How To Disinfect Surfaces

Cold and Flu season is once again upon us, and it’s time to get back into the habit of disinfecting surfaces more regularly.

You might be thinking that you know everything about disinfecting, especially from the COVID-19 pandemic, but did you know that there is a proper way to execute this process?

Well, it’s true! And we’re going to be sharing everything you need to know in this post.

1. Know The Difference Between Cleaning And Disinfecting

Now, this might come as a surprise, but cleaning and disinfecting are not the same thing.

Cleaning is simply removing dirt, grime, dust, and particles from a surface.

Disinfecting is killing the germs themselves so that they can no longer make us sick.

To know whether or not a cleaning product will kill the germs or not, look at the container. Do you see kills “99.99% of germs”? Or does it talk about disinfecting surfaces?

If not, then it’s a cleaning product and not one to remove germs.

2. Clean Before You Disinfect

As we talked about earlier, cleaning is something different from disinfecting. Even though it’s not the same, it doesn’t mean that cleaning is not essential in killing germs.

Before you start wiping or spraying a disinfectant, you want to first of all clean the surface.

For example, if there is dirt or dust on a surface, and then we try to disinfect right away, it won’t be as effective.

You’ll want to wipe down the area with an all-purpose cleaner and then go over it with a disinfectant.

3. Wait The Allotted Time

Rather than wiping up a disinfectant right away, we’re supposed to leave it on the surface for a certain amount of time, depending on the recommendations on the product.

For example, Clorox wipes recommend wiping the surface and leaving it for 4 minutes.

It’s important to note, though, that each product is unique, so read the back of the container before use.