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  • Cleaning, Sanitising, Disinfecting...What is the difference?

Cleaning, Sanitising, and Disinfecting...what is the difference?

Cleaning is the process of removing dirt, dust, or soil from the surface. Cleaning is physically removing visible debris from the surface but you don’t actually kill the germs.
 
Sanitising lowers the number of bacteria on the surface that is considered safe according to public health standards. Kill most germs but not all of them.
 
Disinfecting is the process of killing bacteria and viruses on non-porous surfaces to decrease the spread of infection.

 

Sanitizers must reduce the number of bacteria by 99.9% within 30 seconds. This is why restaurants use sanitizers because they need a chemical that will work fast on their dishes and cutlery. Disinfectants, according to EPA, must reduce the bacteria by 99.999% within a couple of minutes, usually within 5 to 10 minutes. This length of time is called “dwell time”. It varies according to the product you are using.


Understand first if the surface needs to be cleaned, sanitized, or disinfected. In most situations, cleaning is a necessary first step before sanitising or disinfecting because dirt or debris can make your sanitizers or disinfectants weaker or useless.

 

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