Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) is an extremely effective disinfectant that kills just about every pathogen known to mankind, yet it's so safe, you can spray it on your skin, in your eyes, and even gargle with it. You can also spray it in the air as a fogger, to help reduce airborne pathogens, and spray it on food to kill bacteria and make it last longer. Now, you can make an unlimited supply of this incredible germ fighter right at home - easily and affordably!
Hypochlorous Acid vs. Bleach
Hypochlorous acid has been shown to kill pathogens more effectively than bleach, because it has a smaller molecular structure that's able to get into a cell more easily than bleach can.
Pathogens have a "net negative" electrical charge around their cell walls, and because HOCl isn't positively or negatively charged, it can invade bacterial cells easily, and disarm them by disrupting the structure of proteins. When the proteins lose their complex structures, they begin to die. HOCl is able to perform what's called a "Mechanical kill" - which means it's able to inactivate the pathogen from the inside out, before it gets a chance to mutate!
Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid (but strong oxidizer) that is created when chlorine is dissolved in water, causing the HOCl to dissociate and form hypochlorite. It is the active form of chlorine. Hypochlorous acid is a non-toxic, yet highly effective germ killer that has been used for over a century in medical practice.
Some dentists actually give it to their patients to gargle with, after oral surgery (Note: some people rinse with alkaline water afterward, to offset the acidity). The pH of HOCl is about the same as Pepsi.
Bleach activates the "heat shock protein" in pathogens, and HOCl does the same, without the negative side effects. You can read about it in this study and this article.
This incredible disinfectant is able to kill deadly pathogens like MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, HIV, Anthrax and more. It even kills Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and has the ability to disrupt biofilm. You'll be hard-pressed to find a single pathogen HOCl doesn't kill when tested in a lab setting.
HOCl was used as an effective disinfectant on Naval ships, over 100 years ago. You can read about hypochlorous acid in the book "Military Medicine," by the Association of Military Surgeons, published in 1917.
Hypochlorous acid has been widely used in Japanese hospitals for over 40 years, to treat wounds and gangene, sterilize hospital equipment and floors, and doctors use it to wash their hands before surgery. It may be worth noting that Japan has ranked #1 in longevity, by the World Health Organization, every year since the WHO started publishing the list.
Your body makes Hypochlorous Acid!
Hypochlorous acid is actually an integral part of your own body's immune system. Your neutrophils convert H2O2 and Cl- to HOCl, using the enzyme myeloperoxidase from activated leukocytes. Studies have shown that your neutrophils may use HOCl to kill pathogens during phagocytosis, and regulate inflammation.
You can see a video of phagocytosis, below.
Why you may have never heard of Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) before
The reason many people have never heard of it, is because there's a downside: it has a tendency to lose its potency, if not stored in the right conditions (that's not a problem if you can make it at home). HOCl can lose it's punch when exposed to heat, light, movement and time, so you won't see it on store shelves as commonly as you'll see products that contain straight-up bleach. But many people have found it can stay potent for days in a small, dark spray bottle, so it's perfect to keep in a purse!
"It's a great hand sanitizer if you put some on your hands and rub it around on your hands, and let it dry (he demonstrates this). Right now, you'll have a fine hint of chlorine. As soon as that dries, you won't smell the chlorine anymore, and the reason is, hypochlorous acid wants to be a gas. So, as the water evaporates, the hypochlorous acid goes off into the air, so there's no residue.
So, (if) you put this on fruits and vegetables, you'll a) make them safer to eat, and b) you'll extend their shelf life, because you've killed all the bacteria."
"Hypochlorous acid is a form of chlorine that exhibits zero cytotoxicity. That means it's harmless to human and animal cells. However, it is highly reactive with proteinaceous material."
"Treating your food products with the water helps to avoid food poisoning. One of the biggest applications in Japan is spraying this on sushi."
Please note, HOCl is not recommended or approved for drinking. The man who operates the machine just did so, to show that it did not harm him, but he also indicated that it could be harmful if a person drank too much.
This is an excellent article on hypochlorous acid:
Hypochlorous acid: harnessing nature’s germ killer
I've used the hypochlorous acid on my own scrapes and cuts, on a tooth abscess, and on my pets (HOCl the key ingredient in Vetericyn), to heal wounds and abscesses. I've used it on my own eyes when I got an eye infection, and I use it on my cats' eyes, and in their ears (it's great for mites). It kills parasites, fungus and clears up acne. I use it to clean and disinfect floors, countertops, pet bedding and pet toys, without having to worry about my cats getting sick from licking perfumes and chemicals.
At times when I do use Clorox wipes on floors, I find myself going over it again, with HOCl spray, so my cats don't have chemical residues on their paws from the scented wipes. It's truly the best, safest disinfectant cleaner I've ever used.
Can Hypochlorous acid kill the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
That's the big question everyone wants to know! You won't see many products advertised as specifically being able to kill COVID-19, simply because this new virus strain isn't widely available for testing in labs, yet. But if you look at THIS PAGE, you'll see why it's likely that HOCl will be considered effective for use against the COVID-19.
Some companies like Naoclean have reported that they believe it could be used to fight the Coronavirus, and some companies strongly imply that their products can kill the coronavirus. But companies can get in trouble for making these claims without the proper lab results to prove it.
In the meantime, it is fine for a company to state that it makes hand sanitizer, germicide, etc.. without making specific claims about COVID-19.
Keep in mind that many hand sanitizers are not actually proven to kill the coronavirus, either. If you look at THIS PAGE, you'll find information from Dr. M.R. Lewis of Aqualution, that shows, many hand sanitizers may not actually kill COVID-19, in the practical way they're being applied. He says:
Alcohol-based sanitizers and disinfectants are effective against viruses in laboratory-based tests, and therefore recommended to prevent viral transmission. However they do not always appear to be effective in “real life” situations. Similarly, the glutaraldehydes tested by Rabenau and workers (2005) achieved good log reductions of viral loading on surfaces. However, their very long contact times (30 -60 minutes) mean that they may be of limited “real world” use as it is not practical nor in some cases safe, to leave them on the surface for that length of time. Aqualution hypochlorous acid achieves >5 log viral reductions in less than a minute and is therefore effective in a spray and wipe cleaning regime.
You can also read an article about hand sanitizers that could be less effective than you think, HERE. Please be sure that you are using them according to the instructions!
Has the CDC approved Hypochlorous Acid for use on COVID-19?
Although the CDC has a lot of labs that can do testing, you can imagine they're pretty backed up with requests to approve new products that can kill COVID-19 (new entries are being added, weekly). Like many organizations, they may be moving slower than usual, due to government orders for most of us to self-quarantine, as much as possible.
But the good news is, the CDC has listed 2 products on their website, that show HOCl as the active ingredient.
Please note that these 2 products have a very small concentration of HOCl in them (only about 0.017 or 0.018%), so they require 10 minutes of disinfection. Hypochlorous acid in its pure form has a faster kill time (typically about 30 seconds, as you can see from the chart below).
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