SIX THINGS I LEARNED FROM A SANITISING SPECIALIST

1. Cleaning and Sanitising are not the same thing.

After Covid 19, if you thought you can just to a deeper clean of your place to make it safe, then think again. Cleaning products contain mild detergents that remove dirt and dust etc., but they don’t remove bacteria from surfaces. For that you need to do your normal clean, then sanitise with an anti-bacterial product, such as a spray that is safe for use in places like the kitchen, where you are dealing with food.

2. Some sanitising products are better than others.

Alcohol kills bacteria and is easily available everywhere, which is why many sprays and hand sanitisers contain alcohol. They can however, have nasty drying effects on the skin when repeatedly used (you probably know that by now!), and even cause fading of fabrics or even deteriorationa. Personally, I prefer non-alcohol-based products.

3. Read the label (or the MDA – material data sheet).

All the manufactures have a sheet, something like you get in medication, which tells you about the product. My Keep Clean spray says “this is a clear, odourless, food grade disinfectant for all surfaces.” The ingredients are 90% biodegradable within 72 hours and does not contain bleach, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, toxic chlorine or staining dyes and is non-carcinogenic.

4. Sanitising is almost instant if it’s a good product.

You can still do same-day turnarounds at your Airbnb, because you only need to leave the place for 2 – 4 hours after sanitising to use it again. I’m using a South African product called Keep Clean – Professional Series, which says “for best results allow a contact time of 5 minutes.”

5. There are four different ways to sanitise a space

Firstly, there’s are sprays, good for handles and surfaces. You can buy a concentrated solution and dilute into your own spray bottle, which is great where multiple properties are involved with high turnover of guests. Or you can buy a spray ready to use. Then, there’s a spray fogger, that you leave to fog a room, emitting tiny droplets that cover everything in the room. There is also a multi-use fogging machine, which works out to be more cost effective for multiple properties. Finally, you can get a professional service to clean and sanitise the place using sprays or foggers.

Watch the free video with SOS Safety under ‘Interviews with Experts’ on the home page.