Peanut residue/oil cleanup
Jan 11
We recently received an email asking a question that I am sure is on many people’s minds, especial those who are new to nut/peanut allergies.
I.P. asked:
I have been searching and searching to try to determine how long nut/peanut residues last on surfaces. I cannot seem to find an answer to this question. My son suffers from peanut and nut allergies and I was wondering how long an allergen stays on door knobs or other surfaces before they “die” or does it just sit there until someone cleans it up.
My reply was this:
You will be glad to hear that it is actually quite easy to get rid of peanut and nut residue.This article outlines a study from a few years ago on how most cleansers will remove it from surfaces. Take note that dish soap does not work very well. You need to use a cleanser like Fantastic or Lysol wipes.
Also it is important to realize that nut proteins are not living things and they do not die. They will last (practically) forever on a surface if left alone.
Just so you understand, the theory of why dish soap does not work well is because they think that it produces a barrier around the protiens that prevent it from being washed away. Water alone actually does a better job than dish soap.
As you can see, though peanut cleanup is very important, it can be done very easily so don’t cut corners.
Photo by sheilaz413 on Flickr