Cleaning Guides

13+ Sanitisation and Disinfection Tips

Fantastic Team
Published: Mar 18/2020
Last update: Jun 11/2024
3min read
Views: 569

Who ever thought that we would be living through a pandemic in 2020? At this point, the only thing that we can say about the whole situation is: Just stay safe.

Like everyone else, you are bombarded every day with recommendations such as “Disinfect your home at all costs!”, “Make sure that you sanitise your workplace!” and so on.

But it just doesn’t sound like you are doing enough now, is it?

If you wish to take the extra mile to ensure your safety in these indeed worrisome times, you are at the right place. We’ve gathered the most useful tips and information about how to prevent COVID-19 from entering your home or workplace, through proper sanitisation and disinfection.

What is the difference between sanitisation and disinfection?

Yes, there is an actual difference between both. Basically, sanitisation products reduce the number of microorganisms, while disinfectants destroy them. Sanitisation agents need only 30 seconds to get rid of 99.999 percent off existing bacteria. On the other hand, disinfectants require more time – around 10 minutes, but will kill all of the present microorganisms.

For example, you would sanitise your baby’s playthings, but you would disinfect your diaper-changing station. In both cases, you are removing potentially harmful bacteria from the areas. You can find more in-depth information about the different levels of sanitisation and disinfection here.

Why it is important to sanitise and/or disinfect?

As you’ve probably already heard or read, the coronavirus can remain viable for hours to even days on surfaces, depending on their type. That said, if you want to protect yourself and family from the virus, it’s best to practice regular cleaning and disinfection methods in your home and workplace. At this point, this is the best and most effective way to prevent COVID-19 in households and public spaces.

Disinfection tips for your home

Here is what you can do to keep your home safe and disinfected:

Wear gloves both when cleaning and disinfecting your home. If you are not using unreusable gloves, throw them away after you are done with the task. Wash your hands immediately after taking the gloves off.
Prep the surface you are going to be disinfecting by cleaning it with soap or with the use of your regular detergent.
Use bleach or alcohol solutions containing at least 70% alcohol to disinfect hard surfaces. Your water-bleach ratio is 5 tablespoons of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Make sure to ventilate the space after disinfecting it.
Always wash all food-prep surfaces with water after disinfecting them.
Launder your white clothes with detergent and bleach and your coloured ones with colour-safe bleach to kill all existing bacteria. Some washing machines have a steam setting, which you can also use to destroy the germs.
If you own a dishwasher, use its sanitisation cycle to clean your dishes.
Make sure to let fresh air in. Don’t worry – opening the windows every once in a while won’t invite the virus into your home.

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Disinfection tips for your workplace

If you don’t have the option to work from home and you still have to go to your workplace, don’t panic – there are extra measures that you can take, along with the instructions provided by your employer.

If you work with customers, wear protective gloves and keep a hand sanitiser near you, especially if you are handling money or credit cards. Don’t forget to clean your wallet, as well.
Do routine disinfection of your workspace. For example, if you are working on a desk, use disinfection wipes or a spray to keep the area germ-free.
If you use electronics like a computer or a phone at work, make sure to disinfect them as well. It’s best to use specifically disinfection wipes for this task. Stick to the instructions provided on the product’s package.
Thoroughly wash any cutlery or other kitchen items with hot water and soap before using them.
Use your and only your work materials. This means no borrowing pencils, staplers, etc.
Keep the area well-ventilated. Open the windows frequently to let fresh air in.
Be very careful around waste bins. If you need to throw away something, make sure that you don’t touch any of the contents of the bin. Wash your hands immediately after that.

Takeaways

Disinfecting your home once is not enough. Create a cleaning schedule and follow it strictly.
Read the labels of every disinfectant or sanitising product you use. Some of them, like bleach, for example, will require you to air out the property after using them.
Remember that in order for an alcohol-based detergent to do its job properly, it must contain at least 70% alcohol.
Use protective gear like gloves and a mask when working with heavy-doty cleaning products.

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We hope that you found our article helpful and tips – useful. Make sure to share the information with your friends, family and co-workers so that everyone knows how to stay safe.

Image source: source: shutterstock / Freedomz