What’s the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? Is sanitization a different service or a combination of the two?
Maintaining the cleanliness of an office and facilities is top-of-mind for many business owners and property managers. When it comes to hiring a company for these services, the first thing you should know is that they’re not all the same.
In this article, we’ll clear up the differences to identify which service is best for your needs.
How to Choose Between Cleaning vs. Disinfecting vs. Sanitizing
Do you need janitorial services like vacuuming and sweeping, or do you need a sanitation response to COVID-19? The needs of your facility are many, so it might be unclear where to start.
A good provider should offer a free cleaning proposal to help your business navigate any situation, from spills to meeting OSHA’s updated guidelines.
Cleaning Services
Cleaning refers to removing dirt and grime, usually through soap and water.
Think about washing your hands - you are removing viruses and germs by washing them away with soap. A cleaning service is the same for your facility. It creates a healthier workplace by removing germs from your working environment.
Essential janitorial services are an example. Vacuuming a floor removes dirt and germs, so if you drop a paper and pick it back up again, vacuuming has already extracted them off from the floor. This decreases the chance of getting sick if you happened to touch your face after picking up the piece of paper.
Cleaning also helps provide a neat and tidy working environment. Removing trash and wiping down surfaces like windows and counters helps maintain a clean appearance, which is essential for employee and visitor satisfaction.
Disinfecting Services
Disinfection services are when a company, or you as a building owner, use chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. Rather than washing or removing germs through removal methods, disinfection puts the focus on killing them outright.
Think about the last time you cooked in your kitchen. You’re cleaning the surface when you’re wiping a counter with a tissue. You’ve disinfected when you use a Clorox wipe to eliminate germs left on the counter.
In your workspace building, a disinfection service can provide detailed services after an employee is sick with the common flu, or COVID-19. By going over surfaces with chemicals that can kill viruses and germs, such as wiping down counters with chemicals, you’re lessening the chance that other employees will get sick from the surfaces in your workspace.
Sanitization Services
Sanitization services reduce the number of germs and viruses on surfaces to a safely acceptable level. While this might sound like disinfection, sanitization can happen as a result of cleaning or disinfecting surfaces.
Disinfection is standard in hospital settings where the tolerance level of germs is close to zero. In your office setting, it's likely more germs are permissible, so only some surfaces may need to be disinfected. That's where sanitization comes in.
Think about your doorknobs. These are surfaces you likely disinfect multiple times a day, which is a sanitization process. You can also sanitize by vacuuming your office: you're still removing germs, just maybe not in the same way as a disinfectant chemical would.
Sanitization services allow your employees to know they're working in a safe environment while acknowledging that it's unrealistic for the number of germs to be zero at any given time.
Cleaning vs. Disinfecting vs. Sanitizing: Which is Best for You?
Likely, you won’t just be deciding on cleaning or sanitizing, or disinfecting. You’ll understand the core differences and how each type of service is of benefit to your business.
If you’re looking for routine cleaning services like vacuuming and surface cleaning, or you’re looking for disinfection of high-touch surfaces in your building, Sentral Services can help you out.
We offer janitorial services as well as disinfection services for your higher-concern issues. We also work in medical settings and can handle any high-level disinfection issue you may have.
