Is There a Difference Between Sanitizing and Disinfecting?
Yes, there is!
Although they are similar, there are differences between sanitizing and disinfecting.
In the cleaning industry, there are misunderstandings about disinfects and sanitizers.
If it is a food service area, then you’ll be interested in sanitizers.
If it’s a medical facility, then you’ll be more interested in disinfectants.
A DISINFECTANT is a chemical that completely destroys all organisms. The organisms it kills are disease causing bacteria and pathogens. Disinfectants should reduce the level of pathogenic bacteria by 99.999%, during a time frame of greater than 5 minutes but less than 10 minutes.
A SANITIZER is a chemical that reduces the number of micro-organisms to a safe level. It does not need to eliminate 100% of all organisms to be effective. Sanitizers do not kill viruses and fungi. In a food service situation, the sanitizer must also reduce the bacteria count by 99.999% and are required to kill infectious organisms within 30 seconds.
If it’s just general cleaning you are interested in to remove soil, you should consider using an all-purpose cleaner rather than a disinfectant or sanitizer.
