5 Considerations When Choosing A Disinfectant
- Look at Kill Claims: Does the disinfectant that you are choosing kill the pathogens that are of concern in your facility? ...
- Check out Kill Times and Wet-Contact Times: This is an especially important area. ...
- Consider Safety of the Product: When you look at the labeling on the disinfectants does it have an acceptable toxicity and flammability rating? ...
What should you consider when choosing a disinfectant?
5 Important Considerations When Selecting a Disinfectant or...Target germs. Sanitizers and disinfectants claim to kill organisms so both are regulated as pesticides by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ... Surface type. ... Intended application. ... Safety. ... Cost.
What are the 4 types of disinfectants?
These include alcohols, chlorine and chlorine compounds, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, ortho-phthalaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, iodophors, peracetic acid, phenolics, and quaternary ammonium compounds.
Which disinfectant is better 95% or 70% alcohol?
70 % isopropyl alcohol is by far better at killing bacteria and viruses than 90 % isopropyl alcohol. As a disinfectant, the higher the concentration of alcohol, the less effective it is at killing pathogens.
What are the 3 types of disinfection?
Chlorination, ozone, ultraviolet light, and chloramines are primary methods for disinfection.
What is the strongest disinfectant?
Sterilants and high-level disinfectants1 Formaldehyde. ... 2 Glutaraldehyde. ... 3 Ortho-phthalaldehyde. ... 4 Hydrogen peroxide. ... 5 Peracetic acid. ... 6 Hydrogen peroxide/peracetic acid combination.
What is the most common disinfectant?
Hypochlorites, the most widely used of the chlorine disinfectants, are available as liquid (e.g., sodium hypochlorite) or solid (e.g., calcium hypochlorite).
What is 91% rubbing alcohol used for?
Isopropyl alcohol (91% conc.) first aid to help prevent the risk of infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns. first aid to help prevent the risk of infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns.
What is 70% isopropyl alcohol used for?
70% isopropyl alcohol is most commonly used disinfectant in pharmaceutical industries. The important thing is that only 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol acts as a disinfectant killing all surface microorganisms. It is used to disinfect hands and equipment surface in pharmaceuticals.
Why do they call it rubbing alcohol?
The term "rubbing alcohol" came into prominence in North America in the mid-1920s. The original rubbing alcohol was literally used as a liniment for massage; hence the name.
What disinfectant is used in hospitals?
Currently, there are five main EPA-registered chemicals that hospitals use for disinfectants: Quaternary Ammonium, Hypochlorite, Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide, Phenolics, and Peracetic Acid.
What are the 2 main methods of disinfection?
Generally, two methods of disinfection are used: chemical and physical. The chemical methods, of course, use chemical agents, and the physical methods use physical agents. Historically, the most widely used chemical agent is chlorine.
What are the 2 types of disinfectants?
Disinfectants can be split into two broad groups, oxidizing and nonoxidizing. Oxidizing disinfectants include the halogens, chlorine, iodine, bromine, and chlorine dioxide, and oxygen-releasing materials such as peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
What are the 2 types of disinfectants?
Disinfectants can be split into two broad groups, oxidizing and nonoxidizing. Oxidizing disinfectants include the halogens, chlorine, iodine, bromine, and chlorine dioxide, and oxygen-releasing materials such as peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
What are disinfectants give an example?
What is an example of a disinfectant? Chlorine, calcium and sodium hypochlorite, iodophor, phenol, ethanol, and quaternary ammonium compounds are some of the most often used chemical disinfectants. Disinfectants differ from sterilants in that they have a lower efficacy against dormant bacterial endospores.
What is disinfection and types of disinfection?
Disinfection is the reduction in the number of bacteria, viruses, or fungi to a desired concentration. Sterilization, or the complete elimination of all microorganisms, is generally not needed or in most cases not possible.
What are disinfectants used for?
Disinfecting uses chemicals (disinfectants) to kill germs on surfaces and objects. Some common disinfectants are bleach and alcohol solutions. You usually need to leave the disinfectant on the surfaces and objects for a certain period of time to kill the germs.
How long does it take for disinfectant to kill?
They often range from 30 seconds to 10 minutes or more. Kill times are an extremely important aspect to compare during disinfectant research since they vary from product to product.
How to make informed decisions about disinfectant?
