Chasing Germs Away - Difference in cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting

chasing germs, scrubber defeats germs, killing germs on floors

As cold and flu season is in full swing, and, in turn, prospects of getting hit with that swing are high, it’s important to know the difference between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting.
Cleaning removes dirt and debris from a surface and makes things look all shiny. But chances are, a general purpose cleaner is not providing sanitation or disinfecting the surface.
Sanitizing reduces the growth of bacteria. A surface that is considered hygienic from a public health standard is not however disinfected.
Disinfecting is killing the germs and bacteria on any given surface.
So, look at a typical, and common, occurrence at a school. The floors are cleaned every day to keep them shiny and clean looking that way. Floor scrubbers effectively pick up debris that not only make a floor look dirty, but to remove areas where germs and viruses hide. Now, most schools use cleaning products in their floor machines which do effectively sanitize to a degree. Which is good as most of us have seen the residual effects of a sneeze not caught with a hand or sleeve. Get that mental image. Spray lands on everything, including the floor.
It’s important to keep customers and employees in your business from picking up pathogens on shoes and transferring to other surfaces. Floor machines do a remarkable job of cleaning in one fell swoop. While cleaning, the machine dispenses a cleaning liquid and then picks up all the liquid, not leaving any nasty water and pathogens to stew and be carried via shoes to other surfaces.
What about disinfecting the floor? This can be done and should be in high-touch areas.
The cleaning industry is moving away from those products that kill germs when it isn’t really necessary. For excample, antibacterial soaps. Microorganismas can become stronger when exposed to disinfectants. Think about how many antibiotics today are useless against illnesses and superbugs due to overuse.
So disinfectants should be used, but more readily in areas where bodily fluids might be present - i.e.. bathroom floors.
A spray can be administered to any surface and allowed to sit for the recommended time on the manufacturer’s bottle prior to cleaning. This disinfects the surface and gives peace of mind for a clean, germ-free floor.
If you have any questions on the type of refurbished floor scrubber that you might need for your situation, give us a call today. We would love to help out.
501-844-1811

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