Cleaning vs Disinfecting vs Sanitising vs Multipurpose – Which one is best?

Cleaning is always the first and usually most important part of the hygiene equation. Cleaning will help remove visible dirt, dust and grime, fats and oils, but it doesn’t always “kill” the germs, bacteria or viruses. Cleaning aims to physically remove things off a surface. As with bacteria and viruses, they stay on surfaces until they spread by contact or by growing in numbers. By cleaning and removing them it lowers their numbers and the potential risk of infection. Products suitable for general cleaning include the large range of Nowchem’s general and specialist detergents, degreasers, Wipe Over and Neutral Cleaner.

Disinfecting a surface should be performed when the surface is or has been cleaned.  The Nowchem range of disinfectant will inhibit and kill germs that are invisible to the naked eye. Nowchem has a large range of disinfectants with a 2% active ingredient, whilst also providing a hospital grade disinfectant with a 4% active ingredient.

Using a multipurpose product can help you clean, disinfectant and deodorise in a range of different environments. Whilst these styled multipurpose products are a combination of several different chemicals, they are versatile in a variety of hospitality and general hard surfaces uses (such as floors, walls and tiles). Whilst they are not recommended in food manufacturing or medical industries, they provide a very easy way to keep on top of bacteria and viruses. Nowchem provide three different multipurpose products including Floral Clean, Multi-Pro Lemon and our newest product Fresh and Clean.

Sanitising – sanitising is the final part of the hygiene equation. A sanitiser can be found in 2 different but both effective ways, alcohol based and chemical based. By using a sanitiser we are effectively killing and lowering the number of germs and bacteria to a safe level judged by public health standards. Sanitising is usually reserved for surfaces that come into contact with food and beverages, but can be used on a wide variety of applications. Nowchem’s product range includes Food Service Sanitiser, Sanitiser A, Sodium Hypochlorite, Isopropyl Alcohol and Bleach.