Disinfecting Correctly – General Cleaning Tips for Everyday Life

Source: https://www.diverseproductsandservices.com website.

Daily disinfecting or sanitizing and cleaning is good.  However, is it good enough, and is it effective?  Germs / Viruses / Pathogens deposited on a surface by one person put the next person touching that surface at risk of cross-contamination, unless the surface is disinfected after every contact.

That’s why we coat our portable toilet units and restroom trailers with Microshield 360.

Microshield 360 continues to kill germs, viruses, and pathogens in between our regular cleanings.

We periodically train and retrain our technicians on how to clean our units to ensure they are pristine. In a world where cleanliness is important, we present the following information to help clarify some of the language being used in conjunction with CLEAN.

Is Cleaning The Same As Disinfecting or Sanitizing.  No, in most cases they are not the same. 

Cleaning is using a solvent to remove dirt or filth from a surface. Apply solvent to the surface and wipe off the solvent and dirt or filth, repeat.

Disinfectant or Sanitizing is applying the disinfectant or sanitizer to 100% of the surface, wait the appropriate dwell time (see explanation below) and wipe if needed.   

How To Correctly Use Disinfectants or Sanitizer

How long do disinfectants need to remain on a surface to kill germs, which is called “Dwell Time”?  Example: Lysol Brand Disinfectant has a two-minute “dwell time”.  Consult the product label before use.  Depending on the disinfectant or sanitizer it may take thirty seconds to five minutes, or possibly longer to completely disinfect or sanitize the surface.   

Disinfectants or Sanitizers are applied by spraying or disbursing with a cloth, towel, rag…. 

Spraying, you must cover 100% of the surface to disinfect or sanitize effectively.

Towels or wipes used to disburse or distribute chemical disinfectants or sanitizers may deplete the chemical before you are done wiping.  In either case, you are not effectively disinfecting or sanitizing if you do not use enough sanitizer, comply with the dwell time, or over distribute disinfectant or sanitizer by wiping or smearing.

Can Disinfectant Wipes or Wiping of Disinfectants or Sanitizers further contaminate a surface? 

Chemical cleaners sacrifice their disinfecting or sanitizing component (chemical) as they Disinfect or sanitize.  When the sanitizer is depleted the cleaning material (cloth, towel, rag, sponge…) can become contaminated and act as a cross contamination source disbursing germs / pathogens to other surfaces.

Human Error also needs to be discussed to completely cover the Disinfecting or Sanitizing process.

Do wipes and common methods of spraying provide complete coverage?

When using a straight-line spray application or a wiping method it is common to miss, or neglect portions of the surface being disinfected or sanitized.  Window cleaning example, the streaks or missed areas you get when cleaning a window demonstrate the neglected or missed portions of the surface, and don’t forget “Dwell Time”.

We hope this article helps you identify ways to ensure surfaces are correctly cleaned and disinfected in your own home. We care about your safety and will always do our part to go above and beyond to keep you and your family safe.