What is the difference between detergents and disinfectants?
The process of cleaning versus the process of disinfecting are uniquely different – actually, they both use detergents, but in opposite ways. To clean a dirty surface, one uses a detergent, mixed in water, to break up and dissolve the soil particles. The detergent, suspended in water, encapsulates the soil particles and uses the water as the vehicle that transports the soil to the mop bucket or hand bucket and eventually down the drain. When the detergent is mixed in fresh water, the detergent bubbles have no cargo to carry away until it is applied onto the soiled surface. So, a detergent used for cleaning is free of cargo when it is first mixed in water. The cargo, the soil to be removed, awaits the arrival of the detergent solution to dissolve it and carry it away. Now, with disinfectant / detergent concentrate, the detergent’s cargo is formulated into the mix…the cargo are the disinfectant ingredients waiting to be applied to a clean surface. The formulation of a disinfectant / de
