Cleaning vs. Sanitizing vs. Disinfecting: What Your Home Actually Needs

The CDC draws a clear line between the three. Cleaning removes most germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces, and is done with water, soap and scrubbing. Sanitizing reduces germs to levels public health codes or regulations consider safe, and is done with weaker bleach solutions or sanitizing sprays. Disinfecting kills most germs on surfaces and objects.

Disinfectants work on surfaces, not through grime. A film of grease, soap scum or dried food shields germs underneath it, which is why every disinfectant label assumes the surface has been cleaned first, or tells you to pre-clean. In a home, routine cleaning with the right product for each surface does most of the work.

That is also why the CDC’s guidance for homes is restrained: disinfecting to reduce the spread of disease at home is likely not needed unless someone is sick. It recommends disinfecting when someone is sick or at higher risk of getting sick. The rest of the time, regular cleaning is the job.

EPA’s six steps for safe and effective disinfectant use are a good routine whenever you do disinfect:

1. Check that it is a registered disinfectant. Find the EPA registration number on the label; EPA says it is the only way to accurately identify a product.
2. Read the directions on the label before you start.
3. Pre-clean. Wash the surface with soap and water if the directions mention pre-cleaning or if it is visibly dirty.
4. Follow the contact time. Keep the surface wet for the whole time the label gives.
5. Wear gloves and wash your hands afterward.
6. Lock it up. Keep lids tightly closed and store products out of reach of children.

Contact time is the step most people skip. The CDC explains that the surface should stay wet for the entire contact time to make sure germs are killed, and EPA notes that the surface should be visibly wet for the entire contact time, which may mean reapplying the product. A quick spray-and-wipe often does not disinfect at all.

The CDC is blunt: never mix household bleach, or any disinfectant, with any other cleaners or disinfectants, because it can release vapors that are very dangerous to breathe. Two combinations cause the most accidents at home:

• Bleach and ammonia, which is in some glass and multi-surface cleaners. EPA warns this mix can produce toxic fumes.
• Bleach and any other cleaner or disinfectant, including “natural” products, toilet-bowl cleaners and rust removers.
• Two disinfectants at once “for extra strength”. Use one product, exactly as labeled.

Ventilate while you clean, as the CDC advises, wear gloves when the label calls for them, and keep products in their original containers so the directions travel with them. If you use bleach, the CDC’s bleach guidance gives the dilution and contact time.

Household bleach is effective and inexpensive, and it is also the product most often misused. The CDC’s bleach guidance is specific:

• Use regular, unscented household bleach, and check that its label gives disinfecting directions.
• Dilute it: the CDC’s solution is 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach per gallon of room-temperature water.
• Leave it on the surface for at least 1 minute before removing or wiping.
• Ventilate, and never mix bleach with any other cleaner or disinfectant.

Bleach is the wrong choice on natural stone, many metal and fixture finishes, wood and fabrics. On those surfaces, clean with a product made for the surface and, if you need to disinfect, choose an EPA-registered product whose label approves that surface.

Kitchen

Clean counters, sinks, appliance fronts and handles at every visit. Food-contact surfaces such as cutting boards and counters where food is prepared follow the label of whatever product you use, and many products tell you to rinse food-contact surfaces with water afterward. Disinfect handles and sink fixtures when someone is sick.

Bathrooms

Toilets, sinks and faucet handles are where disinfecting earns its place in most homes. Clean first, then disinfect the toilet inside and out, the flush lever and the faucet handles, keeping each surface wet for the label’s contact time.

Bedrooms and living areas

Regular cleaning is enough most of the time: dusting, vacuuming and wiping hard surfaces. When someone is sick, add the high-touch points listed below.

Entries and garage doors

Door handles, keypads and stair rails pick up whatever comes in from outside. Clean them often; disinfect them when illness is in the house.

1. Spraying and wiping straight away. The surface has to stay wet for the full contact time; EPA notes this may mean reapplying the product.
2. Disinfecting a dirty surface. Clean first, or the product spends itself on the grime.
3. Using more product than the label says. More is not stronger; it leaves residue and fumes.
4. Using one cloth for the whole house. Separate cloths for kitchens and bathrooms keep germs from traveling between them.
5. Disinfecting surfaces the product is not approved for. Many disinfectants dull stone, metal finishes and wood. Read the label’s surface list.

This is the situation where the CDC recommends disinfecting at home. A practical plan for a few days of illness:

• Clean and then disinfect high-touch surfaces in shared rooms once a day.
• Give the sick person their own towel and, if you can, their own bathroom.
• Use separate cloths for their room and bathroom, and launder them right after.
• Ventilate shared rooms while you clean.
• Wash your hands after cleaning, even if you wore gloves.

A product that disinfects well is not always safe for the surface under it. Bleach can discolor and pit some metal finishes; acidic products etch marble, limestone and travertine; and harsh products can dull wood finishes and some fixture coatings. Read both the disinfectant label and the care instructions for the surface.

That is why our teams choose products surface by surface: pH-neutral care for natural stone, wood-safe products for floors, and gentle cleaners for brass and matte fixtures. Our guides to granite, marble and quartz and fixture and appliance finishes go into each one.

• Door handles, cabinet pulls and light switches
• Refrigerator, oven and dishwasher handles
• Faucet handles and toilet flush levers
• Remote controls, game controllers and shared tablets (follow the device maker’s instructions)
• Stair rails and the garage-entry door

Every standard house cleaning and recurring visit cleans the whole home and disinfects bathrooms, including toilets, inside and out. If someone in the household is sick, or you want high-touch surfaces disinfected throughout, tell us when you book and we plan the time for it. A deep cleaning adds the detail work, such as baseboards, fixtures and appliance interiors, that routine visits only maintain.

Choosing products for a household with children, pets or sensitivities? Our guide to safer cleaning products and the EPA Safer Choice label explains what to look for.