In these Covid19 times, we’ve seen disinfection become mandatory at home, in the office, in hospitals and even public spaces to curb the spread of the virus. But disinfection ought not be confined to pandemics and other health crises. Disinfection should be a regular cleansing routine for maintaining healthier and safer environments.
While cleaning with detergents remove germs from surfaces, disinfecting with disinfectants such as hypochlorite or alcohol actually kills them. Ergo, disinfection is more thorough and promotes better health by ridding your premises of viruses, bacteria and allergens by up to 99.99%. Surfaces contribute to the spread of illnesses by acting as sources from which people contaminate their hands. Disinfection of these surfaces inhibit the transfer of viruses and bacteria to people’s hands, therefore reducing the risk of contracting diseases. Since disinfection contributes to better health, there is an eventual reduction of medical costs incurred due to living and working in healthier and safer spaces. Disinfection improves indoor air quality by eliminating bad odors and killing air-borne pollutants, making the air fresher and cleaner. Premises that are regularly disinfected create a sense of safety for residents, workers, clients or guests. A clean, healthy workspace promotes productivity as workers are able to focus better.
When choosing a disinfectant product you must ensure it:
- meets efficacy requirements and guidelines established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- is officially registered with the EPA
- carries an EPA registration number on its label
The instructions on the product labels need to be followed carefully if the disinfection is to produce desirable results.
The most common means of disinfection is bio-cleaning, which is the manual cleaning and disinfection of floors, surfaces, and furniture using eco-friendly disinfectants, bactericides, virucides, and fungicides. Color-coded microfiber cloths,mops and other designated equipment are used to give a thorough cleanse and to avoid cross contamination. Other disinfection methods include misting, spraying and ultra–violet light treatment.
Misting is a type of cleaning that uses millions of tiny droplets of disinfectant to completely cover an area and kill all germs, bacteria, virus, and pathogens.The tiny droplets enable complete coverage of surfaces, even on hard-to-reach areas,for a complete clean. This process is mostly used to disinfect large high-touch areas like offices, changing rooms, stairwells, medical facilities and even residential spaces.While there may be leftover residue after misting, it won’t be over saturated or wet. 
Alternatively, electrostatic spraying is a method that uses electrically charged mist to sterilize surfaces and objects.The disinfectant solution is atomized by an electrode inside the spraying nozzle which gives it a positive charge during application. The positively charged particles cling aggressively onto every object and surface, completely coating them and subsequently riding them of germs, bacteria and viruses. Spraying is perfect for reaching hidden areas such as underneath furniture, and in crevices, corners and around awkwardly shaped objects. Disinfection by spraying reduces the time it takes to disinfect all surfaces manually by 50%. It also uses minimal solution, minimizing wastage and costs. Electrostatic spraying can be used to disinfect small areas at home or the office, and large high-traffic areas like stadiums, parks and schools.
Meanwhile, UV light disinfection, also known as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI),is a method that uses short wavelength ultraviolet light to kill microorganisms. It has been proven to provide effective surface sterilization, eliminating even drug-resistant super bugs and viruses with high efficacy. UVGI uses specific germicidal lamps for disinfection purposes that are designed differently from ordinary fluorescent lamps, engineered to emit wavelengths in the UVC range. UV surface sterilization is done in hospitals and healthcare facilities, food and beverage processing plants, restaurants, labs and public transportation.
Your facilities are never entirely clean without proper, regular disinfection. Cleaning with detergent alone cannot ensure a germ free environment. When considering health and safety in your facility, disinfection should be top on the list.
