Question: What’s the best way for applying disinfectant?

This may seem surprising, but we get this question a lot. And it’s still common to see people applying disinfectant incorrectly. The thing is. it doesn’t need to be complicated. I’ve laid out three different approaches to application, ranging from good to best.

Of course, I’d always recommend you use the best method when applying disinfectant, but for proper disinfecting, any of these options will do the trick. So, take a look below and let us know if you have questions.

Good: Immersion

Immerse your cloth in the disinfectant for the amount of time per label instructions. This is what we rarely want to see because the longer the cloth is in the disinfectant, the less effective that disinfectant becomes if it’s quaternary ammonium.

See our KleenMark Distribution site for quaternary and accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectants.

Better: Quick Soak

Dip the material in the disinfectant for a few seconds and then use it immediately. This will lessen the quat action, but not as much as leaving a cloth soaking in a bucket of disinfectant. Another great tip is to frequently change the surface of the cloth per surface being cleaned. 

 

Best: Direct

When the disinfectant is applied directly, it begins to immediately interact with the contaminated surface. The key is to ensure you cover all surfaces with disinfectant, use the appropriate micron level on your sprayer and manage over-spray. This reduces quat binding almost entirely. That means the positively charged “quats” can’t get stuck in a negatively charged cloth. If they get stuck in the cloth they’re never released and therefore don’t do their job.