To make an informed decision on which disinfectant is right for your needs, make sure to fully read its label and review the following factors. (You should also be sure that a disinfectant is actually what you need. Read our article about the difference between cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants to learn more.)
Does disinfectant work for every application?
No single disinfectant solution will work for every application. Make sure you’re fully reading product labels to not only choose the right product, but also assure it’s applied properly. We’re here to help guide you and make the best recommendation for your needs.
Can disinfectants be used on surfaces?
Also, some disinfectants are not recommended for use on types of surfaces and could cause damage.
Does disinfectant kill 99.9% of germs?
This claim does not mean the product kills 99.9% of all germs in existence. It actually means it kills 99.9% of the germs the solution lists in the kill claims area ...
Is disinfectant the same as flu?
Many people think that disinfectant solutions are all the same, but there are various formula makeups that are effective on different pathogens. Some solutions are more effective against viruses, such as cold or flu, while some are effective against bacteria typically found around food preparation areas. It’s extremely important to be sure what you need and review the large and small print on the label, as well as available safety data sheets.
How to prevent corrosion in biosafety cabinet?
To prevent corrosion in your biosafety cabinet, use a squeeze bottle of 10% bleach (rather than spray) and follow it with a 70% ethanol rinse. Note on Ethanol – 70% ethanol also kills many organisms, but depending on the organism you are trying to kill, it has a contact time of up to 20 minutes.
What are the different types of disinfectants?
Disinfectant types include alcohols, chlorinated compounds, iodophores, phenols, quaternary ammonium compounds (quat or QAC), peroxygens, and beyond. Each type has a specific effect on the microorganism (such as dissolving the lipid membrane or denaturing proteins), based on features such as: whether the virus is enveloped, ...
What is the job of a lab?
Lab personnel are responsible for cleaning the surfaces and instruments in their laboratories and offices. If you don’t choose the right disinfectant, or if you don’t use it properly, you can leave contamination behind, which can lead to exposures, damage your equipment, and negatively affect your research.
Can you use ethanol in a biosafety cabinet?
If you want to use ethanol, it has to saturate and remain for prescribed contact time; this won’t happen in a biosafety cabinet because of the airflow, so either follow the note on bleach, choose an alternative disinfectant, or contact EHS for assistance.
Is disinfectant toxic to you?
This also means they are toxic to you. Always consult manufacturer directions to determine the efficacy of the disinfectant against the biohazards in your lab and be sure to allow for sufficient contact time. Consult manufacturer directions to determine the efficacy of the disinfectant against the biohazards in your lab ...
Can you spray bleach in a biosafety cabinet?
Do not spray in a biosafety cabinet – Spraying disinfectants, specifically bleach, allow more of the chemical to get into parts of the cabinet that you cannot access, leading to potential corrosion and recirculation back into the room. Use a squeeze bottle instead.
Do you need to skip PPE?
Do not skip your PPE – Just as disinfectants are toxic to the material you are working with, they can harm you as well. Manufacturers will include PPE recommendations with commercial disinfectants. Apply lab-made solutions of bleach or alcohols using PPE which includes gloves and eye protection.
Why are disinfectants important?
Disinfectants, by definition, are chemicals designed to destroy vegetative forms of harmful microorganisms. This simple definition has caused many to believe that environmental sustainability or preference of a disinfectant is simply a chemical impossibility. While this may be true of certain legacy disinfectant chemistries which exhibit their effectiveness on microbes in a way that is also toxic to aquatic life, newer technologies have determined ways to effectively eliminate pathogenic microbes by means that are more environmentally preferable. Just like microbicidal claims are validated by third-party analysis, claims of environmental preference should also be scrutinized. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not currently allow “green” claims on registered disinfectants, there is a shift occurring within the agency to possibly change this policy.
Is disinfectant a volatile organic compound?
As our infection control needs grow beyond traditional settings such as hospitals and into the community, so does our use of chemical disinfectants. The resulting increased exposure amplifies our need for safer chemistries. Preferably, disinfectant chemistries should be volatile organic compound (VOC)-free, meaning no noxious fumes are emitted, non-toxic, non-irritating to skin, eyes and respiratory and non-sensitizing. Unfortunately, most disinfectant chemistries are required to compromise their overall efficacy as a germicide in order to comply with enhanced safety needs or vice-versa, compromise their safety profile to achieve broad-spectrum germicidal efficacy. An ideal disinfectant will strike a balance between safety and efficacy without compromise.
