What are the different types of disinfectants?
There are multiple types of disinfectants, including but not limited to air disinfectants, alcohols, and oxidizing agents. Air disinfectants are typically chemical substances capable of disinfecting microorganisms suspended in the air. Alcohols, usually ethanol or isopropanol, are sometimes used as a disinfectant, but more often as an antiseptic.
Which chlorine disinfectant is most commonly used?
Hypochlorites, the most widely used of the chlorine disinfectants, are available as liquid (e.g., sodium hypochlorite) or solid (e.g., calcium hypochlorite). The most prevalent chlorine products in the United States are aqueous solutions of 5.25%–6.15% sodium hypochlorite (see glossary), usually called household bleach.
What is the role of alcohol in disinfection?
Alcohols, usually ethanol or isopropanol, are sometimes used as a disinfectant, but more often as an antiseptic. Oxidizing agents act by oxidizing the cell membrane of microorganisms, which results in a loss of structure and leads to cell lysis and death.
Are phenolic disinfectants FDA approved?
Phenolics are not FDA-cleared as high-level disinfectants for use with semicritical items but could be used to preclean or decontaminate critical and semicritical devices before terminal sterilization or high-level disinfection.
Types of Disinfectant