But are you cleaning and disinfecting your home correctly?
When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting your home, there are a few myths and misconceptions about how best to remove, kill and prevent germs from living on the surfaces in your home.
4 Tips For Cleaning And Disinfecting Your Home
As professionals in the cleaning industry, we are here to help make sure you are informed about how to properly clean and disinfect your home – and arm you with the best solutions.
1. Use The Right Solution
Remember that cleaning and disinfecting your home are two different things.
The CDC as well as numerous state departments of public health advise a two-step process: clean first with soap/detergent; then disinfect. The CDC states cleaning is “the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.”
Disinfecting, according to the agency, does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.
Therefore, solutions that clean your home will remove dirt, soil, liquids and other debris from surfaces. However, they will not kill the bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms left behind.
After cleaning, for example, MicroGold® Multi-Action Disinfectant Antimicrobial Spray will kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including the COVID-19 virus.
It must be said that not all cleaning solutions are disinfectants. Additionally, not all disinfectants are antimicrobial, which, per the CDC, destroys or suppresses the growth of microorganisms.
Another option is MicroGold® All-Purpose Cleaner, which also disinfects as it cleans, eliminating the need for a separate cleaner prior to disinfecting. It kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 seconds and it kills cold in flu viruses. MicroGold® All-Purpose Cleaner is ideal for cleaning and disinfecting any hard non-porous surface, and it is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)”.
2. Spray The Surface, Not The Cloth
When we are trying to clean like a professional, we often get into the habit of spraying the cloth and then wiping a surface down.
However, this is completely ineffective when your goal is to disinfect a surface. For a disinfectant to work, you should spray it from 4-6” away from the surface. Spray it directly onto the surface, leaving it visibly wet, as directed.
That’s not to say that you should spray an abundance of the solution to the point where you have puddles on a countertop or it starts running down the walls of a bathroom. A good rule of thumb is to spray a liberal amount — enough so it’s evident that you just sprayed a liquid of some kind onto the surface.
If you spray a disinfectant onto a cloth instead of the surface you intended to disinfect, the solution will be working to disinfect the cloth itself, not necessarily the surface.
3. Let The Solution Sit
When we are cleaning surfaces like countertops, it is normal to want to spray and wipe things clean right away. This is a good habit to be in if you are simply cleaning and removing organic materials like food scraps or spills, but not if you are trying to effectively disinfect a surface.
To disinfect a surface, you first need to be sure you have the correct solution. Then, you want to make sure the surface is visibly wet and let it sit for a few minutes, as directed. The exact amount of time will vary depending on the solution. Therefore, it’s important to read and follow the instructions on the bottle.
MicroGold® Multi-Action Disinfectant Antimicrobial Spray, for example, which kills 99.99% of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 virus, and Human Rotavirus when the solution is allowed to remain on the surface for 3 minutes and kills 99.99% of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Salmonella Enterica and Staphylococcus Aureus when the solution remains on the surface for 10 minutes.
4. Don’t Forget Hidden Germ Collectors
It is easy to remember to disinfect our kitchen countertops or the bathroom sink, but what about all of the other surfaces we touch daily?
Your cell phone, remote control, light switches, door knobs, cabinet handles, fixtures, end tables and other unsuspecting locations are prime areas for germs to collect. These areas tend to be small enough – or out of the way – to be forgotten during a routine cleaning and disinfecting of your home.
As many of us have gotten into the habit of disinfecting our homes more often – even daily — it’s a perfect time to evaluate your current routine to include high touch surfaces and the solutions you are using to protect your loved ones.
Disinfect and Clean with Granite Gold®
If you are looking for a reliable antimicrobial disinfectant that is easy to use and is tested and proven effective to kill the COVID-19 virus, it’s time to try MicroGold® Multi-Action Disinfectant Antimicrobial Spray. Formerly called MonoFoil D, this solution is a disinfectant and antimicrobial in one.