Residual chemical has little toxicity for animals. Phenolic Disinfectant s are widely used. Cresol and chloriphenol are useful for disinfecting dirty surfaces because they are not inactivated by organic matter. However, bacterial spores are resistant. The phenolics are generally not compatible with detergents and often a combined product would precipitate in hard water.
Phenolics are highly toxic and leave lingering odors.
Hydrogen Peroxide is considered to be an oxidant disinfectant and would include others such as ozone, and potassium permanganate. Hydrogen peroxide must undergo a complex chemical reaction, not fully understood, forming highly reactive hydroxyl radicals which attack cell membranes. Hydrogen peroxide would be inappropriate for disinfection of large surface areas which could not be submerged in the solution. It has a wide spectrum of viricidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal activity due to the strong oxidizing system of activity. The surfactant and organic acid components enhance this affect.