What’s the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting?

Cleaning removes dirt, debris, and some germs from surfaces. It does not kill microorganisms but reduces their numbers by physically removing them.

Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on a surface to a safe level as defined by public health standards. Sanitizers are typically used on food-contact surfaces and must be registered by the EPA for that purpose.

Disinfecting goes a step further by using EPA-registered products to kill a wide range of microorganisms on hard, non-porous surfaces when used according to label directions. Disinfectants are essential in healthcare and other high-risk environments where infection prevention is critical.
PDI’s surface disinfection brand products are EPA-registered disinfectants, designed to kill a broad spectrum of clinically relevant microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and (in the case of sporicidal products) spores. While they can also be used for cleaning, they are not registered as food-contact sanitizers. This means that when used on food-contact surfaces, a potable water rinse is required after disinfection.