Clean
Cleaning is most often recommended for low-risk surfaces, such as floors, chair bottoms, baseboards, etc. Where the likelihood of pathogen transfer from the surface is low.
Cleaning a surface removes visible debris using a cleaner removes oils, fats and grime so sanitizers and disinfectants are more effective. Many viruses like COVID-19 have a lipid (fatty) outer membrane that easily disrupted by soap.
Sanitize
Sanitizing is used on hands, food contact surfaces and is required as part of the food code.
Since sanitizing does not make anti-viral claims, there is no confiding evidence in killing the flu or other viruses. Sanitizing steps reduce the number of pathogens on a surface to safe levels.
Disinfect
Disinfecting is appropriate for high touch points or frequently touched surfaces that are likely to harbor pathogens.Disinfecting a surface will “kill” the microscopic organisms as claimed on the label of a particular product.
There are three types of disinfectants:
- General disinfectant
- Limited disinfectant
- Hospital-grade disinfectant
The disinfectant product label will identify what log.
