Blog Layout
Not everyone needs a "Hospital" grade disinfectant
Norman Chudy Jr • March 18, 2021
What disinfectant should you be using?
When things re-opened in New York, like many others my girlfriend and I went out to eat at a local restaurant. At first glance you could recognize the new protocols in place, plexi glass, QR code menus, but one thing stood out to me, they were cleaning their tables with a hospital grade disinfectant between customers...
In today's current climate, disinfecting has become a regular practice in everyday life, but what is disinfecting and how do we make sure we are correctly and safely using these chemicals. First let's define what disinfecting is, to disinfect is to cleanse (a surface, a device, etc..) by inactivating, or significantly reducing the concentration of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi). With the creation of the EPA’s N List of disinfectant products to fight Coronavirus, business owners and the general public have a quick resource to find products qualified to fight SARS CoV 2. Many of the products on the N List are hospital grade disinfectants, which used improperly can harm end users, customers, and surfaces. These products are intended for uses well beyond what an office building or restaurant may come in contact with. For this reason, hospital grade disinfectant should remain in healthcare and not in office buildings, homes, and restaurants.
Recently terms like Sterilize, Sanitize, and Disinfect have been used interchangeably, but mean very different things and are used in different areas of business. According to the CDC sterilization is a validated process used to render a product free of all forms of viable microorganisms, used generally in the most intensive medical settings. A sanitizer is an agent that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels as judged by public health requirements, often used in restaurants and the food processing industry. Disinfectants however are created to destroy all microorganisms on the products label, and are grouped by the CDC by these claims into
- “limited” - a disinfectant registered for use against a specific major group of organisms
- “general” - an EPA-registered disinfectant labeled for use against gram negative and gram positive bacteria, also known as a broad range disinfectant
- “hospital” - a disinfectant registered for use in hospitals, clinics, dental offices, and other medical related facility
The reason it is important to distinguish the difference between the levels and grouping of these products, is for the safety of the users, customers, and surfaces in your business. Let’s review where each should be used...
Restaurants/Food Processing
In the foodservice industry it is important to follow the FDA’s recommendations for disinfecting and sanitizing. Surfaces must be cleaned, rinsed, and sanitized with a no rinse, food grade product. If disinfecting is required or preformed at the end or beginning of the day surfaces must be, cleaned, rinsed, disinfected, rinsed, and sanitized with a food contact safe product. If you don’t have a no rinse product the last step must always be a rinse.
Office Buildings/Non-Food Businesses
In these settings we would use a “general” grade disinfectant, preferably a product found on the EPA’s N List. Most "general" disinfectants are tested on precleaned surfaces with a 5 percent or less soil load, this means surfaces must be precleaned with a cleaning product prior to disinfecting. Most “general” disinfectants do not require a rinse outside of foodservice, and should be left wet on the surface for the recommended dwell time expressed on the products label.
Healthcare/Medical Facilities
Healthcare facilities are exposed to a wide range of microorganisms and bacteria, because they may not know what is on a surface from C-Diff to Norovirus, they would use a “hospital” grade disinfectant. Like the previous “general” disinfectant surfaces must be pre-cleaned. In these settings “hospital” grade disinfectants should be left on a surface for its maximum dwell time as a standard precaution. Many of these products can harm sensitive surfaces so it is important to test the disinfectant before committing to a program.
Home/Personal Spaces
Your home or personal spaces typically do not need to be disinfected, unless you are aware that you came in contact with an infectious host or that host has been in those areas. Cleaning with water and microfiber alone can remove up to 99 percent of contaminants from a non-porous surface. The addition of a general cleaner with a microfiber clothe will take care of almost all your household problems. If a disinfectant is needed it is pivotal to research safe household options, having the wrong chemicals in your home could harm pets, family members, or surfaces. Look for main ingredients like Hydrogen Peroxide, or plant derivatives like Thymol to minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals.
Disinfecting and Sanitizing are going to be a common practice preformed regularly within homes and businesses across the world, be sure to protect yourself and others from accidental exposures by researching and learning what is required within your facility. Create sanitation plans and train yourself/your employees on protocols and procedures associated with cleaning and disinfecting. Remember surfaces must be pre-cleaned and to always wear the appropriate personal protective equipment when working with hazardous chemicals.
