disinfection and cleaning methods

all disinfections processes aim to

reduce the microbial load of a processed item

defined into one of three levels

high, intermediate, or low

high-level disinfection goal

to kill all but the most resistant of spores

in HLD depending on the item

either heat or liquid immersion techniques can be used

for a liquid immersion technique to be successful

objects must be completely immersed in a verified high-level disinfectant solution for a predetermined period of time

heat processing for high-level disinfection is known as

pasteurization

in intermediate level disinfection (ILD)

most bacteria and fungi are inactivated including slow-growing mycobacterium tuberculosis

some infectious spores may remain after processing

examples of ILD

bleach and alcohols

two main types of bleach

oxygen-based bleaches (use hydrogen peroxide as their main ingredient)

chlorine-based bleaches (rely on chlorine liberating compound like sodium hypochlorite)

combining the two types of bleach can result in

large volumes of chlorine gas being quickly released

Low-level disinfection (LLD)

most basic form of disinfection, sometimes referred to as sanitization

many bacteria are inactivated, but M. tuberculosis may survive as may some fungi and spores

Basic cleaning

simple removal of surface soil and debris from an object

surface soil can

impede the ingress of steam of chemical sterilants, making sterilization processes ineffective

simple cleaning serves as the foundation for

all other decontamination processes