Properly Using Sanitizers And Disinfectants In Restrooms Is Essential When Fighting Pathogens

Understanding proper application methods is imperative when using disinfectants and sanitizers. (iStock:Maridav)

As colder temperatures approach in many geographical regions, more people in charge of away-from-home facility care, including restrooms, will be looking to keep their building occupants extra safe from seasonal influenza and other sicknesses. Such precautions often involve the proper selection and use of sanitizers and disinfectants, according to Scott Jarden, President of The Bullen Companies.

Autumn is the perfect time to educate about the differences between those two product categories and how they are to be properly used.

Here are the basics:

• Sanitizers reduce the number of bacteria on surfaces to a safe level, as judged by public health standards or requirements. Sanitizing doesn’t necessarily kill all germs but lowers the count to a level that is considered safe.
• Disinfectants, meanwhile, kill or inactivate most harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi on surfaces. Disinfecting is more aggressive than sanitizing; and disinfectants are formulated to eliminate a broader range of pathogens.
• While cleaning by itself will remove some pathogens it is not considered an effective method for pathogen control. Some disinfectants, however, require pre-cleaning to take place.

If an end-user has a specific pathogen issue, it’s important to use a product that is approved for such specific use. Not all disinfectants kill or control the same pathogens.

Also, after the right product is identified it is critical to properly use that product. That involves following the product’s proper rate of dilution and dwell time, the latter focusing on the amount of time a disinfectant, for example, must remain visibly wet on a surface to effectively kill a specific pathogen.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes proper procedures in detail on the labels of such products as disinfectants and sanitizers. It is a federal violation to not use those products in accordance with the approved labels. The most important thing when using disinfectants and sanitizers is to always follow label directions. And, while the EPA’s Safer Choice program approves certain products to be considered “green,” there is a very limited group of such products that are designed to kill pathogens.

Now that we’ve been through the COVID pandemic, many people involved with facility cleaning should have a much better idea of critical surfaces and other areas that require intensive disinfection and pathic control. At the start of the pandemic, people were disinfecting every surface they could find. Later, it was learned that practice was not a very effective method. Rather, it’s much better to directly disinfect critical touch surfaces, often found on certain areas of floors and walls.

Understanding proper application methods for disinfectants and sanitizers is also imperative. When it comes to application, it bears repeating the importance to following approved procedures as dictated by the EPA. Deviating for anything other than the way a label specifically states regarding disinfectant or sanitizer use is not only ineffective — it’s also illegal!

Such understanding includes the use of electrostatic sprayers. If they are used, they need to be checked as to whether they’re effective as it pertains to their intentional use.

It never hurts to be properly trained and educated when it comes to the use of disinfectants, sanitizers and cleaning products. Such training/education can be provided by manufacturers and distributors and may include onsite inspections. The latter allows for a review of current practices, helping to make sure products are correctly utilized. Proper training can also help end-users understand how indoor air quality can influence the effectiveness of disinfectants. Such information is brand new to the cleaning industry.

Finally, it’s very important to know what your goals are before using specific pathogen control products. And, there can be a big difference between the use of one product versus another — based on safety and the odor of a product. Some products are extremely effective but also very difficult to work with due to their odors and/or safety requirements. Visit www.bullenonline.com.