A new study found that nasal and oral rinses effectively shut down human coronavirus particles in less than two minutes. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine said that the same mechanism should also kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

According to Study Finds, the scientists used common, over-the-counter products like diluted baby shampoo, peroxide mouth cleansers, and mouthwash to see how they could reduce the viral load in a patient’s mouth. The result was that most of the products tests did kill the virus particles within minutes.

“While we wait for a vaccine to be developed, methods to reduce transmission are needed,” said lead author Craig Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of microbiology and immunology at Penn State, in a news release. “The products we tested are readily available and often already part of people’s daily routines.”

Nasal and oral cavities are the major points of entry for human coronaviruses, so Myers and his colleagues replicated the interaction of the virus in these areas. The virus used in this test had the same outer layer as SARS-CoV-2 and was deactivated by products like baby shampoo and mouthwash in two minutes. Myers said that the next step is to evaluate whether these products can help reduce the viral load in patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“People who test positive for COVID-19 and return home to quarantine may possibly transmit the virus to those they live with,” he said, in the news release. “Certain professions including dentists and healthcare works are at contact risk of exposure.”

According to Forbes, other researchers have also found that mouthwash is an effective and inexpensive tool to fight the coronavirus. Scientists at the University Hospital of South Wales found that many inexpensive mouthwashes can destroy the fatty membrane that surrounds SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Valerie O’Donnell, one of the Welsh researchers, stressed the need for urgent clinical trials to test the effectiveness of mouthwashes and nasal sprays against COVID-19

Forbes reported that a German study found that Listerine, Iso-Betadine, and Dequonal mouthwashes to be the most effective combatting three strains of SARS-CoV-2.