,000–5,000 ppm concentration based on combining household bleach (5.25%) with one gallon of water and mixing with 5–25 tablespoons of bleach or employing any disinfectant approved by the CDC against norovirus.

As a deserving alternative to Clorox,  Norovirus Prevention Tips & Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid disinfectant product on the EPA’s List G of registered products turned out as highly efficacious in Killing Norovirus. These registered products are ones that are composed of the following:

  1. quaternary ammonium
  2. hydrogen peroxide
  3. hypochlorous acid
  4. sodium hypochlorite
  5. sodium chlorite
  6. octanoic acid
  7. phenolic
  8. dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid
  9. sodium dichloroisocyanurate
  10. citric acid
  11. thymol
  12. lactic acid
  13. iodine

Norovirus Prevention Tips:

  1. Frequent handwashing matters using soap and water during a 20-second interval most importantly after bathroom use and before meals and after vomit and diarrhea cleaning. Hand sanitizers do not perform as effectively to clean hands as compared to soap and water.
  2. Prepared statement solutions containing bleach ranging from five to twenty-five tablespoons per gallon of water or EPA-approved products should be used for proper surface disinfection. Norovirus cannot be eliminated through standard use of household cleaning solutions.
  3. Keeping food safe requires through washing of fruits and vegetables while cooking shellfish to 145°F (63°C) and refraining from food preparation when experiencing norovirus symptoms.
  4. Keep clothing towels and bedding that have come in contact with vomit or diarrhea under immediate hot water washing and high-temperature dryer cycles.
  5. The sick person must stay alone after their symptoms disappear for 48 hours to prevent infecting others particularly in food preparation or healthcare areas.

Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid:

  1. The use of improper disinfectants among household cleaners fails to eliminate norovirus. Bleach-based disinfectants together with EPA-approved norovirus-specific products remain the best options for disinfecting surfaces.
  2. When incidents occur people should start cleaning their spaces without delay because norovirus can transmit extremely fast. Allowing a delay in the cleanup of vomit or diarrhea will raise the odds of surface contamination.
  3. After use discard cleaning implements with disposable paper towels and disinfect cloths instead of repeating their reuse. The virus proliferates through using infected materials twice.
  4. Physical contact with infected surfaces happens when people neither wear protective clothes nor gloves thus enhancing transmission risks. Gloves need to be worn by the user until completion of disinfecting procedures then disposed correctly.
  5. People must give thorough attention to disinfect all frequently touched surfaces which include doorknobs along with light switches and remote controls.
  6. Waste disposal requires users to place contaminated materials like paper towels and gloves into plastic bags before final disposal in order to stop contamination from spreading between items.

Did you know there is term called Period Flu?