What is the Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfecting?
Whether you are maintaining a school, hospital, office, or any other facility – cleaning and disinfecting are important facets of your maintenance routine. Keeping your facility clean will reduce the spread of illness and disease, while enhancing your facility’s overall appearance.
Cleaning and disinfecting are the best ways to reduce the spread of germs throughout hard surfaces in your facility.
Unsure if you should be using a cleaner or disinfectant in your facility? If you are disinfecting, you should be using both. Electrostatic spraying and fogging are only one part of the process.
You can clean without disinfecting, but you cannot disinfect without cleaning. If you are cleaning and germs are not a concern, then you do not need to disinfect. If you are looking to kill germs on a surface, you will need to disinfect after cleaning.
Always Clean Before You Disinfect
It is important to clean or remove any visible soils before disinfecting. Cleaning removes loose soils while preparing the surface and/or objects to be disinfected.
Disinfecting kills germs on the surface, preventing them from spreading. If a surface is not cleaned first, germs can hide under soils and reduce the efficiency of the disinfectant.
Two-Step Process
In the two-step disinfectant process, the surface is cleaned and disinfected using two different products:
- First, a cleaning agent is applied to remove visible and loose soils from the surface and/or objects.
- Second, a disinfectant is applied to the surface or object.
Make sure you let the disinfectant remain wet on the surface for the recommended dwell time.
The listed dwell time kills germs, and the removal process will determine how effective your disinfecting procedure is. If you are not adhering to the manufacturer’s recommended dwell time for labeled organisms, the product will not reach its stated efficacy.
Kinsale Uses a 4-Step Process in Accordance with CDC, EPA, WHO Guidelines
Step 1: Fogging
General fogging with an environmentally responsible Sanitizer/Virucide helps in the aid of elimination of viral pathogens in gymnasiums, cafeteria, and hallways.
Step 2: Cleaning
This is a vital step of the deep cleaning process to help ensure that the pathogens are exposed and killed in the disinfecting process. Kinsale uses an environmentally responsible Sanitizer/Virucide Cleaner without the toxic residue or chlorinated odors left behind by many cleaners.
Step 3: Disinfection
Remember the cleaning of soiled areas must be completed prior to the disinfection process to ensure the effectiveness of the disinfectant product. Kinsale uses EPA-registered products specifically labeled for Emerging Viral Pathogens used for targeted disinfection of frequently touched surfaces. This product does not contain bleach or chlorine and is safer for the building environment by minimizing hazardous residues.
Step 4: HEPA Vacuuming and Mopping Floor Surfaces
High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA), also known as high-efficiency particulate absorbing and high-efficiency particulate arrestance of all carpeted areas and mopping of all hard floor surfaces with a Sanitizer/Virucide cleaner.