Before I left acute care, the disinfectant of choice became hydrogen peroxide in my facility. There were two strengths: one for C. Diff rooms and one for everyday use. Both smelled like the less unpleasant elements of the smell of a swamp: flowery but just mildly rancid.

This was a change after many years of chlorhexidine derivatives in disinfectant wipes since I graduated.

The peroxide was brutal to any “unhardened” materials. Some staff were determined enough to clean LCD screens with the wipes which left a permanent stain on some of the devices.