Cleaning vs. Disinfecting:
What you need to know during the COVID-19 pandemic
This second article in the COVID-19 series will look at CDC recommended practices for personal and environmental cleaning. The page How to Protect Yourself provides an overview of measures you can take as an individual to protect yourself and others. On March 17, 2020 the CDC published a new page: Disinfecting your home if someone is sick. More detailed information on how cleanliness and disenfecting and recipes for home disinfectants can be found at Clean & Disinfect. If you look to the left of these pages you will see a menu that can help you navigate to other resources around the CDC's website.
What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting?
Cleaning removes germs,
dirt, and other impurities from a surface (including cups, papers, and that pen
you thought was lost forever). While
cleaning does help lower the number of germs, disinfecting can kill those that
remain. Disinfecting chemicals come in
spray bottles, wipes, and leave on sprays that can be applied or run over a
surface after it has been cleaned to kill any remain bacteria or viruses and
significantly decrease the risk of infection.
Always remember to use these products according to the label and take
safety precautions such as good ventilation and wearing gloves.
How thorough do you need to be?
You should keep all surfaces clean and put items away in
their places. Use soap and water to
clean whenever possible before beginning to disinfect. Disinfect all surfaces that are touched
frequently. This includes countertops,
backs of chairs, light switches, door knobs, and computer accessories. Make sure to check the label on your
disinfectant to ensure it is appropriate to the surface you are treating.
Additional Information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site for COVID-19 is updated daily and there is also an email sign up for updates on COVID-19 at the bottom of the page.
From Whitehouse.gov:
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