Hypochlorous Acid: The Natural Cleaner You Need To Know About (and can make at home)!

What is hypochlorous acid you ask? Well, after doing a lot of research, I’ve discovered a ton about it. First off, it definitely sounds too good to be true. I feel like I’m a walking infomercial these days, reminding me of the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, spraying Windex on everything he could. But this is much better than Windex, is natural and is the real deal!

What is Hypochlorous acid:

Hypochlorous acid (HOCI) is naturally produced by the human body. Our white blood cells make it to fight off infections. In addition to being produced by our bodies, it’s also the active ingredient in electrified water (along with salt and vinegar). 

There has been extensive research on the gentleness and efficacy of HOCl when it comes to killing bacteria. The EPA has registered hypochlorous acid as a COVID-19 fighting disinfectant, which is 60 to 100 times more powerful than bleach and can kill on contact within 1 minute or as long as 10 (depending on the concentration). It appears to be virucidal in concentrations above 50 ppm. It kills bacteria and viruses on contact, including Covid 19, E. Coli, Listeria, Salmonella, HIV, and MRSA. It’s also reported to kill fungi and molds too. It is so effective, that hospitals and dental offices use it as a disinfectant.

Uses for Hypochlorous acid:

The FDA has approved Hypochlorous acid for use in wound care, skin care, and it’s even in some commercial eye care products. Because it’s antimicrobial, I read that it can be useful for acne and skin infections, even for healing tattoos. It also is supposed to calm and repair damaged and sensitive skin (due to it’s anti-inflamatory properties), and can be effective for chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It’s non-irritating and isn’t harmful to humans or animals. It also doesn’t burn.

In addition to all of the above, it’s used in food manufacturing too, from sanitizing surfaces to disinfecting fruits and vegetables (using different strengths of HOCl). It can disinfect sponges, counters, cutting boards, machinery, dishwashers, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, and even airborne pathogens (by using in foggers and cool air humidifiers). 

I started researching it after reading that it can help with eczema (as well as seborrheic dermatitis, which is another super annoying condition I deal with). So I decided to give it a try and see if it would work for my stubborn skin. I ordered a spray on Amazon and used it as a mist on my face. What I’ve found is that although it’s not completely cleared up yet, it’s so much better! It also stops the itch and keeps it under control. After the success with my skin, I did more reading. I found a dental rinse (also on Amazon), and it had rave reviews (including from dentists, which isn’t surprising since HOCl is often used in dental offices), so I decided to give that a try as well. We’re all liking the mouth rinse as well.

How To Make Hypochlorous Acid At Home:

After getting us all hooked on the wonders of Hypochlorous acid, I discovered that it’s easily made at home. I found several machines on Amazon to make it easily at home. As I dug deeper, there were a few differences among the machines (don’t get one that makes hypochlorite!). The basic premise for all of them is similar: water, salt and vinegar are combined with an electrical charge to create the HOCI solution. The main difference between them is that some machines are a spray bottle that you fill with water and then add a capsule (with a proprietary blend of salt and vinegar), and put it on the machine base which adds the electrical current. This is the cheapest option for making it (and takes any guesswork out of it), and can be found around $50 and up (but you have to buy the capsules from the company). Force of Nature is one of these machines. FON has tons of rave reviews, but you cannot make different strengths of the spray. That is why I decided to not go with this machine. If I was going to strictly use it for cleaning, this would probably have been the machine I would have picked.

I wanted to have some flexibility with being able to make different strengths of HOCI. I knew that I wanted it for cleaning, sanitizing, as a face mist, cleaning cuts and scrapes, and also as a mouth rinse. So I opted for an ECO One machine. It literally takes a few seconds to mix 1 liter of cool water, 2 grams of kosher salt (it comes with a 1 gram spoon), and 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar (important to keep the PH correct). The machine plugs in and makes your solution in about 5 minutes. If you need a stronger solution, you simply set it for another 5 minute cycle. This machine makes Hypochlorous acid in concentrations between 10 and 200 ppm. It has 3 different settings on it that are activating with the push of a button. It’s also self-cleaning and completely silent. 

What Else Do I Need To Know About Making Hypochlorous Acid At Home?

How Long Does It Last: Although the Hypochlorous acid you buy online is stabilized for up to 2 years, when you make it at home it lasts about 14 days. After that time, it simply reverts back to salt water.

Spray Bottles: In order to keep it from breaking down, it needs to be stored in PET plastic bottles. I hate using plastic, but decided that since I would be reusing the bottles with each new batch, this would be the least wasteful option (and will keep the solution stabilized). So, I ordered amber spray bottles from Amazon that I could refill whenever I needed.

Test Strips: From everything I read, it’s a good idea to test each batch of Hypochlorous acid that you make, to insure that it’s the correct strength and PH (although if you have a Force of Nature you probably don’t need to bother with this step). I also used these same test strips to test the ready made Hypochlorous acid that I purchased, and it was identical to what I’ve been making at home. This is the link for the PH strips I use and this is the link for the chlorine test strips. Although you aren’t making chlorine, HOCI is made up of 1 hydrogen molecule + 1 oxygen molecule + 1 chlorine molecule.  Chlorine bleach that we buy at the store is different, and is actually hypochlorite. 

Is It Worth The Price To Make Hypochlorous Acid At Home? I think so, or at least for me it is. I use my machine almost every day! I use it for almost all of my household cleaning, food prep and cleaning cuts. I use it to clean my floors, tub, toilets, sinks, and anything that needs a good disinfecting.

How Much Did My Hypochlorous Acid Machine Cost: How Much Did My Hypochlorous Acid Machine Cost: I paid around $200.00 for mine (although they seem to be fluctuating in price due to Covid). I went back and forth, but ultimately decided it was going to be a lot cheaper than ordering it all online. Between the skin spray, mouth rinse, and cleaning solution, it was starting to add up quickly. Also, they are all exactly the same! The only difference between them is the strength of the solution, which is measured in PPM (parts per million).

How Do I Know What Strength Solution To Make? I compiled a list of the different strengths, and the mixture is all exactly the same! The only difference between them is the strength of the solution, which is measured in PPM (parts per million).

How Do I Know What Strength Solution To Make? I compiled a list of the different strengths, the first 2 from the FDA website:

Up to 60 ppm for produce, fruit, fish, seafood, and eggs.

Up to 200 ppm for food contact surfaces (cutting boards, counters, sanitizing sponges, dishes, etc…

Up to 100 ppm for dental/mouth rinse

50 to 100 ppm for skin mist/eczema

I’ll update this post as I learn more, but until then, I would highly recommend checking out Hypochlorous acid (HOCI)! You can also feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I’ll also post a video soon showing you my machine and how it works. No part of this post is sponsored, and I have purchased everything myself. I just thought that it was too awesome to keep secret!

I wrote this based on the research I found, but I highly recommend doing a Google search and reading more. There are many studies and articles to be found on Hypochlorous acid, which seems to have gotten a lot of new recognition lately. 

xoxo Julie