Contractors are advised to always use an “EPA-registered” disinfectant. This refers to a disinfectant, or as referred to in the professional cleaning industry, an antimicrobial product, that has been tested and proven to be effective against specific germs and bacteria while also meeting certain environmental standards. If it meets these criteria, the disinfectant is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency and it will bear a registration number on the product label.
For our purposes now, the key words in this definition are “effective against specific germs and bacteria.” Not all disinfectants are designed to kill all pathogens. Most are effective against specific types of germs. While one disinfectant may prove effective at helping to stop the spread of MRSA, or kill salmonella, E. coli, or other bacteria and viruses found on surfaces, the same product may not be effective when used to kill norovirus, or the germs and viruses that cause influenza, hepatitis A and B, measles, etc.
For this reason, administrators must always check the labels of the disinfectants they select. A janitorial distributor can be very helpful in this endeavor. But what happens if you are not sure what pathogens are present? Fortunately, we have “broad spectrum” disinfectants that are designed to kill some of the most common pathogens in a facility.
As to our second issue, proper dilution, a very wise and inexpensive investment contractors should consider is an auto-dilution system. These systems properly dilute the cleaning solutions per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Primarily, this helps avoid waste of the product but it also ensures that the correct amount of disinfectant is used when cleaning. By the way, more is not better when it comes to disinfectants and most cleaning solutions. More chemical means more chemical residue will be left on surfaces, which can actually attract soils and pathogens.
Improper Disinfectant Application
A very common reason that disinfectants fail to work effectively is the fact that many cleaning professionals do not realize that working with disinfectants is always a two-step process. First, the surface must be cleaned using an all-purpose cleaner or something similar. This first task is to remove the source, the pathogens, soils, bacteria, that might be present on a surface.
The second step is to clean the same areas now using the disinfectant. This two-step process can be avoided if the product being used is labeled as a “cleaner disinfectant,” but many are not so the two-step process is necessary.
Next, read the label and look for something that indicates the “bacteria kill time.” The words “dwell time” may also be used. With some disinfectants, this may be as little as three minutes.
For others, it could be as much as ten minutes. What the label is telling us is how much time it takes this disinfectant to be effective at eradicating the germs and bacteria on a surface. Also, cleaning professionals should know that the disinfectant must remain wet. If the disinfectant dries on the surface, it should be reapplied and the process repeated.
