What Is the Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, maintaining a clean and healthy building requires more than surface-level upkeep. For office buildings, laboratory spaces, and corporate facilities, presentation and appearance matter, and the safety and comfort of building occupants matter even more. That is why understanding and properly applying cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting methods is fundamental to supporting daily operations and protecting the people who use your space.

Despite their importance, many people misunderstand these three terms. You may be wondering:

• What exactly is cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting?
• How do they differ?
• When should each process be used?
• What results can you expect from each process?

In this article, we outline the clear distinctions between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting and why each one plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy facility. We also highlight how Janitronics applies these processes with precision and consistency, bringing proven expertise to every building we service.

How Should You Understand Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting?

Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting are three distinct processes used to maintain a healthy building—they are not interchangeable. Each process serves a unique purpose, delivering a different level of protection.

What Is Cleaning?

Cleaning is the physical removal of dirt, dust, debris, and many surface-level germs. It is performed with agents such as soap, water, or detergents combined with mechanical actions like scrubbing or wiping. Cleaning does not kill germs, but removes them along with the organic matter that can interfere with more advanced hygienic processes like sanitizing and disinfecting.

What Is Sanitizing?

Sanitizing reduces the number of certain bacteria on surfaces to levels considered safe by public health standards. It is most used on food-contact surfaces in environments such as commercial kitchens, break rooms, and childcare facilities. Sanitizing solutions are formulated to meet food-safety regulations, but do not eliminate the broader range of pathogens that disinfectants are designed to address.

What Is Disinfecting?

Disinfecting destroys or inactivates a wider spectrum of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, on hard nonporous surfaces, reducing the risk of illness transmission. It requires the use of an EPA-registered disinfecting product applied in accordance with its labeled contact time and instructions. Disinfecting provides a higher level of hygiene control than sanitizing and is the standard for most commercial facilities.

What Are Some Best Practices for Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting?

Best Practices for Cleaning

A strong cleaning and disinfecting program is most effective when it follows proven, consistent procedures. There are several best practices you should follow when cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting your building.

Always begin with cleaning, even if a surface also needs sanitizing or disinfecting. Impurities on a surface can prevent sanitizing and disinfecting agents from properly working.

Start cleaning by using soap and water or a general-purpose cleaning detergent to remove dirt, dust particles, grease, and grime from surfaces. Make sure that the cleaning agent you use is appropriate for the surface you are cleaning.

Remove dirt and particles from the surface using mechanical actions, such as wiping and scrubbing. After washing the surfaces, rinse them with clean water to remove any detergent residue that could reduce the effectiveness of sanitizers or disinfecting agents.

Best Practices for Sanitizing and Disinfecting

Use EPA-registered products and follow all label directions carefully, especially regarding dilution and contact time.

Make sure the surface remains visibly wet with the cleaning product for the entire contact time specified on the label to ensure it is effective. After the contact time is complete, follow the label instructions to determine whether to let the surface air dry or to wipe it with a clean, disposable cloth.

Additional Best Practices

• Ventilation – Always use cleaning and apply disinfecting products in a well-ventilated area to avoid exposure to fumes.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – When cleaning, sanitizing, or applying disinfectant, wear gloves and eye protection. This is especially important when working with strong disinfectants.
• Cleaning schedule – To ensure consistent maintenance of high-touch surfaces, develop and maintain a regular cleaning schedule.

How Is Cleaning and Disinfecting with Janitronics Different?

Janitronics has been cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in buildings across the Greater Boston region for nearly fifty years. Our teams clean hard surfaces with neutral cleaners to remove dirt, germs, and impurities. We then apply EPA and CDC-registered disinfectants to restrooms, locker rooms, and other high-touch points or any surfaces where people regularly come in contact. These steps work together to support healthier, safer building environments.

What sets Janitronics apart is the depth and consistency of our extensive training program. Training isn’t a box we check–it is a core part of how we deliver reliable, consistent service to our clients.

Every new employee participates in a structured onboarding process that gives comprehensive training on the various aspects of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting. Examples of those training modules include:

• Understanding the Application of Disinfectant
• Restroom Technical Cleaning
• Cleaning and Sanitizing of Critical Worksurfaces
• Routine Cleaning

Training begins with learning management coursework, followed by hands-on instruction at the worksite, where teammates learn the Janitronics approach to cleaning every area we service.

This foundation is reinforced through annual refresher training and ongoing evaluation through our quality assurance program. We reward outstanding performance through our employee recognition initiatives, and stellar performance provides clear pathways for career advancement.

Tim Cullinan, Senior Vice President of Client Services, explains that Janitronics takes a science-based approach to applying disinfectants, including strict adherence to manufacturer-recommended dwell and contact times to ensure they are applied correctly and achieve their intended effectiveness.

How Can Janitronics Help Your Company with Janitorial Services?

For organizations committed to attracting and retaining top talent, the quality of your workplace matters. Clean, healthy, well-maintained spaces help employees feel safe, supported, and able to perform at their best.

That’s where Janitronics comes in. As Tim Cullinan puts it:

Our value comes from our training, our operations, and our best-in-class approach to commercial janitorial services. – Tim Cullinan

Janitronics is more than a janitorial services provider–we are a building services partner. Our highly trained team is committed to delivering consistent, high-quality results and would be proud to help you create a clean and healthy workplace.

If your business needs outstanding janitorial services, get in touch with us today.