What's the Difference?

What Should you Use on a Daily Basis?

The best way to handle germs is with soap and water. In normal circumstances, we don't recommend disinfecting/sanitizing for few reasons. 1. They can contain strong chemicals that can be harmful to you. 2. They can create superbugs (resistant germs) that won't die and can make you sick. 3. They prevent your immune system from building up strong immunity to other illnesses.

You want to clean your home regularly. Some areas (like kitchen countertops) on a daily basis. This will drastically reduce the number of germs and yucky stuff in your home...keeping a clean home creates a healthy home. Gaia uses the cleaning power of coconuts (coco-glucoside). Coco-glucoside is a natural, non-ionic surfactant (surface acting agent). It gently cleanses by actively attaching to grease/dirt by its fat-loving end of the molecule and washing it away by increasing surface tension by the water-loving end of the molecule. In short, it lifts, separates and washes germs (soap can kill bacteria and viruses by penetrating/opening the cell wall & killing it), dirt, and grime away. Note: I even use All-Purpose Cleaner to clean up areas that touch raw meat, fish etc.

Did you know washing your hands with soap and water can kill Covid-19? While we are all still dealing with (and learning to live with) Covid-19, the good news is that there continues to be strong evidence that the simple act of washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap will kill the virus if you’ve touched it. In fact, according to the CDC, "There is currently no evidence that consumer antiseptic wash products (also known as antibacterial soaps) are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients could do more harm than good in the long-term and more research is needed."

Everyone has their personal preference. However, I choose to not use any disinfectants in our home and our family very rarely feels under the weather. I introduced our kids to everyday germs at a very young age to help build up their immune systems. If any illness goes through our community/school they rarely show symptoms.

A young immune system is strengthened by exposure to everyday germs so that it can learn, adapt, and regulate itself, notes Thom McDade, PhD, associate professor and director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research at Northwestern University. "We're moving beyond this idea that the immune system is just involved in allergies, autoimmune diseases, and asthma to think about its role in inflammation and other degenerative diseases," McDade says. "Microbial exposures early in life may be important… to keep inflammation in check in adulthood." Inflammation can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and alzheimer's.

Note: If you want to go one step further to sanitize/disinfect you can use hydrogen peroxide instead of the over-the-counter disinfectants. To use as a disinfectant, spray it on the surface, allow the bubbles to subside, then air dry or wipe dry with a clean cloth.

Environmentally Friendly.