Are You Really Disinfecting?

What’s the difference between Disinfecting and Sanitizing?

Sanitizing is the process of spraying a surface and wiping the chemical off after to remove any germs currently on the surface. Disinfecting, on the other hand, is allowing the chemical to stay on the surface for the directed kill time on the label before wiping it off. This prevents the bacteria and viruses from rehabilitating the surface rather than just killing the germs currently on the surface.

This process is very difficult in Florida or any highly humid area because the chemicals evaporate much faster than most kill claims, which average around 10 mins, preventing the chemicals from disinfecting the surface. If you want to truly disinfect your surfaces, look for a product with a low kill claim. The product with the lowest is SSS Perisept which has a 2 minute kill claim! Another good choice if you don’t want to use dilution control systems, is SSS-Tri-Max, which is a Cleaner and Disinfectant in one and has a 5 minute kill claim.

What do you mean Directions?

Directions are the writing on the back of the bottled product that people are spraying around the office. That writing is very important to read to prevent the overuse or under use of a chemical. Not following these directions can result in either not killing a virus or bacteria completely on a surface or potentially filling the room with harmful fumes from the chemicals. In the medical field, the difference between medicine and poison is usually the dosage The same applies in the cleaning industry.

The most misused product is bleach! A few quick facts about bleach, it will kill most things it comes in contact with, but it’s also very corrosive to the surfaces you’re using it on and it is much more effective fresh. Bleach becomes less distilled the longer it sits on a shelf. Another helpful tip when using bleach, you don’t have to use a lot for it to be effective. Bleach only requires 50 parts per million of water meaning your not going to over dilute it. Even if you use a mixture of half water half bleach, you’re going to have the same results as using straight bleach but with less corrosion.

The same rules apply to dilution products. These are the next most misused products due to people not reading and following the directions. Most people will just guess on dilution ratios, which is one thing you should never do for multiple reasons. For starters you could be wasting chemicals, which results in wasted money. This careless procedure could cause a harmful environment for your customers and workers.

What about adding more chemical to the mixture?

One of the most common misconceptions is “I added more chemical so the product is stronger.” This isn’t true. In fact, the more product you use, the more likely the product will not produce the desired results because the product is designed to have any excess evaporate from the surface it is left on. If there is too much chemical, then there will be excess on the surface that will not evaporate. This causes the floors or counters to be slippery, which can cause multiple safety concerns.

Make sure to save yourself money and time by reading and following the directions for all chemicals you use.