Due to the rising awareness about sanitization and the increasing worry about ever new strains of viruses circulating in the atmosphere, people are more concerned about disinfection than ever.
They want to know whether the cleaner that they’re already using has the potential to disinfect or do they need to invest additionally in a disinfectant.
Fabuloso is a popular cleaning product that many people choose due to its affordability as well as the fresh smell that it leaves.
Is Fabuloso a Disinfectant?
Fabuloso is a multi-purpose cleaner with a fresh scent intended to be used for cleaning hard surfaces, but it is not a disinfectant. However, all those Fabuloso products that contain Glutaral and citric acid may be able to kill bacteria, fungi, and mildew to some extent.
Fabuloso Wipes, on the other hand, are disinfectants. They can kill 99.9% of bacteria and many kinds of viruses.
Glutaral is present in all the scented versions of the regular Fabuloso®. Citric acid is present in all the scented versions of the regular Fabuloso®. Hydrogen peroxide is present in all the scented versions of the regular Fabuloso® as well as two scents of Fabuloso® Complete (Floral Burst and Cool Mist).
These ingredients are responsible for killing some of the germs.
The manufacturer, however, does not claim the product to be a disinfectant. And it is important to note that EPA also does not recognize Fabuloso to be a disinfectant for Covid 19. You can check the approved ones here.
Although Fabuloso might not be specifically targeted toward disinfecting, it is a good product to keep in your cleaning arsenal because it is so cheap when compared to other products.
You may want to clean first and then use an add-on disinfectant.
Fabuloso and Fabuloso Complete
There is a bit of difference between Fabuloso and Fabuloso Complete. Fabuloso Complete contains additional ingredients that provide a deeper cleaning than regular Fabuloso.
Fabuloso® Complete cleans many kinds of floors (but only sealed ones in case of wood floors), walls, bathroom surfaces, windows & glass surfaces, and other hard surfaces in the house.
Ingredients Responsible for Killing Germs!
The following are ALL the ingredients that Fabuloso uses to manufacture their Multi-purpose cleaning solutions:
1- Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate: This is a surfactant that creates foam which in turn helps to remove dirt and grease.
2- Sodium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate: It is an anionic surfactant that also serves the purpose of removing grease and dirt while creating foam.
3- C9-11 Pareth-8: This is a polyethylene glycol ether that is intended to remove dirt and grease while also creating suds.
4- Water: This is a base that is used to Dissolve substances or ingredients, basically a solvent.
5- Fragrance: This is the ingredient that provides that fresh smell of different scents that Fabuloso offers.
6- Sodium Laureth Sulfate: This is also an anionic detergent and surfactant that creates suds while removing grease, dirt, and grime.
7- Sodium Chloride: This is basically salt that is an anti-scaling and bleaching agent. This also controls the thickness of the cleaning solution.
8- Glutaral: Although this is a preservative that is used to increase the shelf life of the cleaning solution, it is also a disinfectant.
9- Hydrogen Peroxide: This is a bleaching-oxidizing agent that makes it easy for the residue to be removed. Hydrogen peroxide also removes bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, and spores.
10- Citric Acid: The main purpose of using this in Fabuloso is to regulate the ph level of the solution. However, this acid can kill bacteria, mildew, and some fungi.
11- Colorants: These are dyes used to differentiate different products and also create a brand identity.
12- Lactic Acid: Lactic acid is also a ph regulator.
13- Xanthan Gum: This is a viscosity modifier. This means that the abrasive particles in the cleaning solution will not run off or suspend.
14- BHT (Butylated hydroxytoulene): It is a preservative. It keeps fats and oils in the solution from going rancid.
15- Styrene / Acrylates Copolymer: This is an opacifier that gives the cleaner that rich and thick creamy appearance. Also, copolymers increase the stain removal capacity of a product.
Regular Fabuloso has various scents. All these versions can be used to disinfect to some extent as they all contain Glutaral, citric acid, and Hydrogen Peroxide.
