Disease-causing microorganisms often live on inanimate objects. You use disinfectants to eliminate or greatly reduce these live pathogens and help prevent

the transmission of disease. A disinfectant is intended to destroy or neutralize one or more specific microbial groups.

In most cleaning situations that require us to kill pathogens, a disinfectant product gets the job done.

A good cleaning removes many of the pathogens that we want to contain. But it’s the stuff that gets left behind that tends to reproduce, thusly re-polluting the surfaces we’re trying to keep clean.

From a practical standpoint, it’s important to remember that it is usually impossible to kill everything on a surface. The only way to truly accomplish this is to use a sterilization process, much like hospitals use for medical devices or labs use for clean rooms. Our goal, therefore, is to maintain clean, dry surfaces and manage pathogen levels so they are contained. Most custodial operations can accomplish this using a disinfectant product.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a scheduled and thorough cleaning of doorknobs, sinks, toilets and other commonly touched surfaces is the first step in preventing the spread of pathogens. These surfaces are known as fomites, which are simply defined as any surface or contact point that has the potential to harbor pathogenic microorganisms. Professional cleaners should be diligent in their understanding of fomites and how to prevent their spread.