Disinfectants: What Your Cleaning Company Needs to Know 3
There are several types of disinfectants available, but the two categories of disinfectants that a commercial cleaning service needs to know about are: Quaternary disinfectants. This type of disinfectant carries a positive charge. The bacteria, viruses and fungi you are trying to remove carry a negative charge. When you clean a surface using a quaternary disinfectant, the cells of the bacteria, viruses and fungi change from a negative to positive charge, which eventually leads to its death. Quaternary, also referred to as Quats, are typically used in low-level sanitization situations. Quaternary disinfectants are odorless, non-staining and non-corrosive to metals. They are fairly non-toxic if used in diluted concentrations. Phenolic disinfectants. Phenol and phenolics are the active ingredients in most bottles of common household disinfectants. Phenol is the oldest disinfectant and was originally called carbolic acid. Phenol can be corrosive to skin, so you may want to consider using disinfectants that contain phenolic, which is less corrosive.