Disinfectants vs Sanitizers: What is the difference??
We use the words Disinfectants (or Disinfection) & Sanitizers (or Sanitization) quite liberally. And in the post COVID-19 world, interchangeably too. So, are disinfection and sanitization the same? Quite simply put, no. To clearly understand the difference between the two it is important to first understand how they are defined. Let’s look at the definition provided by the Centre for Disease Control & Protection (CDC), USA for cleaning, sanitizing & disinfection: Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and other impurities from surfaces, but doesn’t necessarily kill them. Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects—either by killing or removing them—to a safe level Disinfecting kills the germs on surfaces or objects. The three activities form a spectrum with Cleaning at one end & Disinfecting at the other. So, with respect to action on germs: Cleaning – doesn’t necessarily kill anything Sanitizing – doesn’t necessarily kill everything Disinfecti