The Differences Between Cleaning and Disinfecting

You may think that clean, disinfected, and sanitized are synonyms. While they do have similar meanings, they actually all mean different things. The differences come down to what the terms mean for germs.

Clean means that you have removed surface dirt and germs from an object. To clean, you use soaps, detergents, or other cleaners to physically clean the surface. Cleaning may remove germs from the surface but does not necessarily kill any germs.

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. You can use bleach, alcohol, and other disinfectants to kill germs. A variety of different substances can act as disinfectants, but you may need to let them sit on surfaces for an extended period of time.

Sanitizing refers to reducing the number of germs on a surface to a level that is considered safe. In addition to cleaning and disinfecting, you can use high heat to kill germs. For example, many dishwashers have a sanitized setting that uses high heat/steam to kill germs. You can also use hand sanitizers to kill germs on the surface of the skin.

Why is killing germs so important? Germs include bacteria and viruses. Not all of them are harmful. In fact, our guts are full of helpful bacteria that help us with digestion. However, germs can also cause illness. Germs spread influenza, Covid-19, and the common cold, as well as a host of other communicable diseases. People spread germs by touching something contaminated with the germs and then spreading those germs to themselves or others by touching other surfaces or by putting their hands on their faces. One way to slow or halt the spread of disease is to kill germs on surfaces. That is why cleaning is not enough when you are trying to slow the spread of disease. In addition to cleaning, you have to disinfect surfaces.

The best way to halt the spread of disease is to sanitize surfaces. Monita Janitorial offers disinfecting services Freehold NJ. In addition to our normal cleaning services, which help remove germ-trapping dirt and grime from surfaces, wwe offer sanitization and disinfection services.We use germ-killing cleaners to thoroughly disinfect surfaces. We can also use disinfecting mists to help kill germs. While no environment will ever be completely germ-free, we can help reduce the number of germs to a safe level, greatly reducing the risk of disease.