Graham Dick

People are absolutely the most important tools. All the best cleaning and disinfection devices, equipment and solutions result in great theater, but create a false sense of security unless the people are properly trained to follow best practices in work procedures and proper use of their resources.

I can’t emphasize enough that you must remove soil and contaminants from the surface first. Only then will the disinfectant work and only if the full wet contact time is met. This is always a multiple-step process. There is no shortcut to this if you want consistent, effective and verifiable results.

The most important thing is understanding how to use a tool, when to use it and what its weaknesses are. A great tool used incorrectly accomplishes little and likely causes damage.

Far and away the best ROI, if you are investing in improving the output and efficacy of your cleaning and disinfecting service, is educating and training your crews. There is nothing you can purchase that will beat that.

There has been increased attention to electrostatic disinfectant delivery systems, microfiber cloths, and various UVC and Ionic systems. I know I won’t be popular for this, but it is my position that most of these technologies look great; however many of the claims are embellished and real-world applications and results are more theater then beneficial.  

For example, a recent study of electrostatic sprayers (funded by U.S. EPA) showed that the highly touted “wrap” effect was almost non-existent.¹ Sprayers with a small droplet size have great difficulty achieving the required wet contact time. A significant portion of the cleaning industry use disinfectants requiring a 10-minute “dwell time,” yet an electrostatic delivery method can’t achieve that without multiple passes from several angles (which virtually no one does).

On the positive side, an electrostatic sprayer can provide a very consistent, even coverage and can coat irregular surfaces without over-wetting. When paired with a fast-acting disinfectant (one-minute wet contact time), a conscientious applicator can get better results over a larger surface area with less water than any other type of application device. Education and training make all the difference.