1- Lavender
2- Refreshing Lemon
3- Passion of Fruits®
4- Ocean Paradise®
5- Citrus and Fruits with Baking Soda
6- Tropical Spring
7- Spring in Bloom
8- Spring Fresh with Bleach Alternative
On the other hand, Fabuloso Complete comes in 3 scents:
1- Sparkling Citrus
2- Complete Cool Mist
3- Complete Floral Burst
The fragrances Complete Cool mist and Complete Floral Burst may kill some bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, and spores as they contain Hydrogen Peroxide in them.
Note that Fabuloso does not contain Bleach.
Modify Fabuloso to Make it Disinfect!
A few household items are great disinfectants also. The ones that do not react adversely with fabuloso can be added to it to get a disinfectant.
1- Vinegar: Acetic acid in vinegar is an effective mycobacterial disinfectant that can be effective in killing many types of bacteria. Fabuloso doesn’t react adversely when mixed with Vinegar. So, to make the disinfecting properties of Fabuloso more effective, go ahead and mix it with white vinegar.
2- Rubbing Alcohol: This is a germicide with great strength, which means it has the ability to kill bacteria, germs, viruses, and fungi. (Source) You can add some Rubbing to a gallon of water and half a cup of Fabuloso solution.
3- Hot Water: Water that is boiling will kill or inactivate bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and other pathogens. The heat damages the basic structural elements and wreaks havoc on their life processes.
You can prepare a mopping solution with boiling water, in which fabuloso is diluted.
Can It Kill Germs or Mold?
Bacteria can be both beneficial and harmful to humans. Their concentration is higher in areas around feedlots, compost facilities, and wastewater treatment plants. (Source)
The products that are designed to kill bacteria and viruses are specifically labeled as ‘kills 99.9% of germs’ or have similar claims. However, Fabuloso multi-purpose cleaners do not make any such claim.
When it comes to mold, Fabuloso does not kill it from roots. It may clean the mold from the surface but the spores remain which, in time, results in mold regrowth.
However, Fabuloso can be mixed with other mold removers.
Using Fabuloso the Right Way! (To Maximize Disinfection)
If you want to get the maximum out of your Fabuloso to be able to kill germs, you should follow these steps while cleaning:
STEP 1: Fabuloso is in concentrated form, so you need to dilute it with water. Use a gallon of boiling hot water and a quarter cup of fabuloso multi-purpose cleaner (regular). Stir this mixture well.
Caution: Some types of flooring are susceptible to damage from heat. Generally, wood floors, vinyl plank flooring, Laminate flooring, and the like can easily get damaged by heat. Check your flooring type and if it can be mopped with hot water or steam mopped. If it is susceptible to damage, just use normal water (not hot).
STEP 2: For floors, use a regular mop to clean the surfaces, Use even application on all the areas of the floor. For other surfaces such as walls, door knobs, countertops, etc. use a rag or a sponge to clean them.
STEP 3: Use a second application of this solution and let it remain and dry.
As per CDC, it is better to clean first and then disinfect.
As said before, Fabuloso will kill germs to some extent. So to make it more effective, apply it twice. This will ensure that the germs that did not get killed in the first application do get killed in the second.
What About Fabuloso Bleach Alternative?
Fabuloso Bleach Alternative is made with 20% more cleaning agents than regular fabuloso. The purpose is to remove stubborn soil.
When it comes to ingredients, there are no new ingredients that fabuloso uses in this cleaner.
Just like the usual Fabuloso multi-purpose cleaner, this one also has Water, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Fragrance, C9-11 Pareth-8, Sodium C12-15 Pareth Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Glutaral, and Colorants. But Hydrogen Peroxide is missing.
Since this version of Fabuloso has Citric acid and glutaral, it might be able to kill some germs. But it is worth noting that Hydrogen Peroxide is the most important out of all the three (Citric acid, glutaral, and Hydrogen Peroxide) when it comes to disinfecting.
