Here on The Comac Blog we often talk about sanitization and all the aspects that make it a fundamental tool in the fight against Covid-19. Now that it is shifting from a pandemic to an endemic phase, we need to find ways of living with SARS-CoV-2 while never letting our guard down. This is why we decided to talk again about disinfection and sanitization: what’s the difference? Knowing the difference between disinfecting and sanitizing can help you understand how to best carry these activities out.
Cleaning: the starting point
Cleaning is the starting point, the first step to remove visible dirt. In fact, cleaning activities are related to the removal of dust, greasy dirt, organic materials and, in general, dirt from surfaces, objects, rooms and floors. When we talk about cleaning, we often also refer to hygienization operations, that is to say all those basic cleaning activities that also involve the use of detergents with disinfectant power. Be careful not to confuse the term detergent with disinfectant: the first one is intended to remove dirt while the second one is formulated to drastically reduce the presence of bacteria, fungi and viruses.
From this definition of cleaning we immediately understand how fundamental it is to remove all organic or inorganic materials on the surfaces to make all subsequent disinfection or sanitizing operations effective.
Disinfection and sanitization: what’s the difference?
Let’s start by specifying that disinfection and sanitation are not the same thing. To understand the difference, just analyze the definitions provided by the Italian National Institute of Health:
- Disinfection: this term refers to all procedures and operations that aim to sanitize certain environments by destroying or inactivating pathogenic microorganisms. Disinfection involves the use of disinfectants, usually of a chemical or physical nature (such as heat), which allow to reduce the microbiological load present on the objects and surfaces to be treated.
- Sanitization: this term, on the other hand, refers to all cleaning and disinfection activities that aim to make certain environments healthy. Sanitization interventions must therefore be aimed at radically eliminating any type of bacterium or contaminating agent. For this reason, sanitization is a professional activity that must be carried out by specialized companies, which have the right training and tools to ensure an optimal result.
Cleaning, disinfection and sanitization: let’s clarify!
So, now it is clear that cleaning, disinfection and sanitization are not the same thing. They can therefore be seen as activities to be carried out on 3 steps:
- First step: cleaning, also called hygienization.
- Second step: disinfection, which must be carried out more accurately than cleaning.
- Third step: sanitization which provides for targeted activities linked to the first two steps.
We have often focused on the importance of sanitizing environments and on the “new normal” that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought. Today there is greater awareness of disinfection and sanitization operations, which have become routine activities perfectly integrated with normal cleaning activities. But it still happens to see that they are not carried out properly, maybe using the wrong equipment. For this reason we have listed in a post all Comac solutions designed for cleaning and sanitizing operations.
Furthermore, we would like to clarify that the information described in this post are provided for informational purposes only. Our main goal is always to make professional both cleaning and sanitizing operations. For this reason, if you have any questions about our solutions you can contact us, our worldwide network of authorized dealers is always at your complete disposal to find an answer to your needs.
This post is also available in: Italian
