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Effective and appropriate disinfectant cleaning supplies that are EPA-approved should always be used by your Houston janitorial cleaning services.

Janitorial services keep your Houston workplace clean and professional. One of the many reasons to invest in a good cleaning service is to remove germs from your workplace to reduce the risk of illness transmission. Therefore, a key part of janitorial services for your office is disinfection. Disinfection services focus on killing germs left behind after cleaning and are a great way for controlling germs in the workplace, including those like COVID and influenza. However, it’s important to make sure you’re getting quality disinfection services from your cleaning crew. Many janitorial companies cut corners to save money, making disinfection less effective. It’s essential to choose a team that uses disinfectants properly and knows the type of disinfectants to use for your building. In this article, we’ll discuss some key things to know about different types of disinfectants and how to use them for your workplace. 

If you need cleaning and maintenance solutions for your commercial building, contact us now for a free quote. 

Why Are Disinfecting Janitorial Services Important for the Workplace?

When you think of janitorial services, you might picture a crew tidying up and dusting. These are important as well, but don’t forget now necessary disinfection is. Many of us are more aware than ever of the risk that germs present to our health. Germs can lurk on surfaces throughout your workplace and make people sick. No one wants that, so instead you need to find effective ways to control and reduce germs in your facility. Disinfection is a critical part of this process.

You see, while cleaning removes many germs from a surface, it won’t remove them all. There will be some germ particles left behind even for very thoroughly cleaned surfaces. Disinfection helps kill off those remaining germs, whether they be bacteria, viruses, or other types of pathogens. This way, the surface is safer and less of a risk for transmitting diseases and illnesses. 

Important Things to Know About Disinfectants

There are many things you need to know about disinfectants. One is that disinfectants don’t work very well on dirty surfaces. So, if you’re getting disinfecting janitorial services for your workplace, the cleaning crew must clean the surface with soap and water first. Otherwise, the disinfectant may not actually kill germs. 

Additionally, disinfectants aren’t great for every single surface in the facility. Remember, cleaning removes most germs, so it’s best to target only high-risk areas with disinfectants. High touch surfaces like doorknobs and light switches are common places where you might need to use disinfectants in your workplace. 

Another important thing to note is that disinfectants are registered and approved by the EPA, so your janitorial services team should always use EPA-approved disinfectant products. Otherwise, the products may not be safe or effective at killing germs. 

Types of Disinfectants to Use for Janitorial Services

For office cleaning services in Houston, there are several different types of disinfectants to choose from. It’s important to understand the differences before choosing disinfectants to use in your building. The right janitorial crew will do this for you and consider many different factors, including:

  • Types of germs most likely in your facility
  • Surfaces that need to be disinfected
  • Potential exposures to employees in your workplace

There are many different active ingredients found in disinfectants, but some of the most common are quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, and alcohol. Each comes with pros and cons that your janitorial team will weigh to choose the correct disinfectant for the job.

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

Quaternary ammonium compounds, also sometimes known as “quats” are a really commonly used type of disinfectant. There are several reasons for this. One is that they are effective against a wide range of pathogens. They also work quickly and tend to be less expensive than many other disinfectant products. For this reason, they’re really commonly used for janitorial services. However, they do come with some disadvantages, mainly that exposure can cause a lot of problems, like skin and eye irritation, even from fumes left behind from nighttime janitorial services in some cases. 

Chlorine

Chlorine is another common active ingredient in many disinfectants. It’s also what gives bleach its disinfection power. These disinfectants work well on a wide variety of germs as well, so that makes them really common for commercial cleaning applications. However, they can be quite damaging to some surfaces. Also, they can create fumes and irritation that do require good ventilation and PPE before using.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide disinfectants are quite popular because they’re often marketed as “safer” than other types of disinfectants. Now, while other disinfectants are safe when used correctly, hydrogen peroxide naturally breaks down into water over time, hence the idea that it’s safer to use. However, these products are often more expensive than other options, so that’s something to keep in mind as well. 

Alcohol

Finally, there are some alcohol-based disinfectants as well. Alcohol can be an effective option against many types of germs, particularly viruses. However, there are a few disadvantages, particularly that they often need longer dwell times, yet alcohol evaporates quickly. Therefore, your janitorial services team must use them very particularly to achieve a disinfected surface. 

Choose a Janitorial Services Team that Prioritizes Safe, Proper Disinfection

When choosing a team to provide janitorial services in Houston for your business, it’s important to select a team that you know will use disinfectants properly. This includes things like diluting concentrates according to the label and using instructed dwell times. Not following these directions can be dangerous and make disinfection ineffective, leaving germs behind that could potentially infect people. Additionally, your janitorial team needs to know when it’s appropriate and necessary to rinse surfaces after following disinfection protocols. In most cases, the residue left behind by approved disinfectants is fine, but any time children or food may come into contact with the surface, it’s best to rinse thoroughly. This means break room areas and any lobby areas where children might be present.

Get Expert Janitorial Services in Houston from Accredited Building Services

Keeping your workplace clean and germ-free is essential, which is why you need the right team to clean and disinfect your building. As a top janitorial company in Houston, Accredited Building Services provides solutions you can trust to keep people safe and healthy in your facility. We work with a variety of facilities throughout Greater Houston and Beaumont to provide top quality cleaning and maintenance services. If you need janitorial services for your commercial or industrial building, contact us now to request a free quote from our experts.