The COVID-19 Disinfection Misconception

David Whan • Mar 11, 2021

In the mad dash to leave no stone unturned in the battle against COVID-19, businesses are quick to insist on disinfecting anything stood still in a work environment, and no doubt some things that aren’t. And yet a popular misconception exists, which misses the fact that routine cleaning is just as effective as disinfection in reducing the chances of passing on the COVID-19 virus.

Fundamentally, cleaning and disinfecting are not the same thing. Even if you already know that, you might not understand why cleaning can be more effective, as businesses start the process of returning to work as lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Disinfection: is the killing or inactivating of microorganisms and reducing them to an acceptable level
Cleaning: is removing dirt and the microorganisms it contains

Why is cleaning better than disinfecting?

Typically, we disinfect areas when clinical cleanliness is required, in welfare areas generally, in work environments such as healthcare, care homes and in the food industry. Most other environments, such as retail, offices or schools, we simply clean.

But under the threat of COVID-19, and with more vulnerable and ‘at risk’ people around, it is understandable that we seek to take the extra step in our hygiene controls, when actually we don’t need to.

There are two issues with automatically disinfecting areas to combat COVID-19 infection:

It is done for emotional reasons, not based on a rational prognosis or on a risk assessment of a suspected infection.
It is done incorrectly. You need to clean an area first and then disinfect. A lack of training in many cases leads to using disinfecting agents only (not disinfection) and missing areas on a surface or not leaving enough contact time for the substance to have the right effect.

So, the problem with disinfecting is that whilst it can kill viruses and microorganisms, this status only lasts until someone else touches that same surface, then it is infected again. Therefore, proper cleaning with normal detergent removes harmful levels of microorganisms, including virus particles. Over time, the rest will die out, so cleaning is more effective and offers more of a sense of security for an employer and their employees, if a formal system is introduced in the workplace.

The benefits of a good office cleaning regime

COVID-19 particles, and any viruses like it, cannot multiply on a surface, only bacteria can do that. Instead, COVID-19 needs a host to infect, i.e. a person. So, a dry surface maintained at room temperature will become a hostile environment to the virus, while it exists and isn’t picked up by someone. Therefore, in addition to social distancing and hand hygiene, an intensive cleaning of surfaces is sufficient. Personal discipline is the answer to combatting COVID-19, hence why employers are so keen to introduce such measures in to the workplace, in tandem with a strict routine cleaning regime, to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Call It’s Clean Ltd commercial cleaning in Harrogate, Leeds and York to discuss intensive cleaning of your work environment before your staff return to work, and about maintaining these standards with routine cleaning when normal work resumes. We are a professional commercial cleaning company experienced in all different industry sectors and environments, and we can recommend the correct course of action to protect your employees and keep your business open, as the fight against COVID-19 continues.