How to Disinfect Metal

After natural disasters such as floods, isolated household disasters like sewage leaks, illnesses or other occasions where items have been contaminated with germs, metal objects usually can be salvaged. Unlike porous materials that resist deep cleaning, metal is fairly easy to clean and disinfect.
You may already have all the necessary items needed for disinfecting metal. The process, from start to finish, shouldn't take longer than about a half an hour per piece if the item is the size of a saucepan or smaller.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rubber Gloves
• Plastic Scraper
• Soap
• Water
• Sponges
• Bleach Wipes
• Clean Cloths

1. Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands from germs and cleaning chemicals. Scrape off any hardened dirt, food or other debris with plastic scrapers or very dull metal blades to prevent scratches to the metal.

2. Wet a sponge in warm to hot water and place a quarter-sized drop of liquid soap on the sponge. Wash off remaining debris.

3. Wipe down the entire surface of the metal with bleach wipes. You may need to use several wipes if the piece is very large. Change to a clean one whenever one becomes dirty. Pay special attention to crevices in the metal surface, as any bacteria overlooked can quickly propagate.

4. Let the sanitizing bleach remain undisturbed on the metal for at least ten minutes to allow the bleach to kill germs.

5. Rinse the item in clean water. Use bottled water if you are disinfecting after a flood, as the tap water may not be clean. Dry the metal with a soft cloth to prevent rust.

Tips & Warnings

• You can disinfect small metal items such as flatware by first washing them in soapy water to remove grime and then boiling them in clean water for ten minutes minimum. As an alternative to bleach wipes, use a solution of two tablespoons of household bleach per gallon of water. Dampen a cloth or a clean sponge in this solution and wipe down the metal. Let the solution remain on the metal for several minutes to kill germs. If you do not have access to bleach or bleach wipes, try a disinfecting spray such as Lysol or even rubbing alcohol. If using on flatware or cookware, make sure to rinse the items very well before using.
• Always work in a well-ventilated space when using bleach. In addition, do not mix bleach cleaning products with ammonia. The fumes from this combination are very toxic. Bleach may stain and damage aluminum. Use a non-bleach disinfectant spray or alcohol instead.

References

• Disinfecting Metal After a Flood
• Disinfecting With Bleach