During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that you wash your hands frequently or sanitizing them when soap and water are not available and cleaning commonly-touched-surfaces to keep yourself protected.

While sanitizers and disinfectants are commonly referred to as interchangeably, both products are different and should be used in separate circumstances.

According to the CDC, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting all have different definitions:

Cleaning eliminates germs, dirt, and other impurities from surfaces, but does not necessarily kill them.

Sanitizing decreases the number of germs on surfaces or objects by killing them or removing them—to a safe level, according to public health standards or requirements.

Disinfecting kills germs on objects or surfaces.

Diane Calello, MD, executive and medical director of New Jersey Poison Center and associate professor of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, states sanitizing does not kill everything.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines sanitizers as chemical products that can kill 99.9% of germs on hard surfaces. Again, disinfectants are more potent, killing 99.999% of germs on hard, non-porous surfaces or objects.

The difference comes down to that sanitizing solutions aren’t as potent as disinfecting solutions. Some products can be both sanitizers and disinfectants. Dr. Calello says concentrated bleach can be a disinfectant, but if it’s very diluted, it might be a sanitizer meaning it kills fewer bacteria and viruses.

Sanitize or Disinfect?

There are specific procedures for cleaning groceries, surfaces in your home like doorknobs, and your hands, and it’s crucial to get them right. When it comes to groceries, you don’t need to wipe them down with disinfectant wipes (or any other disinfectants) or a sanitizer. You can clean them using water, but no soap when you bring them to your home.

For highly-touched areas of your home like doorknobs, toilet handles, and even sinks, you want to save disinfectants for these areas. However, for countertops where surfaces are exposed to food preparation, its best to sanitize those so any chemical residue isn’t as powerful and potentially harmful.

As for your own hands, you should not use disinfecting wipes as it can be hazardous for your skin, according to Dr. Calello. She further adds that at the poison center, she works for has seen people’s adverse effects using disinfectants on their own bodies. She said there was a man who acquired powerful, industrial-use disinfectant wipes and developed a blistering rash.

Donald Ford, MD, family medicine doctor at Cleveland Clinic, states that you can wipe off surfaces but wash your hands. Due to the “good” bacteria that live on your skin, when you apply something that kills all the bacteria on your hands, you’re killing off some helpful and natural bacteria.

Dr. Calello says there is a reason why we do not apply something that does not kill every organism like a hand sanitizer, which should contain 60% alcohol. However, it’s essential to remember that hand sanitizer is adequate if you’re out in public, but washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is preferred.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in people purchasing disinfectants and sanitizing products and knowing when to sanitize and disinfect surfaces or objects can help in practicing proper sanitation.

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