FAQs
More FAQs- Why do I need to clean and disinfect?
- How often do we need to disinfect?
- We've already had deep cleaning and disinfection done in our facility, doesn't that cover it?
A common misconception is that cleaning and disinfection are one and the same. In reality, they are two different processes which achieve related results but not the same results. Cleaning is the removal of visible dirt and soiling, for example the coffee ring on a kitchen counter. While cleaning may remove pathogens from surfaces by wiping them away, it does NOT kill pathogens. Disinfection, on the other hand, does KILL pathogens on surfaces through the use of chemicals. As such, both processes are used hand-in-hand — first cleaning, then disinfection — in infection control efforts. Please note — not all disinfectants are created equally! Typically, disinfectants are developed to kill certain types or classes of pathogens. As such, ensure that the disinfectant used in your facility has been approved to treat your pathogen of concern.
A key consideration in determining how often you should be disinfecting is based on the traffic level in your facility. As disinfection is for infection prevention, the goal is to help to mitigate surface-to-person transmission of pathogens. If your 10,000 SF office will be occupied by 5 staff and no visitors, you can likely disinfect less frequently than that same office which might house 60 staff and consistent visitors. Additional considerations include how often multiple people may be touching the same surface as well as whether an antimicrobial surface protectant has been applied. At minimum, however, we would recommend daily disinfection of high touch surfaces. If the traffic in your facility is high, we would recommend increasing this frequency to multiple times per day. For example, common elevator lobbies in an office tower should be disinfected multiple times per day, particularly at the entrance level.
The purpose of disinfection is for infection control to help ensure the health and safety of your facility and its occupants. Surface contamination can and is likely to recur. Once a surface has been disinfected, that same surface can easily be re-contaminated when the next passerby touches that surface or sneezes or coughs near that surface. As such, infection control is about regular and consistent cleaning and disinfection. Unless an occupant has been diagnosed with a confirmed case of an illness, you will likely not need to regularly perform deep cleaning and disinfection. However, to keep your facility healthy and safe, what you should be maintaining is your standard cleaning protocols with the addition of regular and consistent disinfection of high touch points.
