EPA approves Pine-Sol to kill coronavirus on hard surfaces

After being tested by a third party, the Environmental Protection Agency approved Pine-Sol’s original cleaner as an effective method of killing the coronavirus on hard surfaces.

Pine-Sol’s original cleaner was added to the agency’s list of products expected to kill the virus after meeting the criteria for use against COVID-19. The product kills and disinfects 99.9% of germs, according to the product’s website.

“With a long-standing history of being a powerful cleaner and disinfectant, and the trusted brand choice within the Black community, Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner now offers the clean families have trusted through generations with the protection they need right now against the spread of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” Chris Hyder, vice president and general manager of the Clorox Company’s cleaning division, said in a press release.

The Clorox Company cited consistent cleaning of hard surfaces as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “To disinfect against SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, apply the Pine-Sol® Original Multi-Surface Cleaner full-strength with a clean sponge or cloth on hard, nonporous surfaces," the company’s press release states. "Wet surface, let stand 10 minutes, and then rinse. For heavily soiled surfaces, precleaning to remove excess dirt first is required.”

Pine-Sol’s original cleaner is the latest Clorox product to be approved by the EPA as an effective disinfectant for use against the coronavirus. The company is the world’s largest manufacture of disinfectant cleaning materials and has 36 other products on the EPA’s list, including Clorox bleach and disinfecting wipes.