Wanna hear something scary? Most people don’t know there is a difference between sanitizing and disinfecting. Though often used interchangeably, these words are not synonyms. Rather they refer to different cleaning processes and serve different functions in the repertoire of tools we have at our disposal in the commercial cleaning industry.
While sanitizing itself is not “spooky” per se, it is a little terrifying that what most people call disinfecting is actually sanitizing. Let’s get into it!
Sanitizing is the process of lowering the number of germs on a surface to a “safe level” as determined by public health standards or requirements. For example, we’ve all felt reassured by that “Kills 99.9% of Germs” label on the hallway hand sanitizing machine even though objectively we know that .1% of the germs on our hand will remain.
When you think sanitizing, think reducing. Sanitizing reduces the number of germs through the assistance of chemicals, heat, or UV light.
Sanitizing is often more convenient than disinfecting because the time required is less than that required by disinfecting. For instance, chemical sanitizing sprays often require less dwell time than their true disinfecting counterparts. Sanitizing is highly beneficial in sectors and spaces where you wish to improve cleanliness or hygiene but the risk of infection is relatively low and/or you do not have the luxury of allowing for proper dwell time.
Here’s a good example of a situation where sanitizing may be preferable to disinfecting. Let’s say you have a stairwell handrail in a high traffic area. And let’s say the chemical disinfectant requires 10 minutes of dwell time. This may be something you would want to do at the end of the day when the building is empty, but in the middle of the day, a slippery handrail is not the kind of thing you want to be exposed to! In this case, the better option would actually be a rapid-dry sanitizing option or even an e-sanitizing machine nearby.
As you may have already guessed, disinfecting goes a step further by killing all of the germs on a surface. These chemicals are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and kill a wider range of germs, including viruses, bacteria, and even fungi. Disinfecting is typically done after hours or in spaces where people will not be present for a time (for example, commercial building lobbies, large office spaces, conference rooms and bathrooms). Disinfecting should be prioritized in places at a business where the risk of infection is high and/or people are in close quarters.
Can you see how knowing the difference can already be helpful? Don’t let the disinfecting vs. sanitizing conundrum scare you – when you work with Sonlight Cleaning Services, your trusted janitorial cleaning care company in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, you can rest assured that these decisions are left to the experts! We’re here with you every step of the way. Give us a call today!
By Laura Pulliam
