Different Surface Types Require Different Disinfectants

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

 We’ve got a sticky situation. A graphic shared by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on May 4, 2020 revealed that, “about 1 in 3 adults used chemicals or disinfectants unsafely while trying to protect against COVID-19."

The startling, nationally representative survey of 502 U.S. adults demonstrates the importance of always reading instructions, wearing protective gear, and never mixing chemicals when cleaning and disinfecting.

As a whole, it’s pretty clear we aren’t choosing the right products for our facilities, and we aren’t teaching our employees how to use disinfectants properly so that what products we use will be effective.

A high quality cleaning company that specializes in commercial operations can help facility managers and their tenants choose a great disinfectant.

But cleaning cycles are practically useless if, for example, an employee just uses whatever product they can find from the untidy storage closet, instead of the disinfectant specifically intended for the surface type they’re cleaning.


Different disinfectants are made for different surface types, and one should always refer to a product’s label before preparing or applying it.

In another blog post, we’ll cover ways that employers can train staff to properly prepare and apply disinfectants; but before staff members can effectively do their part to clean and disinfect a gym’s various equipment and surface types, facility managers and employers must:

1. Take inventory of all surface types that need cleaning and disinfecting.

2. Allocate disinfectants that are task-oriented for each surface type.

Gyms, yoga studios, and commercial fitness facilities make an excellent case study for the relationship between disinfectants and surface types.


These facilities host a vast and unique assembly of equipment made with a multitude of surface types. They may include: running tracks made of tartan, artificial turfs and tile floors, steel dead weights and rubber mats, glass walls in the racketball courts and more.

Remember: the common, household multi-surface disinfecting wipes are made for just that— multiple surfaces. Not all of them.

Task-oriented disinfectants, unlike multi-disinfectant wipes, are engineered with a targeted purpose for one or many surface types. Their task is to eliminate a specific virus on a specific surface, so they may be less effective if misused elsewhere.

When task-oriented disinfectants are applied with electrostatic spray; the electrically-charged disinfectant forms a shield that is far more uniform and protective than what’s possible with human hands, and provides more long-lasting coverage too.


Let’s take a look at a typical gym’s primary facilities:

Restrooms and Locker Rooms
Restrooms and locker rooms are places where humans come in close— often skin-to-skin— contact with the cleaning products used there. Those products should be as powerful as they are gentle and human-friendly. Furthermore, these areas see tons of use, so products should ideally be cost-efficient and non-corrosive.

Exercise Equipment
A person’s workout is as unique as they are. Yoga studios have a wide variety of mats, blocks, straps, blankets, and fitness balls, whereas a standard Cross Trainer Workout Machine is made of heavy duty steel with a thick foam roller for leg-lifts and seating. We need something with a fast contact time so gym patrons can keep the ball rolling.

Training Grounds
The spa and sauna, the lap pool, the soccer field, the racketball and basketball courts, the rubber or tartan running track. By nature, training grounds see the bottoms of shoes that have been everywhere, all day. We need a disinfectant that kills spores rapidly on both hard and soft surfaces. Again, we’re looking for something that works quick and can cover a lot of ground in little time.

For these surface types:

• Upholstery and Furniture 

• Touch Screens

• Lights

• Tile floors 

• Shower enclosures

• Countertops 

• Bathroom fixtures

• Pipe fittings

• Keyboards

• Electrical enclosures

• Medical Devices

• Wall Panels

• Shower Enclosures

• Crutches, Stretchers, Seating

• Grab bars

• Equipment

• Floor Finishes
  
  

We Recommend: 

Clorox Total 360 Disinfectants. When Clorox Total 360 Disinfectants are professionally-applied using Electrostatic Spraying Techniques, the combined system boasts a stealthy contact time of 2 minutes against Coronavirus on nonporous surfaces.

This EPA and CDC-approved system saves patron’s from their workouts being disrupted due to closed restrooms, utilities, and equipment.

Another important quality to note is that Clorox Total 360 Disinfectants are fragrance-free and kill odor-causing bacteria. Gym facilities experience a noticeable difference in air-quality, and consequently, morale.

Clorox Total 360 is trusted by Virus Control Experts, and it is even the choice disinfectant in U.S. healthcare facilities. 

Just as they always have been, gym members and facility patrons should always be encouraged to disinfect equipment after they’ve used it. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes help prolong protection between routine applications of Electrostatic Sprays.

However, the positively charged, electrostatic disinfectant particles continue to protect surfaces by inhibiting the growth of mold or mildew for up to 7 days between applications.

As a final note, Clorox Total 360-Electrostatic Spray System, uses 65% less solution than the standard trigger sprayer, works 75% faster, and is capable of covering 18,000 square feet per hour to reduce pathogens and 44 other microorganisms responsible for cold and flu viruses. Gentle yet powerful.

In this blog post, we broke down “List N,” a vital resource for Facility Managers, which was created by the Environmental Protection Agency. Within this exhaustive compilation of disinfectants— proven effective at killing Covid-19— we find Clorox Total 360 Disinfectants.

S Grace Facilities is the Leading National Provider of the Clorox Total 360 Electrostatic Spray system. Learn more about S Grace Facilities Commercial Disinfection Services here. Or follow this link for more information about Clorox Total 360 Disinfectants.

The CDC’s 2008 Guidance on Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities brings up relevant questions all Facility Managers should ask while selecting cleaning and disinfecting products:

• What is the disinfectant’s concentration, and how potent is it?

• How does the disinfectant’s chemical composition affect how it’s prepared?

• Will the product be used to disinfect organic matter (such as blood and urine), or inorganic matter (such as metals)?

• What is the product’s contact time? How long should it be in contact with a surface in order to be effective?

• Does the product leave an irremovable biofilm, which can have serious implications for immunocompromised individuals?

Facility Managers: Using the wrong disinfectant on a surface can have permanent consequences.

Before orchestrating a master disinfection plan for your specific facilities; the Disinfection Specialists at S Grace Facilities take the above factors and more into consideration.

S Grace meticulously inspects facilities for porous and non-porous surface types, hazard zones, and places that are hard-to-reach or that require special attention. 

From there, an S Grace Safety Continuity Plan takes shape in partnership with Facility Management, which is tailored to the organization’s specific needs.


We are committed to keeping you protected and informed.

• Watch an S Grace Facilities Electrostatic Spray Technician at work in this video.

• Provide all the updated, printable communications signage your facility needs through the CDC website.

• Speak to an S Grace Facilities Specialist about their powerful yet gentle Disinfection Services by clicking here.