There are many cleaning terms which are important to know when deciding what's best to clean your office, workplace, school, restaurant, businesses etc. In this blog post we break down the differences between the 3 popular methods of cleaning: Clean, Sanitise and Disinfect.
The basic rule for each of these methods are as follows:
Clean - Low-risk surfaces, such as floors and windows, which are less likely to spread pathogens from contact with the surface. Simply removes the visible dirt, dust or impurities.
Sanitise - Often for food contact surfaces, e.g. kitchen sides or the desk if your employees eat at their desk, to stop food from being contaminated. Sanitisers often do not make antiviral claims as they are to reduce, not kill.
Disinfect - For frequently touched surfaces which are a breeding ground for germs, bacteria and viruses. The disinfectant aims to kill the microscopic organisms which could affect your health.
You may be thinking, ‘I will simply disinfect everything, I do not need to clean or sanitise’- WRONG. Cleaning and sanitising are the beginning steps to the decontamination process. Cleaning away the visible dirt will make it easier and more effective to remove germs. You will clean, then implement the more intense methods to create optimum results. Some items may only need surface-cleaning, but it is important to know that they will occasionally need to be disinfected in order to limit the number of germs in the area. This is where knowing which items/places need daily or periodic cleaning is crucial for the safety of your business or school.
Sanitising is the step above cleaning, it aims to reduce the number of bacteria on a surface. This is the basic standard expected for surfaces which are in contact with food. Sanitisers are a chemical which can kill 99.9% of specific bacteria within 30 seconds. Therefore they are useful and necessary, but not efficient enough to destroy all disease. Disinfectants are the only way to fully destroy pathogens and harmful microorganisms.
There are 3 levels of disinfectants:
Low-level - Kills almost all vegetative bacteria, viruses and fungi. However, it does not kill bacteria spores.
High-level - Same effect as low-level, but has the potential to kill bacteria spores if used in high concentration and suitable conditions.
Hospital-grade - Are able to eliminate most infections and disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi. This includes destroying bacteria spores.
Here at Winns Services, we are experienced professionals who have the appropriate training, techniques and advanced tools and equipment to customise to your cleaning needs. If you have any questions regarding the range of cleaning services offered at WINNS or would like a quote, don't hesitate to call us on 01702 719100 or email us at info@winnsservices.co.uk
