06/20/2020
With unprecedented times upon us, I feel there’s never been a better time to increase our awareness on how we can improve our homes cleanliness.
The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have both signaled the importance of having a clean, sanitized, and disinfected environment to help control the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The CDC specifically recommends “the cleaning and disinfection of homes and facilities.”
Let’s discuss the differences between “Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting.”
Most important to understand is that cleaning does not kill bacteria, viruses, or fungi more commonly referred to as “germs”. Instead cleaning is done to remove “germs” usually by combining water, a cleaning product, and scrubbing. Though cleaning does not kill ‘germs’ it is still a vital step in the deep cleaning process as removal of dirt and debris can make way for products and methods that do kill ‘germs’ to be more efficacious.
Disinfecting and sanitizing methods on the other hand refer to products that work by killing germs. These processes do not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection. Sanitizers reduce bacteria on a surface by at least 99.9%. Conversely disinfectants kill a wider range of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mold. These methods work great on all surfaces like natural stone including marble, granite, and limestone; upholstery, fabrics, and drapes; and carpets and area rugs on hard non-porous surfaces like stainless steel and the components of your HVAC system.
What are your options?
You can certainly clean, sanitize, and disinfect your home with over the counter solutions yourself. However, in order to reach all areas needed for a deep clean, we recommend contacting a professional.
