The Difference Between Cleaning & Sanitizing

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The Difference Between Cleaning and Sanitizing

Making sure your home is safe and healthy—and keeping it that way—is on everyone’s mind these days. To achieve and maintain a healthy home, both cleaning and disinfecting are necessary and important. Cleaning and disinfecting are often used interchangeably, but these two words actually have different and distinct meanings and functions. There is a clear difference between then and that should be cleared up.

Cleaning physically removes dust, dirt, and soil from surfaces, often taking away some germs in the process and reducing the amount of pathogens present. However, cleaning does not fully disinfect the surface—that is, germs are still present and viable. When it comes to disinfecting, it’s important to consider how frequently it should be done and how much disinfectant should be used to effectively kill germs.

How often should you disinfect your home? First, we recommend disinfecting surfaces considered “high-touch” on a regular basis. High-touch surfaces are those with which you and your family make frequent contact, like light switches, door knobs, counter tops, faucets, remote controls, and other things of that nature. Once you know your high-touch surfaces, you can decide what a “regular basis” means in your home. This can depend on your environment, how often you and your family come into contact with people or places outside your home, and how often your family touches those high-touch surfaces.

A clean and healthy home has never been more important to the health and safety of your family, but by understanding how and when to properly disinfect, you can help ensure your healthy home doesn’t turn in to a health hazard. And, what is actually considered cleaning and disinfecting. If you don’t want to do either, just call us!