Sanitizing vs Disinfecting: Difference and Comparison

With regards to cleaning, the words disinfect a lot are regularly utilized reciprocally. Be that as it may, in reality, there’s a critical contrast between the two terms.

Key Takeaways

  1. Sanitizing reduces the number of bacteria on a surface to a safe level, while disinfecting kills most bacteria and viruses on a surface.
  2. Sanitizing is used for food-related surfaces, while disinfecting is used for high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and phones.
  3. Sanitizing requires less time and a lower concentration of chemicals than disinfecting.

Sanitizing vs Disinfecting

The difference between Sanitizing and Disinfecting is that while sanitizing, also known as cleaning, diminishes the measure of microscopic organisms, infections, and different microorganisms on a surface, disinfecting practically kills every one of them.

Sanitizing vs Disinfecting

Sanitizing decreases the measure of microorganisms on a surface yet doesn’t dispense with or obliterate microbes. Sanitizing additionally doesn’t kill or annihilate infections from surfaces.

Disinfecting kills or inactivates both the microscopic organisms and infections distinguished on the item’s name on surfaces. Sanitisers are the solitary items supported by the EPA to kill infections on hard surfaces.

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparisonSanitizingDisinfecting
FunctionIt decreases the level of germs present on the surface.It completely removes the germs present on the surface.
UsageIt can be used for a small, less population.It was be used for a huge population.
Preferable It would be suitable food services thing like pallet sheets, etc.It would be suitable for things about places like Health Services, etc.
Cleansers UsedSanitizing specialists come in different structures—fluids, splashes, powders or granules. One can utilize phenol, chlorine blanch, or hydrogen peroxide for disinfection.
Frequency Depending on the use, sanitizing can be done daily in the places like study desks, chairs, etcDepending on the use, disinfecting can be done weekly, like, the toilet that is used daily can be disinfected weekly.

What is Sanitizing?

Sanitisers, such as chlorine and quaternary ammonium, intensifies based on sanitisers, essentially diminishing the number of microbes on a surface.

Sanitisers are regularly utilized on food contact surfaces since they contain less cruel synthetic substances in contrast with sanitisers.

For instance, cooking apparatuses or youngsters’ toys would be best for sterilization, as you don’t need those coming into contact with amazing chemicals.

A straightforward water and blanch arrangement can be a sanitiser or a sanitiser, contingent upon the convergence of fade in the arrangement.

sanitizing 1

What is Disinfecting?

Dissimilar to sanitizing, disinfecting will not be a very normal piece of your cleaning schedule.

Sanitisers incorporate synthetic substances like hydrogen peroxide that purify a surface or item by creating damaging free extremists that assault cell parts, says

It’s truly implied for genuine wrecks like those, including natural liquids, making it more normal in clinical settings. You’ll probably need to clean things like latrines or sinks that can come into contact with risky microscopic organisms.

According to EPA principles, a sanitiser should kill 99.999 per cent of microorganisms, contrasted with 99.9per cent for sanitisers.

disinfecting

Main Differences Between Sanitizing and Disinfecting

  1. Sanitizing specialists come in different structures—fluids, splashes, powders or granules yet with regards to disinfection, and you can utilize phenol, chlorine blanch, or hydrogen peroxide.
  2. Cleaning recurrence will rely upon how frequently you utilize space and the outside conditions. For instance, sanitize your office work area and eating table as frequently as conceivable because they are residue and soil magnets.
Difference Between Sanitizing and Disinfecting
References
  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/note-on-the-variation-of-the-rate-of-disinfection-with-change-in-the-concentration-of-the-disinfectant/89684CF5D4DEC036B6EBBE18D5C51965
  2. https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1551-8833.1948.tb15055.x

Last Updated : 14 August, 2023

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24 thoughts on “Sanitizing vs Disinfecting: Difference and Comparison”

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