Cleaning Vs Disinfecting: What’s the Difference?

Apr 24, 2022 | Blog

cleaning

Regular cleaning and disinfecting are two of the most important parts of a maintenance routine, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic that we’re experiencing today. According to the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such practices can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other viral respiratory infections.

Some people think that cleaning and disinfecting are one and the same, but they’re not. Here are their differences:

Cleaning

This is the process of physically removing crumbs, dirt, dust, spills, and other impurities from surfaces like carpet, floors, walls, and windows. People typically use soap and water, or just water and a piece of cloth when cleaning. Some also use chemical agents to ensure that they can remove germs and soil from the surface.

Disinfecting

This is the process of killing bacteria, germs, viruses, and other microorganisms on hard surfaces using disinfectants. But such chemical agents do not remove soil and other impurities from surfaces.

So, Which One Do You Need: Cleaning or Disinfecting?

Although cleaning and disinfecting are different and noninterchangeable, you need both to ensure that your home or office is a safe place for you. As stated above, cleaning can remove impurities from surfaces. But it does not kill or thoroughly remove bacteria, germs, or viruses. That said, you’ll also need to disinfect the area.

Likewise, disinfecting alone can’t remove impurities on surfaces. Also, you won’t be able to kill all the bacteria or viruses if you don’t clean the area first. This is because disinfectants can’t break through soils on surfaces where bacteria or viruses might be hiding.

Get in Touch With Royal Plus Today!

If you need more information about cleaning vs disinfecting, don’t hesitate to reach out to Royal Plus. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are more than happy to assist you with your needs. And if you’ll ever need help sanitizing or disinfecting your home or office, our experts are here for you.

Our team follows the CDC and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines in disinfecting surfaces. They’ve also been trained to perform decontamination or sanitization using only the best practices in reducing the risk of viruses and bacteria. Contact us now at (866) 404-7587 for quality commercial disinfection services.