Do disinfectants work on contact?
It may be surprising for some to hear, but disinfectants do not terminally disinfect on contact. Each product requires a specific length of time that it must remain wet on a surface to achieve complete disinfection. This is known as the “contact time” and it will be clearly listed on the label of registered disinfectant products. To ensure terminal disinfection, the contact time must be complied with. Products that dry before this contact time is achieved — whether because it is too long (10 minutes) or because the product itself contains solvents or alcohols causing it to evaporate rapidly despite having a short in-vitro contact time – will not achieve complete disinfection. Therefore, ideal disinfectant chemistries and products will offer rapid and realistic contact times. This ensures compliance and ultimately instills confidence that disinfection will be achieved.
Is disinfectant toxic to aquatic life?
While this may be true of certain legacy disinfectant chemistries which exhibit their effectiveness on microbes in a way that is also toxic to aquatic life, newer technologies have determined ways to effectively eliminate pathogenic microbes by means that are more environmentally preferable.
Do surfactants help with cleaning?
Often this is achieved with the inclusion of surfactants within the product’s makeup. Surfactants not only enhance the cleaning efficacy of a product but also assist in ensuring complete and even coverage on a surface, preventing beading that occurs with many liquids. Even coverage equals even disinfection.
Is disinfectant safe for the environment?
It should be effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.) in a rapid and ultimately, realistic contact time and the product’s chemistry profile should be sustainable. Finally, it should be safe for the users and the occupants of the environment as well as the environment itself post-use.
Can you use disinfectant on all surfaces?
Unfortunately, no disinfectant chemistry is 100 percent compatible with all surfaces. In our own homes, we would never think of using a bathroom cleaner to clean our windows, wooden table and leather furniture.
1. Kill Claims
Kill claims are also known as the pathogens or other bacteria, spores, or viruses that the product eliminates. The germs and bacteria that each chemical targets vary based on the active ingredients, dwell time, and a few other factors.
2. Dwell Time
Dwell time is another critical consideration when selecting a disinfectant. Dwell time is the amount of time a disinfectant needs to remain wet on a surface to effectively kill germs.
3. Chemical Compatibility with Surfaces or Other Materials
Some chemical disinfectants can damage surfaces if not handled with care. If you choose a chemical disinfectant that is harsh on the surfaces in your building, you could damage your surfaces, leading to expensive repairs or replacements.
4. Cost
Your facility’s budget is important when choosing the chemicals and materials you should add to your cleaning program.
5. Ease of Use
To disinfect, you must either use the 1 or 2 step disinfection method which is determined by the commercial disinfectant you have.
6. Staff & Occupant Safety Concerns
There are some chemical disinfectants that are harsher than others. When choosing a chemical disinfectant for your facility, you should take care to make sure the ingredients do not put your staff or guests at risk.
Efficacy Claims
Contact Times
- When deciding between two or three disinfectants, one aspect to keep in mind is the contact or “dwell” time, or the time that the surface must remain wet in order to achieve the desired kill. If room turnover, or employee time, is a great concern, then you’ll need a disinfectant that can achieve a fast kill. If a disinfectant requires too many appl...
How Safe Is It?
- You can find all the information about the safety of your disinfectants in the corresponding Safety Data Sheet (SDS) (previously known as Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS.) Your disinfectant manufacturer should provide an easy way to view and download these data sheets so that if one is lost you can easily get another. At Quip Labs, for example, we provide an SDS Quick Access, w…
Ease of Use
- Another important attribute of a disinfectant is its ease of use. Ready-to-Use products are easier to use than products that must be mixed, however, they can be more expensive. Better still is to purchase a proportioning systemand tank which can measure out the correct amount of disinfectant without any additional effort from employees, or rely on CLO2 Disinfectants that ca…
Cost
- Cost is often the first thing considered by facility managers and decision-makers, however, cost can be measured in several different ways. When factoring cost, it’s important to consider the amount of disinfectant needed, the efficacy of the disinfectant (after all, wasted research models can just as easily add to cost as upfront disinfectant purchases), shipping costs, the time that e…
Back-End Support
- Just as important as cost is the amount of back-end support you’ll receive from your disinfectant manufacturer. Can they answer any questions that may come up when using the disinfectant? Often this question comes down to their role. Are they just a supplier? Do they formulate the disinfectant themselves? Do they provide other facility hygiene solutions such as environmental …