“Will this product leave a film or residue?”, is a question I hear all too often these days. For any liquid chemical disinfectant the short answer is yes, but your preclean before disinfecting will remove it, creating a cycle so that the “film” is never an issue or noticed. The over dilution and over use of cleaners and disinfectants is usually to blame for stickiness and films created on surfaces. Disinfectant products need to be left on a surface for the recommend “dwell” time. There for is often the last step, to spray and leave disinfectants on a surface. A liquid chemical disinfectant are products with Hydrogen Peroxide, Quaternary Ammonium, Sodium Hypochlorite, etc., as its active ingredient. Let’s talk about some of my favorite ways to disperse these liquid disinfectant products to reduce the usage of chemical. • Electrostatic Misters • Misters • Disinfectant Wipes • Pre-Moistened Cloths (designed for disinfecting) The goal of these 4 methods is to not over use and disinfect efficiently reducing the amount of liquid chemical needed. These 4 methods, preformed correctly, with pre-cleaning, will ensure that your surfaces remain free from unwanted residues. Electrostatic Mister The newest and most efficient way of disinfecting larger or critical areas to stop a potential outbreak. Electrostatic equipment gives each disinfectant molecule a positive charge, that positively charged molecule searches for a negatively charged surface to attach. Because the product uses a charge to attach to objects it has the ability to wrap around and attach to all 360 degrees. Done correctly the surfaces are left with a finely misted coating. One negative to this, is that the Electrostatic Mister can get into and under areas commonly missed during cleaning, extra time may be needed for pre-cleaning. Misters Misting is similar to Electrostatic Misting in that both disperse a mist of disinfectant product onto surfaces, however equipment made for just misting product is not positively charged. This is a great method for larger indoor and outdoor areas and rooms with more flat than vertical surfaces. Most misters disperse chemical between 40 and 60 micron, so if done efficiently surfaces should be left with a fine even coat of disinfectant. Of course, because this product does not have a positive charge it can easily create “pooling” of product and leave chemical drip marks or striping on vertical surfaces. Disinfectant Wipes Everybody remembers in the beginning of the 2020 pandemic when stores and distributors were left completely sold out of disinfectant wipes, and manufacturers could not keep up with demand. That is because disinfectant wipes are the most prevalent way of disinfecting for everyday life. The convenience and ease of use make it the perfect product for quick disinfecting of high touch points and surfaces used regularly. Wipes also provide the added benefit of reducing cross contamination. This all comes with a cost though, disinfectant wipes are generally not the cheapest option and because each is made for single use, not very eco-friendly. Pre-Moistened Clothes Pre-moistened clothes or wipes make my list of favorite ways to disinfect because the method can be used for cleaning and disinfecting while reducing your chemical costs dramatically over traditional procedures. All you need to create your own pre-moistened wiper system is, a water tight bucket, wipers designed for your specific task, and a way to properly dispense and dilute your chemical. This method can be used for cleaning and disinfecting of desk tops, lunch tables, or even incorporated into a flat mopping system for floors. Creating this program takes a little bit of number crunching, research to find what textiles work best for you, and training, but once completed you have custom made program. If pre-cleaning procedures are followed correctly and end users are well trained on liquid disinfecting, residues on a surface should never be noticed. If you do begin to notice residues on your floors or surfaces they may require a more restorative clean to become residue free. • Use a non-detergent cleaner to remove old detergent residue • Do a water rinse • Ask you distributor for a product designed to remove residues The idea of todays cleaning chemicals is to use just the right amount you need to perform the job, more is not always better. Remove the guessing game from the dilution process and install a chemical management system to properly dispense chemical each time and control your costs. The over dilution of a cleaning chemical is often the source of sticky floors. The best way to avoid chemical disinfectant residues all together is to utilize other technologies like • UVC Disinfecting • Steam or Vapor • Ozonated Water Which ever method you are looking to implement make sure it works for you, contact your distributors and local experts to help lay out the options. Work with distributors that are willing to come on location and train your staff. Don’t go at it alone! Remember surfaces must be pre-cleaned before disinfecting and be sure to always wear appropriate personal protective equipment when working with chemicals.