Deep Cleaning Vs. Sanitizing - What's Best?

Following the recent outbreaks of H1N1, MRSA, C. Difficile, and increasing fears of microbial and viral pandemics as reported in the media in the past few years, the public has finally caught on to the idea that germs are everywhere. With this awareness has come the expectation that we should be eradicating germs every day and everywhere.

In spite of the increased awareness about germs, there is still a need for clarification of situations where sanitizing (killing germs) and deep cleaning (removing soils, germs and other organic materials from surfaces) are required. To put it simply, soaps and cleaning products (including deep cleaning products like EATOILS™ products) do the 'cleaning', while sanitizers (including bleach, vinegar, peroxides, quat (quaternary ammonia), ammonia, etc.) kill germs - both the good ones and the bad ones.

Both jobs are necessary, particularly in sensitive environments however, many contractors and clients believe that sanitizing can be 'the magic bullet' - a one step solution - for solving the cleaning/sanitizing challenge. Both jobs need to be done yet there is no one product that does both jobs.  

CLEANING Regular soaps and traditional cleaning products remove surface soils and most germs. Deep cleaning MICROBIAL products like EATOILS™ GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN cleaning products also work like traditional cleaning products to clean soils and remove germs.  However these products also keep on working for up to 4 days - with microbial cleaning action - to remove trace organic matter from deep in surface pores, cracks and crevices; leaving the cleaned surfaces exceptionally clean.  

SANITIZING Sanitizing products kill everything on the surface for the few seconds they are in contact with the surface. This is ideal for situations where you want to prevent the spread of diseases or harmful microbial & viral infestations.

In reality, there is no 'one best solution' - a combination of both product groups is actually the best overall solution to keep a facility both clean and germ free - and a combination that effectively optimizes the use of Deep Cleaning products will yield the best overall results. As the Deep Cleaning products require time to do their total job, the timing of when to use each product can be critical - for example, you wouldn't want to apply Deep Cleaning products right before you apply a sanitizer as you would defeat the purpose of the Deep Cleaning product by killing the good microbes before they would have a chance to do their work. On the other hand, you could easily apply the Deep Cleaning product 30 minutes after sanitizing. Also, sanitizing "touch surfaces" like door handles, toilet seats, taps, hand drying equipment, etc. is probably a good part of a regular and frequent treatment regimen for a sanitizing product. In this case you might opt for sanitizing throughout the day and Deep Cleaning at quitting time (which would allow the Deep Cleaning product to work non-stop overnight) to yield your best result.

Depending on the sensitivity of the location (with hospitals, doctor's offices, daycare facilities, nursing homes and food service ranking as highly sensitive locations - factories and office buildings ranking as least sensitive locations) a cleaning contractor or janitorial staff can adjust the balance between the frequency of use of each of the two types of products - deep cleaners and sanitizers to meet the needs of their client/facility.

We have clients in all sectors of food service, hospitality, industry, health care, institutional, and government using our EATOILS™ GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN Deep Cleaning products. We can help you to design and set up a balanced application schedule for your facility using Deep Cleaning products and sanitizing products. If you have any questions or application concerns please call us toll free at 866 621 8244 (North America) or come to our website - customer service personnel are standing by, ready to serve you - Mon - Fri - 9:00 - 5:00 EST/EDT.

Understanding Bio-enzymatic Cleaners

There is a new "kid in town" and he's claiming to be the best solution for all your cleaning needs.  He claims that he is a Bio-enzymatic cleaner.  First thing you need to know is that no one product can do all of your cleaning jobs. 

There are three major jobs - sanitizing, de-scaling, and cleaning.  Sanitizing is used to kill germs - products are usually high acid or caustic products like bleach, quaternary ammonia, or other chemically based killing products.  De-scaling products typically remove salts like rust, calcium & lime deposits that can build up from hard water in sinks, bowls, and on tile surfaces in showers - these products are usually high acid based fluids which chemically 'etch' the salts away.  Both of these types of products are typically harmful to the user and carry 'skeleton hand' and other warnings on the labels.  Cleaning is the removal of all other contaminants from the surface.  One of the best ways to remove contaminants from all surfaces is with microbial action.  Bio-enzymatic cleaners use microbial action to continuously clean the surface and remove both organic and inorganic compounds.  By using bacteria and enzymes organic materials can be broken down and digested, thus eliminating the 'food' from the surface.

In order to be a bio-enzymatic cleaner the product must incorporate bacteria and enzymes in its formula in some way.  The concentrations of components can vary as can the jobs that the products are designed to do.  Each different type of bacteria and every enzyme does different things.  The actual blending of different microbes with different enzymes and surfactant packages yield very different cleaning products of different strengths.

As with most things in life, not all Bio-enzymatic cleaners are created equal - you must see the results before you make your decision about which product best suits your needs.  For example, you should first determine what job you are looking to address.  In general, there are several jobs that Bio-enzymatic cleaners are ideally suited to do: 1) automotive oil and grease removal, 2) deep cleaning and odor control, 3) food grease removal, 4) grease trap treatment, 5) drain opening and maintenance, 6) septic treatment, 7) waste water treatment, 8) laundry pretreatment and stain removal, 9) carpet cleaning and deodorizing, 10) parts washing, 11) tank cleaning, 12) bioremediation of soil and water, etc.  Different formulas excel at different jobs.

At WorldWare Enterprises Ltd. we have developed a line of very exceptional bio-enzymatic cleaners - our EATOILS™ brand of products, with specific products formulated to excel at each of the cleaning jobs outlined above.  Our products have proven to outperform other bio-enzymatic cleaning products when compared on actual job sites. All of our EATOILS™ products are GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN.

For more information about our products please come to our website or call us toll free at 866 621 8244 Mon - Fri 9:00AM - 5:00PM Eastern time.