Bleach-based Disinfectants: Clorox Multi-Surface Cleaner + Bleach eliminates the coronavirus in one minute on hard surfaces such as you find in kitchens and bathrooms — sinks, faucets, toilets, tile and synthetic countertops. Any bleach-based spray like this is for use only on hard surfaces. It will damage fabrics, feel harsh on skin and produce fumes that can irritate mucous membranes. Take precautions like ventilating the room and wearing gloves. Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach is similar, but takes five minutes to disinfect hard surfaces.

How to make your own

Assuming you cannot get any of the above products, you can disinfect hard surfaces of the coronavirus using a solution of regular household chlorine bleach and water. If you have bleach, you can make your own mixture and dispense it with a spray bottle or with paper towels. But please be careful and read instructions when dealing with bleach as with all chemical products.

Multiple sources give different bleach-to-water ratios for use with regular bleach. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that “unexpired bleach will be effective against coronaviruses” in a 1:48 solution (⅓ cup of bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons per quart). Clorox recommends a slightly stronger 1:32 ratio (½ cup per gallon or 2 tablespoons per quart). Mark Warner recommends a much stronger 1:10 ratio (about 1½ cups per gallon of water, or about ⅓ cup per quart). Some medical disinfectants are basically the same solution.

Whichever ratio you use, let it sit on the surface for 10 minutes: Warner told us that this is the Environmental Protection Agency’s guideline for any new or unknown pathogen, and it is also the dwell time listed for the regular household bleaches on the E.P.A.’s List N, which means it is approved to eliminate the coronavirus when properly used.

Don’t mix up more than you will use within a day or two. Bleach degrades fairly rapidly once taken from its original storage container, becoming less effective each day. Storing the container away from light can prolong its useful condition. If your bottle of bleach is expired, add a bit extra to the mixture, and try to find a fresh bottle when you can.

Be careful

Bleach mixtures can be used only on hard surfaces — they will permanently damage most fabrics and many other soft materials — and are unpleasant to work with. Wear gloves. Ventilate the space as well as possible. “Bleach is corrosive, even the vapors,” Warner said. “Gives you a sore throat, you don’t taste dinner, and you wake up the next day with a weird taste in your mouth.”

You also need to wipe it off after the 10-minute dwell time, because left to sit indefinitely, bleach can damage even resilient materials like stainless steel. And it can cause some plastic containers to break down over time. (I used to keep some in an industrial spray bottle, for bathroom use; the screw-top fell apart after about a year, though the bottle itself, made of a different type of plastic, was fine.)