CloroxPro Blog – Professional Cleaning and Disinfection Insights

The importance of the right disinfectant

Whether you are cleaning an office, school, restaurant, kitchen or hotel, proper cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection protocols are vital. Keeping your facility safe is important and you need to choose the right disinfectant for the job.

There are a wide variety of surfaces where bacteria and viruses can hide

High-touch surfaces and high-traffic areas are the most likely to be contaminated with bacteria and viruses.^1,2

At schools, desks are a common source of bacteria and viruses such as Salmonella, Pseudomonas, influenza and norovirus.³ Doorknobs, light switches, handrails, tables, and washrooms are also likely to be sources of contamination.^2-4  

In hotels, doorknobs and handles, telephones, elevator buttons, light switches, tables, point of sale devices and menus are all high-touch surfaces.⁵ In addition, hard surfaces in rooms also need to be fully cleaned and disinfected after every guest checks out.⁵

In workplaces, the high-touch use sites include doorknobs, handles, coffeemakers and other shared items such as touchscreens, photocopiers and telephones.⁶

In restaurants and kitchens, both food contact and non-food contact hard surfaces will need to be cleaned and disinfected, including tables, chairs, menus, payment terminals, door handles, counters, cutting boards and food prep areas.^7,8 In food prep areas, both cross-contamination and bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria are of concern.⁹

No matter what type of facility you are cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting, it is important to develop and consistently apply an appropriate protocol.

Balancing Efficacy with Surface Compatibility

With the wide variety of hard surfaces that need to be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis, there are several factors to consider when selecting a disinfectant cleaner.

Efficacy

Look for a disinfectant with the ability to eliminate a range of bacteria and viruses. For example, broad spectrum virucides (BSVs) are expected to be effective against emerging pathogens. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, BSVs could make indirect claims against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. There are several disinfectants that are approved by Health Canada to make direct kill claims against SARS-CoV-2.¹⁰  Disinfectants that have been approved for sale in Canada will have a Drug Identification Number (DIN), and you can check the DIN number on the product label.

Surface Compatibility

No matter which hard surface you are cleaning – whether it’s counters, tables, doorknobs, telephones, or point of sale devices — it’s important to know that your disinfectant won’t cause damage. Choosing a product that has been tested on a wide variety of surfaces can help to ensure compatibility with the surfaces and equipment at your facility.

Contact time

Contact time and re-entry time is an important consideration when cleaning and disinfecting your facility.⁶ If there is a lot of traffic, a shorter contact time (for example, from 30 seconds to three minutes) will likely be desirable. Another thing to consider is the re-entry time for your disinfectant. After you have finished applying the disinfectant, how long before people can come back into the room? Disinfection products with an immediate re-entry time may be preferable, particularly in a busy facility.

Ease of use

Finally, look for a product that is easy to use. Ideally, a ready-to-use formulation that cleans and disinfects in one step will help meet your cleaning and disinfecting needs.¹

Selecting the right disinfectant

The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends using products that both clean and disinfect. Products that are approved for disinfecting hard surfaces in Canada have a Drug Identification Number (DIN). It is an 8-digit number. Check for the DIN on the product label to confirm that your disinfectant is approved for use in Canada.^1,2,6

Is your disinfectant approved for use in Canada? Check the DIN on the product label.

No matter where you are cleaning, CloroxPro^® has a product to meet your needs

CloroxPro^® has developed products that are approved by Health Canada to help meet your facility’s unique needs, with Disinfectants and Sanitizers with trusted chemistries. Consider where you are disinfecting, and the type of hard surface, in order to help select the right disinfectant for the job.

In Clorox^® Disinfecting Wipes (DIN: 02492636), the active ingredient is a quaternary ammonium compound and the formula does not contain any bleach. Clean and disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces in one easy step. Clorox^® Disinfecting Wipes kills SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in 15 seconds, plus demonstrated efficacy against cold and flu viruses, MRSA, Staphylococcus, E. coli and Salmonella. The product is ideal for use in high-traffic areas like bathrooms, break rooms, workout facilities, and high-touch spots like doorknobs, phones and keyboards.   

In Clorox Total 360^® Disinfectant Cleaner’s (DIN: 02460769), the active ingredient is also a quaternary ammoniumcompound and the formula does not contain any bleach. Safe to use on a variety of surfaces, this formulation eliminates odours, sanitizes surfaces and inhibits the growth of mold and mildew for up to 7 days. Clorox Total 360^® kills SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in 2 minutes, plus demonstrated efficacy against 54 microorganisms including cold and flu viruses (rhinovirus), MRSA and Norovirus. Ideal for use in restrooms, gyms, hotel lobbies and hallways, retail spaces, offices and schools.

Clorox^® Anywhere™ Daily Sanitizer & Disinfectant (DIN: 02495716) has a Hypochlorous Acid 0.014% w/w formulation that is ideal for food-contact surfaces in kitchens, restaurants, grocery stores, and daycares. Clorox^® Anywhere™ provides effective cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting power in a one-step, no-rinse, ready-to-use formula. Eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and viruses commonly found on food contact surfaces, such as Salmonella and E. coli., and cold and flu viruses. Clorox Total 360^® Disinfectant Cleaner and Clorox^® Anywhere™ Daily Sanitizer & Disinfectant are approved by Health Canada to be used with the Clorox Total 360^® Electrostatic Sprayer System. This system provides surface coverage up to 4 times faster than trigger spray while using up to 65% less solution, for one-step sanitizing and disinfection of food and non-food hard, non-porous surfaces.

CloroxPro^® can help you meet the needs of your facility.

Learn more about the range of Clorox^® products available to meet your facility’s needs.

References

1. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/cleaning-disinfecting-public-spaces.html. Accessed February 24, 2021.
2. Public Health Ontario. Cleaning and Disinfection for Public Settings. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/factsheet-covid-19-environmental-cleaning.pdf?la=en. Accessed March 2, 2021.
3. Ford BD and Sopha K. Cleaning schools in the age of COVID-19. https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/cleaning-schools-covid-19/ Accessed March 2, 2021.
4. Government of Canada. COVID-19 guidance for schools Kindergarten to Grade 12. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/guidance-schools-childcare-programs.html. Accessed March 2, 2021.
5. York Region Public Health. COVID-19: Guidance for Local Hotel and accommodations sector. https://www.york.ca/wps/wcm/connect/yorkpublic/9006c3bc-d63e-4226-88b1-1d93918d73b7/COVID19+Guidance+for+Hotels+and+Accommodation+Sector.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_29D41BG0PGOC70QQGGJK4I0004-9006c3bc-d63e-4226-88b1-1d93918d73b7-nfa9SRs Accessed March 2, 2021.
6. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Sanitation and Infection Control for Cleaning Staff. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/cleaning_staff.html Accessed March 2, 2021.
7. Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care – Public Health Division. Food Safety: A guide for Ontario’s foodhandlers. https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/9953-Food_Handlers_training_manual.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2021.
8. National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. Disinfectants and sanitizers for use on food contact surfaces. https://www.ncceh.ca/sites/default/files/Food_Contact_Surface_Sanitizers_Aug_2011.pdf Accessed March 2, 2021.
9. Canada Public Health Association. Foodborne illnesses – what causes food poisoning. https://www.cpha.ca/foodborne-illnesses-what-causes-food-poisoning Accessed March 2, 2021.
10. Government of Canada. Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers (COVID-19): List of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19. Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/covid-19/list.html. Accessed April 22, 2021.

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