The Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting

The Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting

When you run a business, the health and safety of your staff and customers is always a top priority. These days, when it comes to creating a safe and healthy business environment, proper cleaning practices are at the forefront.

However, implementing proper cleaning methods in your business may not be as simple as you once thought. For instance, is cleaning enough? Or, do you need to sanitize or disinfect your space as well?

Here we explore the differences between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting, and determine what kind of cleaning regimen you need to keep your business as safe and healthy as possible. 

What is cleaning?

In a nutshell, cleaning removes dirt, dust, allergens and germs by scrubbing, washing or rinsing a surface. Although cleaning helps reduce the number of germs on a surface that can cause infection, it doesn’t actually kill any germs. 

What is sanitizing?

Sanitizing reduces bacteria. To meet public health standards, a sanitizer will reduce bacteria on a surface by 99.9 percent. Although sanitizers work well for protecting against bacterial infections, like salmonella poisoning, they don’t offer protection from viruses, like influenza or Covid-19, that can also be found on surfaces. 

What is disinfecting?

Disinfecting uses chemicals to destroy bacteria and kill viruses. In fact, disinfectants are the only products that Health Canada has approved to kill viruses on hard surfaces. Interestingly, disinfecting doesn’t necessarily remove dirt, dust, allergens or germs from a surface, it simply kills the germs. Most disinfectants need to be left on a surface for at least ten minutes to be effective.

The bottom line.

Cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting each play an important role in keeping your business safe from the spread of infection.