However, here this version of fabuloso still has multi-surface cleaning power. The cleaner smells good and the fragrance lasts for 24 hours. There is no residue that the solution leaves behind despite its blue color.
Fabuloso Wipes are Great Disinfectants!
Fabuloso manufactures disinfecting wipes that can be used to disinfect as well as clean bathrooms, floors, kitchen surfaces and glass. You can expect to eliminate viruses (such as Covid 19, H1N1, SARS-related coronavirus, Influenza Type A virus) and 99.9% of bacteria.
It is, however, important to note that these wipes should only be used on non-food surfaces which are hard and non-porous. This means you cannot disinfect couches, clothing, and other fabrics with them.
The wipes come in 2 scents: Lemon and Lavender. These wipes are way cheaper than their rivals but can dry out sooner too.
What Makes these Wipes Disinfect?
The wipes have the following ingredients:
1- Alkyl (C14, 50%; C12, 40%; C16, 10%)) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride: This is an antimicrobial agent which is commonly found in disinfectants and cleaning products.
2- Octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride: Also an Antimicrobial agent used as a disinfectant, fungicidal, and sanitizer for many applications.
3- Dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride: It is a bactericidal algicide used in swimming pools and bactericide used in oilfield water and industrial cooling water systems.
4- Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride: This is an antiseptic/disinfectant.
5- Water: It is just a Solvent.
6- Composite Cloth: This is the Carrier.
7- Fragrance: For the fresh smell.
So four of the ingredients in the wipes are purely targeted toward killing germs and disinfecting only.
DIY Disinfectant!
Dilute one part bleach in 10 parts water (meaning One and a half cup of bleach in a gallon of water) in a spray bottle. Spray this solution over the surface that you want to disinfect and let it remain for 10 minutes.
As an alternative to bleach, you can use white vinegar but the ratio will be 50% water and 50% vinegar and it will need to be left for half an hour on the surface.
Can You Put Fabuloso in the Toilet Tank?
People are using the Fabuloso in the toilet tanks to enable the toilet to self-clean itself with every flush and also to make it smell fresh and nice.
Fabuloso doesn’t specify what bathroom surfaces should it be used on. They just say “bathroom” surfaces, along with others.
But a chemical that isn’t designed to be used for a specific purpose should not be used for it.
It is not a good idea to put Fabuloso in toilet tanks because of the following reasons:
1- Fabuloso has certain ingredients such as citric acid that can degrade the rubber parts of the toilet. These include gaskets and seals. Also, the flappers, valves, and pipe connections are at risk too. This will cause leakages in due time.
Citric acid or other acids can also damage the ceramic/porcelain surfaces when the exposure time is increased. So when Fabuloso remains in the toilet all the time to some extent, it will work on the ceramic/porcelain coating and degrade it over time.
2- Some people try to leave a bottle of fabuloso in the toilet tank, which is a disaster. Toilet tanks need space for water. Water is what flushes the mess out of the toilet bowl, after which the tank refills with fresh water. When there is less water in the tank, you will need to manually pour down more water after the flush or reflush once the tank has refilled.
Some suggest putting vinegar and baking soda into the tank. Keep in mind that Vinegar has acetic acid in it, which will again degrade the rubber and plastic in the long run.
There are products out there that do fulfill what you’re trying to achieve here with fabuloso, but are gentler and can get rid of water stains.
There are toilet tank cleaner tablets that deodorize and descale the toilet bowls. These take care of urine scale, limescale, dirt & rust stains. These tablets last for about half a month and you won’t need to buy a new pack for another year.
The best DIY disinfectant is a bleach and water solution.
Final Thoughts!
Out of only a few downsides of Fabuloso, one is that this multi-purpose cleaner is not an EPA-registered disinfectant but the Fabuloso wipes are. You can make your own disinfectant with bleach or vinegar. Alternately, making DIY disinfecting wipes is also not a hard thing to do.
