Disinfecting is a critical step in your cleaning routine. It keeps everyone who moves through your facility healthy and safe. Disinfecting, when done correctly, kills unseen bacteria, germs, and odors and helps prevent the spread of disease. But it's possible that you may be inadvertently lessening the efficacy of these germ-fighting products.
Here are seven things to keep in mind to make sure your disinfectant is working exactly as it should:
1. Dirt
Always use an all-purpose cleaner to remove any visible dirt from a surface before disinfecting.
2. Dilution
If you are using a concentrated liquid disinfectant, ensure that you are diluting the solution at the proper ratio, as recommended on the label.
3. Contamination
Avoid microbial contamination of your disinfectant by performing dilution on a clean surface or using a contained Dilution Solution.
Read More: Learn how to use the Maintex Dilution Solution in the Cleaning Academy
4. Temperature
Do not use boiling hot water with a disinfectant, as this will lessen its effectiveness. Warm or hot tap water is fine to use and will not impact efficacy.
5. Time
Check the dwell time for each disinfectant you are using to ensure that the surface remains wet. Most EPA-registered hospital disinfectants have a label contact time of 10 minutes, though some work more quickly.
6. Surface
Most disinfectants are designed to work best on hard, non-porous surfaces such as metal, plastic, and ceramic. If you need to disinfect a porous surface, make sure you select a multi-surface formulation, like Purell™ Professional Surface Disinfectant.
Read More: Four key questions to ask yourself before buying a disinfectant
7. Soap
Never combine a quat-based disinfectant with soap. This is one of the easiest ways to deactivate your disinfectant.
The Clean Up
There are many ways you might inadvertently deactivate a disinfectant. Be sure to always dilute properly and avoid dirt and contaminants that may lessen the effectiveness of your disinfecting process. Questions? Ask your Maintex representative for more disinfectant resources.
