The short answer is… YES! In fact, you can’t actually properly disinfect any surface, if you first don’t clean it.

Why? The picture of this dirty rag is a perfect example of why we clean BEFORE we apply disinfectant. That black grime is a biofilm layer, also called “SOIL LOAD”. Soil load blocks the disinfectant from doing its job on viruses. The image is from an office building’s public staircase. This biofilm was invisible to the eye, yet every towel was this filthy every couple of feet we cleaned. We went through a couple of dozen towels just cleaning that staircase, then confirmed the surface was ready for disinfectant application with *ATP surface sampling tests.

When performing self-disinfecting at home, we can’t stress enough the importance of deep cleaning before using any disinfectant so the disinfectant can do its job.

If you are hiring a company that advertises fogging or spraying to “disinfect” your home or business, be warned: IT DOES NOT WORK! We see every landscaper, exterminator, carpet cleaner, and auto detailer, offering “Disinfection” when they have had absolutely no training in this field, and most are using the wrong disinfectants, that are not even listed with an EPA’s Emerging Pathogens claim.

They also are not even testing the surface to prove to you it’s even clean! This is a huge liability for them, AND YOU! This is why Steri-Clean uses *ATP testing before and after our service, leaving you confident your property is clean and safe.

[ RELATED BLOG POST: What is ATP testing? ]