What is the most common disinfectant?

The most common disinfectant used worldwide in homes, hospitals, and public settings is bleach, sodium hypochlorite, because it is cheap, widely available, and effective against a broad range of microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and spores when used at proper dilution. Household bleach at 5 to 6 percent diluted to 1000 ppm is used to disinfect surfaces, laundry, and drinking water in emergencies. Another extremely common disinfectant is alcohol, specifically ethanol and isopropyl alcohol at 60 to 80 percent concentration, which is the active ingredient in hand sanitizers like Purell and is used to disinfect skin and small surfaces quickly. In household cleaners, quaternary ammonium compounds, quats, found in Lysol and Clorox wipes are among the most common for daily surface disinfection. In hospitals, hydrogen peroxide based disinfectants like Oxivir are becoming most common due to fast kill time and lower odor. For water treatment, chlorine is the most common disinfectant used to make drinking water safe. The most common disinfectant in terms of volume used globally is probably chlorine-based products for water sanitation. For home use, diluted bleach and alcohol wipes are most common because they are affordable and EPA registered to kill 99.9 percent of germs. Effectiveness depends on following contact time where surface stays wet for 30 seconds to 5 minutes, and ensuring good ventilation because bleach and quats can irritate lungs, especially in closed rooms, so using HEPA filtration and opening windows helps reduce fumes.