10 Times You Shouldn’t Use Antibacterial Wipes

Hardwood surfaces

The chemicals and other ingredients in antibacterial wipes can do damage to some of your home’s surfaces over time. This includes hardwoods, which might lose their shine after repeated scrubs. They can also be damaged by moisture. “Wood surfaces need to dry quickly, but wipes leave the surfaces relatively wet,” says Alberto Navarrete, general manager of Frisco Maids in Dallas, “so that is counterproductive.”

Greg Shepard, founder of Dallas Maids home cleaning, adds: “With wood, less is more. Wood floors, furniture, and wood trimming should not be cleaned often with products because with frequent cleanings, the finish dulls over time. This goes double for bacterial wipes because they contain alcohol, which damages wood’s finish.”

What to use instead: Pine-Sol will safely clean wood surfaces and leave them shining. Plus, it’s got a disinfectant component that’ll keep things germ-free. By the way, here’s the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.