Can salt water be used for disinfection

Disinfection is a process that we often need in our lives. Especially when there is someone with a cold at home, we must pay attention to timely disinfection to avoid infecting others. There are many ways to disinfect, but can salt water be used for disinfection? Physiological saline is actually used for fluid replenishment, but if the concentration is very high, it will have a disinfecting effect. However, for wounds, saline with too high a concentration is not suitable for disinfection, on the contrary it will irritate the wound.

Can saline be disinfected?

Physiological saline solution allows bacteria to survive well but has no bactericidal function. The reason for flushing the wound with saline is that it does not cause any irritation to the wound and will not aggravate the injury. It simply physically flushes and removes dirt and excess bacteria. After cleaning, the wound should be treated with disinfectant.

Only salt water with a higher concentration has a bactericidal function, but it will also irritate the wound.

Introduction of normal saline

Physiological saline is also called sterile saline solution. Its English abbreviation is SPSS, and its full English name is strokephysiological saline solution.

Normal saline is a 0.9% sodium chloride aqueous solution. Because its osmotic pressure value is roughly the same as that of normal human plasma and tissue fluid, it can be used for fluid replacement (without reducing or increasing the sodium ion concentration in the normal human body) and other medical purposes. It is also often used for in vitro culture of living tissues and cells. It is the concentration of the liquid environment in which human cells are located.

Sodium chloride: commonly known as salt, table salt (without iodine).

Recommended daily disinfection drugs

Mercurochrome is a 2% mercurochrome solution, which mainly has the functions of bactericidal, disinfectant, antiseptic and promoting wound healing. However, its antibacterial effect is weak, and organic compounds containing mercury are toxic to the human body, so it is rarely used nowadays.

Gentian violet is a 2% solution of gentian violet that can accelerate wound healing and is often used for superficial skin and mucous membrane infected wounds. However, the bactericidal rate is not strong, and it affects the appearance after application, so it is rarely used nowadays.

Hydrogen peroxide, also known as hydrogen peroxide, has a disinfecting and bactericidal effect, but its concentration is high and it can easily burn the affected skin. It is mainly used for heavily contaminated, narrow and deep wounds. When used on superficial local wounds that have already been infected to a certain extent, the blood, pus, etc. will reduce its bactericidal power.

Boric acid water 3% boric acid solution has cleansing, astringent and antibacterial effects. It is often used for flushing and cleaning skin, mucous membranes and wounds. Its bactericidal effect is very weak and it is rarely used now.

Iodine tincture is a 2% solution made by dissolving iodine and potassium iodide in alcohol. It is mainly used for surface disinfection of non-mucosal wounds. It can easily cause skin burns in infants with delicate skin due to its high concentration. It is generally not used for ulcerated wounds and is prohibited for those who are allergic to iodine. It is now gradually being replaced by iodine and other drugs.

The alcohol concentration of alcohol medical disinfectant is 70%~75%. Mainly used for skin disinfection, this product is irritating and should be avoided from contact with eyes. Alcohol should not be used on broken skin or eroded or exudative areas.

Povidone-iodine is a compound of iodine and polyol ether. It has a broad-spectrum bactericidal effect. It is easy to use, non-irritating, odorless, and non-pigmented. It can be applied directly to wounds. It is used as a bactericidal disinfectant in medicine and can be used to disinfect the skin and mucous membranes. Povidone-iodine has a good disinfection effect on general injuries such as abrasions, lacerations, crush injuries, burns, and scalds. Compared with iodine tincture and alcohol, the irritation pain caused by iodine tincture is milder and easier for children to accept. It is also widely used and effective. It has basically replaced skin and mucous membrane disinfectants such as alcohol, mercurochrome, iodine tincture, and gentian violet. In addition, low-concentration iodine tincture is a light brown solution that is not easy to stain clothing.