Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitising and Disinfecting

Cleaning removes dirt, grease and germs from a surface. Sanitising and disinfecting use heat or chemicals to kill germs. Cleaning always comes first, because sanitisers and disinfectants don’t work well on dirty surfaces.

The terms are often used as if they mean the same thing, but Australian guidance treats them as separate steps. Knowing which step a surface needs helps you set the right cleaning scope, avoid wasting chemicals, and meet food safety and infection control expectations.

What is cleaning?

Cleaning is the physical removal of dirt, dust, grease, food waste and germs from a surface, usually with detergent, water and physical action such as wiping or scrubbing.

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) describes cleaning as “removing general dirt, grease and food waste” (FSANZ).
• The NSW Food Authority says cleaning “requires the use of warm to hot water, detergent and physical action to remove food debris” (NSW Food Authority).
• Safe Work Australia defines cleaning as “physically removing germs, dirt and organic matter from surfaces” (Safe Work Australia).

Note that cleaning removes germs as well as dirt. It doesn’t aim to kill them, but it does physically take many of them away. For most surfaces in most workplaces, thorough cleaning with detergent and water is the main job.

Common cleaning methods

• Dry cleaning: vacuuming, dusting and dry mopping to remove loose dust and debris.
• Wet cleaning: detergent and water with a cloth, mop or machine to lift grease and soil from hard surfaces.
• Scrubbing: brushes or pads for built-up soil on hard floors and fixtures.

What is sanitising?

Sanitising uses heat, chemicals or both to reduce the number of microorganisms on a surface that has already been cleaned.

• FSANZ: “Sanitising destroys microorganisms.” It adds: “You need to clean items before you sanitise them.”
• NSW Food Authority: sanitising is “the process of applying heat (usually very hot water) or chemicals or a combination of both”, and sanitisers come after cleaning to reduce the bacteria that remain.

“Sanitising” is mainly food-safety language. It is the term used in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which requires food businesses to keep premises, equipment and food contact surfaces clean and sanitary (Standard 3.2.2, as summarised by FSANZ).

Sanitising can be done using heat or chemicals

FSANZ lists these methods for food businesses:

• Heat: soaking items in very hot water at 77°C for 30 seconds.
• Chemical: saturating items with 70% isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, using diluted bleach at the strengths FSANZ specifies, or using a commercial sanitiser according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Dishwasher: a dishwasher that can sanitise, usually on its longest, hottest setting.

Whatever the method, follow the product label for strength and contact time.

What is disinfecting?

Disinfecting uses chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. Safe Work Australia defines it as “using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces”. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care describes a disinfectant as “a chemical that quickly kills most germs” (ACSQHC).

“Disinfection” is the term used in healthcare, aged care and infection control guidance. In healthcare settings, disinfectants used on hard environmental surfaces must be listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), according to the ACSQHC. NSW Health’s Clinical Excellence Commission also tells purchasers to check that a disinfectant is listed on the ARTG (NSW Health CEC).

Cleaning vs sanitising vs disinfecting at a glance

Which comes first: cleaning or sanitising?

Cleaning always comes first. Every Australian source above agrees:

• The NSW Food Authority says sanitisers “will not work well in the presence of food or detergent residues”.
• Safe Work Australia says dirt and organic matter can weaken disinfectants, and “it’s important to clean before disinfecting”.
• The ACSQHC says a disinfectant should only be used after cleaning away dirt, dust, blood and body fluids, unless you use a combined detergent-disinfectant product.

The two-step and two-in-one methods

Healthcare guidance from the ACSQHC describes two ways to clean and disinfect:

• Two-step: clean with neutral detergent and water and let the surface dry. Then, if the surface is contaminated with blood, body fluids or germs, clean it again with a disinfectant solution and let it dry again.
• Two-in-one: use a single product that combines a neutral detergent and a disinfectant, then let the surface dry completely.

For food contact surfaces, the NSW Food Authority’s process is: scrape off scraps, rinse, wash with warm to hot water and detergent, rinse, apply sanitiser at the correct strength for the required contact time, then air dry or dry with single-use towels.

