The differences among "Cleaning", "Sanitizing", and "Disinfecting" are really easy to be confused. There are also significant distinctions in their Chinese translations. I believe that if "sterilizing" is added, a lot of people will probably feel dizzy. So, what on earth are the definitions of these words?

The Chinese translation of "Cleaning" is "清洁", which is defined as removing dirt and organic matter from surfaces, such as by using soap or detergents. This process doesn't necessarily kill bacteria, but by removing them, it can reduce the number of bacteria and the risk of spreading infections. 

The Chinese translation of "Sanitizing" is "消毒", and it is defined as using chemicals to kill bacteria on surfaces. However, "Sanitizing" does not include killing viruses. 

The Chinese translation of "Disinfecting" is also "消毒", and it is defined as using chemicals to kill both bacteria and viruses on surfaces or objects. This process doesn't necessarily clean dirty surfaces, but it can further reduce the risk of spreading infections.  

“Cleaning” means cleaning, and cleaning is defined as the process that can remove bacteria, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning physically removes bacteria from surfaces using soap (or detergent) and water. This process doesn't necessarily kill bacteria, but by removing them, it can reduce the number of bacteria and the risk of infection transmission.

“Sanitizing” means disinfection. It is defined as reducing the number of bacteria on surfaces or objects to a safe level in accordance with public health standards and requirements. This process reduces the risk of infection transmission by cleaning or disinfecting surfaces or objects.

“Disinfecting” also means disinfection. It is defined as killing bacteria on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting uses chemicals to kill bacteria on surfaces or objects. This process doesn't necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove bacteria, but by killing the bacteria on the surface through cleaning, it can further reduce the risk of infection transmission.

Judging from the above official explanations, in terms of microbial disinfection and elimination, Cleaning is the least effective, but it involves the action of cleaning dirt and organic matter. Sanitizing is more effective in terms of microbial disinfection and elimination, and Disinfecting is the most effective. The latter two do not include the action of cleaning dirt and organic matter. We can summarize it this way: both Sanitizing and Disinfecting refer to disinfection, with the latter being more powerful as it can kill both bacteria and viruses. The former focuses more on killing bacteria and does not include killing viruses. Cleaning focuses more on the action of removing surface dirt and impurities.

Now, here comes a question. “Sterilizing” is translated into Chinese as “灭菌” (sterilization). How does it differ from the above two terms of “disinfection”? “Sterilizing” emphasizes “completely killing all bacteria and active microorganisms”. “Disinfecting” does not emphasize “completely” and “all”. That's why the former is called sterilization and the latter is called disinfection. Understanding this, I believe you'll know why in the previous article, we particularly emphasized that in relevant documents regarding space hydrogen peroxide fumigation, the term “purification” is often used instead of “sterilization”. The reason lies in whether it can achieve “completely” and “all”. Then, how to define “completely” and “all”? We will elaborate on this in the next small article.