Response To Chemical Dwell Times

A reader comments: "In a previous article, you answered a question to a reader regarding dwell times of a disinfectant on the pads and matting in a gym. You indicated that you read the label of their disinfectant and said that the product needed a 10 minute wet dwell time to be effective. You also intertwine the words disinfecting and sanitizing and to the layman that can be confusing." (Note: The reader's full comments are in a prior article.)

One challenge in writing brief tips such as this is that I have to build a case and refer back to prior articles that laid the foundation and for clarification. As many readers know, I always try to differentiate between sanitize, disinfect and sterilize since many well intended people will spray/wipe with a disinfectant yet have only sanitized to some degree. The degree of sanitizing varies with product, soil load, cloth used, etc. True disinfecting can be a challenge for many reasons. I also recognize the importance of keeping the surface wet for many products to truly disinfect as per EPA guidance and manufacturer's directions.

I certainly do not disagree with the points you make which shows experience and insight into an important topic. My challenge is to take a rather complex subject and keep it simple in part due to the limited space. My goal is to get people thinking and talking about the subject. I usually stress that I cannot cover the subject in an exhaustive manner. I admit that one key is to follow the label guidelines as best as possible, with a touch of commons sense. One primary concern is that a reader may take a sentence out of context and misapply it with poor results.

Thanks for your comments and please feel free to always challenge anything that you perceive to be unclear or inaccurate.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.