When to clean, when to sanitise and when to disinfect

Clean every surface on your regular schedule: floors, desks, benches, toilets, glass and touch points. For most office surfaces, cleaning with detergent and water is enough.

Sanitise food contact surfaces and utensils in kitchens, cafés, staff kitchens that prepare food, and childcare food areas. This is a food safety requirement for food businesses, not an optional extra.

Disinfect when a surface may have been contaminated with infectious material, such as blood, body fluids, vomit or during an illness outbreak, and in healthcare and other higher-risk settings as their infection control procedures require. Safe Work Australia notes that how often you need to disinfect depends on how likely contamination is. NSW Health’s Clinical Excellence Commission recommends disinfectants for routine cleaning only in specific situations, such as extreme-risk areas, outbreaks, terminal cleans and toilets, and says relying on a disinfectant alone without physical cleaning is not recommended.

In short: more disinfectant is not better. The right step on a properly cleaned surface is what works.

Using sanitisers and disinfectants safely

• Read the label and the safety data sheet (SDS) before use. Safe Work Australia advises following the manufacturer’s instructions, label and SDS. NSW Health’s Clinical Excellence Commission notes that every chemical has an SDS and, under WHS regulations, workers must be able to view the current SDS for any chemical they use.
• Use the correct dilution and contact time. Too weak, or wiped off too soon, and the product may not work.
• Wear the right protection. Safe Work Australia advises gloves and eye protection when diluting and applying disinfectants.
• Don’t mix chemicals unless the label says it is safe.
• Check the product claims. A detergent cleans; it is not a disinfectant. If you need disinfection, choose a product made and labelled for that purpose, and in healthcare use an ARTG-listed product.

What this means for your business

• Offices and general workplaces: regular cleaning with detergent and water, with extra attention to high-touch points. Disinfect when there is a specific reason, such as a spill of body fluids or an illness outbreak.
• Food areas: clean, then sanitise food contact surfaces and utensils.
• Medical centres, aged care and childcare: follow the cleaning and disinfection procedures your sector’s guidance requires, such as ACSQHC guidance for health services or NHMRC’s Staying healthy guidelines for early childhood education and care.

Frequently asked questions

Is sanitising better than disinfecting?

Neither is “better”. They are closely related steps that use heat or chemicals to kill or reduce germs on a surface that has already been cleaned. In Australia, “sanitising” is mostly food-safety language, while “disinfecting” is the term used in healthcare and infection control, where disinfectants for hard surfaces in healthcare settings must be ARTG-listed. Use the step your setting’s guidance calls for.

What is the difference between a disinfectant and a cleaner?

A cleaner, or detergent, lifts dirt, grease and germs off a surface so they can be wiped or rinsed away. A disinfectant is a chemical made to kill germs. The ACSQHC describes it as one that “quickly kills most germs”. Some products combine both, and their label will say so.

What about sterilising?

Sterilising is a separate process used for reusable medical instruments, which the RACGP Standards call “reprocessing”. It isn’t part of routine cleaning of surfaces in offices, kitchens or common areas, and it sits outside a commercial cleaning scope.

What is sanitisation?

Sanitisation is another word for sanitising: using heat or chemicals to reduce the number of microorganisms on a cleaned surface. In Australia you’ll mostly see the term in food-safety guidance from FSANZ and the NSW Food Authority.

Why is sanitising important?

For food businesses it is required: the Food Standards Code requires food contact surfaces and equipment to be kept clean and sanitary. It also reduces the microorganisms that cleaning alone leaves behind on surfaces that touch food.

Put the right step in your cleaning scope

If you’re writing or reviewing a cleaning scope, the useful question is which surfaces need cleaning only, which need sanitising, and which need disinfecting. At a free site walk-through, B&K Services can help you map that out area by area. We then agree the scope and frequency in writing before service starts. Our teams complete WHS induction, safe chemical handling training and site-specific risk assessments. We work across Sydney, Wollongong/Illawarra and Nowra/Shoalhaven, including commercial cleaning, medical centre cleaning and restaurant cleaning.

For setting-specific detail, see our medical centre cleaning checklist, childcare cleaning checklist and office hygiene tips.

Request a free site walk-through and quote or call 1300 136 954.