James (Lee) Senter

The item I consider the most important for cleaning and disinfection is a good cleaner/disinfectant solution that comes as a ready-to-use product along with a pump-up foam applicator. Using such a product with relatively new microfiber cloths and thick, disposable paper towels is the way I prefer to clean up a site with pathogenic material or with the potential for the same.

Most one-part cleaner/disinfectant products have a surfactant package in their formulation. This surfactant package is a synthetic soap package that will foam up when applied with a pump-up foam applicator. This foam application gives the user the ability to apply a disinfectant to vertical surfaces and still achieve the required contact time or dwell time required by the product label.

Microfiber cloths are made from a variety of fibers, polyester being one of the more common for cleaning cloths. Research shows that microfiber can capture and hold up to seven times more soil than a cotton cloth. Paper towels as a finishing wipe will absorb and carry away remaining soil residues.

My absolute favorite product to use for cleaning/disinfecting items like tables, desks and contents are cleaner/disinfectant saturated wipes that require a very short contact or dwell time (one minute). This is the fastest and most reliable way of cleaning and disinfecting contents.

There are many new technology systems being sold for disinfection. The problem is that many of these systems are made for healthcare facilities and are generally not safe to use without having properly trained personnel, using the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and using products that are allowed to be applied through such equipment.

It is essential that a conformity assessment be performed on the PPE being used when using specialized disinfection equipment. The PPE prescribed by the product’s SDS and user manual shall be strictly followed.

The following equipment is becoming more and more common in the disinfection protocols in cleaning companies, and facility and property management companies’ decontamination procedures:

• Electrostatic sprayers are devices that apply a charge to the droplets that pass through their application nozzle. The charge on the droplets allows them to line up next to each other and can coat a three-dimensional surface from one side. Care must be taken not to over apply or allow spray to get inside items.
• ULV foggers produce aerosols that are in the 10-to-100-micron size range. Most ULV foggers have multiple settings and users can easily change particle size when doing large air spaces versus rooms with multiple surfaces.
• Ionized hydrogen peroxide vaporizers. These systems allow charged hydrogen peroxide aerosols to get deep into areas that are not easily cleaned. Doors and ventilation systems must be sealed closed while these units are in use.