It’s more important than ever to keep your facility clean, sanitized, and disinfected, to prevent viruses like Parvovirus from spreading amongst the animals. Many veterinarians are constantly focused on keeping everything clean, but just cleaning surfaces isn’t going far enough. Eliminating harmful bacteria requires veterinary disinfectants to truly get the job done.
It’s important to clean the surfaces and communal areas of your veterinary practice, but cleaning isn’t the same as disinfecting those surfaces. There are big differences between the two methods of tidying up, but both steps are equally as important, and they can help make the other step even more effective. It’s also crucial to sanitize the areas as well, because that can help prevent long term problems arising from bacteria collecting on surfaces.
How to be Sure Your Veterinary Disinfectant can Do the Job
As overwhelming as it may seem to sift through the hundreds of products out there, it’s actually quite easy to eliminate at least half of the products, depending on what you’re looking for. The first thing you need to decide is whether you’re looking for a veterinary cleaner or a veterinary disinfectant, because there is a big difference.
Think of it this way: Some cleaners are disinfectants, but all disinfectants are cleaners. That’s where the confusion arises. Some cleaning products do not contain sanitizing or disinfecting properties or chemicals, but some of them do. Any cleaning product that claims to disinfect, must be registered and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Veterinary disinfectants, such as KennelSol HC, have to do what they claim, or they can’t use the word “disinfectant” in any way on their packaging.
Differences Between Cleaners and Disinfectants
Cleaning products are able to get rid of some germs, as well as dirt and impurities from surfaces. These products use soap or detergent to break up the germ or dirt particles, so when you wipe the surface, those impurities are lifted up by the cloth. That’s why cleaning products help get rid of germs, but they don’t kill bacteria or viruses. By reducing the amount of bacteria lying around will help reduce the likelihood of spreading dangerous germs. Using a veterinary cleaner instead of a disinfectant will help with some areas and for certain jobs, but disinfectants will actually kill all of the bad substances.
Disinfectants actually kill the germs, eliminating them for good which helps control them from spreading much more than cleaners. The chemicals in the products physically remove the germs by breaking them down and destroying them permanently. Disinfectants don’t necessarily clean the surfaces though, but they reduce the number of germs by destroying the ones they come in contact with.
What Are Sanitizers?
Sanitizers, like disinfectants must be approved by the FDA, and any claims they make must be proven or they can’t claim they sanitize. Cleaning and disinfecting your veterinary practice is crucial to maintaining a safe environment, but you also want to sanitize these areas, as well. Sanitizers can reduce active bacteria on surfaces by up to 99.9%. Sanitizers are wonderful because they are placed on surfaces and can be active for stretches of time, preventing bacteria from latching on to these surfaces.
What Works Best for Veterinary Practices
The best products will combine the ability to clean with the power of disinfecting, without using extremely harsh and damaging chemicals. Because these products are used around our furry friends, making sure you have non-corrosive products that still eliminate the problems at the source. Using a one-step germicidal cleaner, deodorizer and veterinary disinfectant like KennelSol HC will help you clean up your toughest messes and protect your practice and your clients’ pets. Thanks to changing technology and emerging science, there are now ways to clean up your veterinary practice, disinfect the same areas, and deodorize the same spaces, all at the same time.
Don’t feel as though the only way you’ll get the job done for your entire veterinarian practice is to use harsh or toxic cleaners and disinfectants. You can accomplish your goal by using these simple, one-step products that allow you to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time, while giving you peace of mind. These products are proven to kill harmful viruses and bacteria, including the dangerous Parvovirus. A product that can provide that kind of effectiveness can help protect you, your practice, and your clients from dangerous germs.
For more education information contact Tom Bissanti: Tom@AlphaTechPet.com or visit our pet industry education website.