The Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting Services

Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: What’s The Difference?

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have started to offer various professional services to protect homes, offices, schools, restaurants, and more from the highly infectious coronavirus that causes COVID-19. 

In NYC alone, there are hundreds of businesses advertising COVID-19 cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting services. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably and other times they are listed as separate services. This can lead to unnecessary confusion when trying to determine which service is the right fit for your needs.

In this article, we’ll explain the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting services to help you choose the right company or service for your specific needs.

Cleaning Services

Cleaning, as defined by the CDC, is the physical process of removing germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not necessarily kill pathogens like the coronavirus. Instead, it helps lower the number of pathogens on surfaces by physically removing them.

Cleaning, deep cleaning, and janitorial services traditionally involve sweeping, washing, wiping, and scrubbing. These services don’t normally require special training or certification and are relatively affordable.

Due to the pandemic, many cleaning companies now include the use of disinfectant products specifically to reduce the presence of coronavirus, such as bleach and Clorox wipes. Some may also use foggers or sprayers to apply disinfectant. However, because the primary focus of these services is to clean, the level of disinfection provided is usually not as comprehensive and thorough compared to professional disinfection companies. 

Are you mainly concerned about making your space clean, neat, and tidy, or are you concerned about mitigating the risk of coronavirus? Cleaning and janitorial services specialize in the former, but the latter often requires more advanced equipment, professional training, and experience.

Sanitization Services

Sanitizing refers to lowering the number of pathogens to a safe level, as defined by public health agencies. This can be done through either cleaning, disinfecting, or a combination of both. 

Sanitizing products are subject to regulation by the FDA and EPA, although the level of testing and the bar for effectiveness is lower than those for Disinfectant products. It’s important to note that there are no sanitizer-only products with approved virus claims. However, there are many products registered on the EPA’s List N as both sanitizers and disinfectants.

In the context of professional services, sanitizing and disinfecting are often used interchangeably. These terms represent a higher level of disinfecting compared to regular cleaning services, with the primary goal of mitigating the risk of coronavirus transmission. 

When considering a sanitization service, look at the background and experience of the company. Professionals that are trained and certified in environmental health & safety, biohazard cleanup, and pathogen decontamination will do a more thorough job at sanitizing your home or business compared to a company that traditionally does other services like deep cleanings or pest control. 

Disinfection Services

Disinfecting is the process of actively killing germs and pathogens like the coronavirus. Unlike regular cleaning, which physically removes some pathogens from surfaces, disinfecting works by using chemicals to deactivate and eliminate pathogens.

According to the EPA, disinfecting hard, non-porous surfaces after cleaning is one of the most reliable ways to help lower the risk of virus transmission from surfaces. 

Disinfection services usually involve multiple steps of cleaning and disinfection. The process starts with identifying and pre-cleaning high-risk and high-touch surfaces, before applying an EPA-registered disinfectant using electrostatic foggers. These machines create tiny, charged droplets containing disinfectant that cling evenly to surfaces, providing 360-degree coverage. Pathogens and excess disinfectant particles that are airborne are removed using air scrubbers with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

Disinfection companies that advertise coronavirus services employ trained professionals to ensure effective and comprehensive disinfection and decontamination of surfaces. This requires up-to-date knowledge about the proper usage of equipment and machines (e.g. electrostatic foggers and air scrubbers) as well as the usage of different disinfectant chemicals (e.g. understanding product labels, approved applications, and dwell times). 

Although pre-cleaning is required before disinfectants are applied, specialized disinfection services do not typically involve the same level of deep cleaning that a cleaning or janitorial service provides. When more intensive cleaning is needed, disinfection companies can work in tandem with a cleaning service to disinfect areas after cleaning is complete.

The Bottom Line

Disinfection services tend to be a bit pricier than cleaning and sanitizing services, but you’ll get a higher level of knowledge and professionalism that guarantees a safer, healthier environment. This is especially important for places and spaces with a lot of people or a high risk of contamination.

If someone in your home, office, or business has tested positive for coronavirus, it’s highly recommended to hire a disinfection service to decontaminate any areas, surfaces, and items that person has been in contact with.