Know When to Introduce Disinfectants

8/4/2016 (Permalink)

Know When to Introduce Disinfectants

In a situation where health concerns are elevated, there are typically three stages that impact cleaning. Stage 1 is when there is the potential for a public health concern in a community. Stage 2 is when there is a public elevated health concern in a community, and Stage 3, the most critical stage, is when the pathogen is infecting a specific property or properties. At each stage, cleaning frequencies should increase; introduce sanitizers and disinfectants at Stage 2.

There is no question that sanitizers and disinfectants are necessary in a Stage 2 or 3 alert. What we needs to be realized is that these are very powerful cleaning solutions, and in the United States, there are currently no EPA-registered disinfectants that are green-certified.  Because of this, the following precautions should be taken:

• Make sure the disinfectant is designed to kill the specific pathogens causing the health concern. These will be spelled out on the product label.
   
• Ensure cleaning personnel read and understand the label instructions, including dilution rates and surface dwell time to maximize product efficacy.
   
• Use portion-control systems with concentrated disinfectants. This will help reduce environmental impacts and cost.

All of these measures represent the key to a successful Green Infection Prevention plan.