The difference between cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting explained

Cleaning is high up on the priority list for a lot of Australians right now as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.

But your best efforts to rid your home of germs could be going to waste if you're not doing it properly, or getting your cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting mixed up.

Not all cleaning jobs are made equal, which is why you need to know the difference between the three techniques and which areas of the home they work best in.

What is cleaning?

Before you think about disinfecting or sanitising anything, you need to clean it.

To put it simply, cleaning is the removal of germs and dirt from surfaces. Cleaning won't kill or completely get rid of germs, just reduces the number of germs on the surface.

If you go straight in with an all-in-one disinfectant and cleaner, it won't be enough to actually disinfect the area because you've got to remove the visible dirt and grime first. Dirt and other mess or grime on a surface can also make disinfectants less effective, so for your best results you do need to clean first.

A multi-purpose cleaner is enough to do an adequate job of cleaning, but if you do want to kill every germ you need to do more than just the first layer of cleaning.

What is the difference between sanitising and disinfecting?

At the crux of it, sanitising and disinfecting both aim to reduce the amount of contamination on a surface by killing germs. By definition, disinfecting does kill more germs than sanitising because it is slightly more effective, especially on viruses and fungus.

What is sanitising?

Sanitising is the reduction of bacteria to safe levels set by public health standards to decrease the risk of infection. It's the step up from cleaning although it may not kill every virus living on a surface.

Appliances like your dishwasher or washing machine can be used to sanitise items, if you have a sanitise cycle or setting. If you do want to sanitise a load of washing but don't have the cycle on your machine, adding a laundry sanitiser to the wash is another way you can fight germs.

It can be done without chemicals — steam cleaners are another way to sanitise something by bringing the contaminated surface into contact with extreme heat to kill bacteria or germs. If you want to target germs on an area like fabric or carpet, steam cleaning is more useful than trying to use a chemical product that isn't designed for an area like that.

What is disinfecting?

Using a good quality disinfectant is the only way you can remove all contamination or germs from a space while cleaning. When it comes to using a disinfectant look for one that is hospital grade or approved by the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] the highest standard for disinfectant.

A high-quality disinfectant should remove 100 per cent of microscopic organisms from the surface you're targeting, and if used correctly can effectively stop the spread of viruses.

To be effective a disinfectant solution must be in contact with the surface for a specific length of time — each product will have the correct instructions on the package. Some need to remain on the surface until dry or appear visibly wet for a set period of time.

Disinfectants are best used on high-touch areas in the home like doorknobs, light switches, remotes and taps, especially when someone in the home has been sick.