An aqueous composition for maintaining the integrity of polynucleotides for at least fifteen days at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius at a pH of 5-7. The composition comprises: (a) 0.5 M to 6 M of a chaotropic agent (b) 0.1 percent to 1 percent (wt/vol) of a detergent (c) 0.5 mM to 50 mM of a chelator (d) 0.5 mM to 30 mM of the reducing agent tris(2-caboxyethyl) phosphine (TCEP) (e) 0.0001 percent to 0.3 percent (wt/vol) of a surfactant (f) A short-chain alkanol and (g) A buffer. The composition can be used in methods to denature proteins, inactivate nucleases and kill pathogens while not degrading the nucleic acids in a biological sample.
