The pandemic put a spotlight on cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing–especially in our homes. It made us more aware of the cleanliness of everything we touch, and made us all take a closer look at how we sanitize and disinfect our houses. We’ll compare these four terms more closely so you can be more aware of what your home needs.
Cleaning
Cleaning refers to removing visible dirt, dust, and other debris from surfaces. Typically a wet cloth or wipe is used to wipe down surfaces, either with water alone or with soap. For example, wiping down a dirty table with a wet rag.
Cleaning surfaces doesn’t necessarily kill germs but might remove some of them. Plus, cleaning helps other steps be more effective (sanitizing, disinfection, and sterilizing).
Sanitizing
You can sanitize by cleaning, disinfecting, or both. The true definition of sanitizing refers to lowering the number of germs to a safe level. The “safe level” for your home depends on your family needs. If someone in your home is immunocompromised, you’ll want a higher level of sanitization to prevent illnesses. For example, you could regularly wipe down countertops using antibacterial wipes to sanitize it or use a chemical cleaning solution to sanitize floors.
Disinfecting
Disinfecting prevents the spread of infection and germs by using chemicals to kill them. Plus, disinfectants are the only products the EPA approves to kill viruses on hard surfaces. While sanitizers can be used on hard surfaces as well, they don’t always disinfect.
Disinfectants can vary, so you want to make sure you select the right type for your home. Typically the label lists what type of bacteria and viruses the disinfectant kills or inactivates. For example, restaurants, gyms and medical facilities need to kill dangerous bacteria and viruses that can cause harm, such as salmonella, MRSA and COVID-19. However, your homes also have varying types of bacteria and viruses. The EPA and the CDC offer information about which products to use to kill certain germs.
Sterilizing
Sterilizing is a specialized service that isn’t required in everyday homes. However for some facilities, like surgical rooms and laboratories, sterilizing is necessary. Sterilizing destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial life–not only bacteria or viruses.
Which Method to Use?
Let’s summarize what you’ve read:
- Cleaning removes visible dirt, dust and other debris from facility surfaces.
- Sanitizing removes surface bacteria.
- Disinfecting kills harmful surface bacteria and viruses.
- Sterilizing kills all surface microorganisms.
It’s important to understand the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing so your facility’s needs get met. Disinfecting does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, so it’s best to clean and disinfect. Cleaning alone doesn’t necessarily disinfect or sanitize surfaces. In general, a combination of products and services can help you meet your facility’s needs.
No matter your home’s cleaning, sanitizing or disinfecting needs, EZ Bee Cleaning has you covered to provide reliable services! Contact us today to discuss how we can help!
