Enozo’s Holiday Cleaning and Safety Tips

Holidays are coming! Many of us are eager to get back to see friends and family for in-person celebrations. If you’re choosing to participate in holiday gatherings this year, we’ve got a few tips to help keep everybody safe and happy. 

1. Cleaning and Sanitizing: Bacteria, Viruses, and Dirt

Cleaning and sanitizing are two different processes, both of which are important to prepare for your holiday gathering. Cleaning helps remove dirt, oils, stains, and other debris from surfaces, whereas sanitizing kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses on surfaces. It is important to sanitize after you clean because some disease-causing germs can live on surfaces with no visible dirt.

Use a cleaner to remove visible stains, fingerprints, grease, and dirt that accumulates over time or right after a spill. Cleaners must be wiped off to remove the dirt and soil; otherwise, dirt will stay where it is. Apply a surface sanitizer after cleaning and wiping to kill germs that remain on the surface.

2. Contact Time

Read the labels on your sanitizing solutions to find their contact times and whether they need to be rinsed. Sanitizers that use stable, harsh chemicals must be rinsed to remove them from the surface and to ensure that the surface is safe for humans and animals to touch.  Some sanitizers have a “no-rinse” label, meaning it can be left to air-dry without leaving a harmful residue. The label indicates a dwell time or contact time, often 10 minutes.  Any efficacy claims on the label are only valid if you wait the appropriate time before rinsing or wiping a sanitizing solution.

3. Aerosols and Surfaces

Some germs thrive as an aerosol in small droplets in the air, whereas others survive for a long time on surfaces. Masks can prevent you from transferring germs as an aerosol when you breathe, but germs can still get transferred by touching surfaces. Think especially about sanitizing high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, countertops, and plumbing fixtures, along with surfaces that are less visible, like the undersides of chairs, tables, and countertops. Also, consider vertical surfaces like walls, mirrors, and windows, which can be high-touch surfaces but don’t often get cleaned and sanitized. 

4. Food Contact Surfaces

When sanitizing food contact surfaces such as utensils, cutting boards, and serving trays, make sure you’re using a food contact surface sanitizer. Not all sanitizers are safe and effective enough for use on food contact surfaces. Food contact surface sanitizers will have food contact surface claims on their label and instructions for use. 

5. Food

Many foods for your holiday feasting can have dirt and germs and pose a food-safety risk. Wash fresh foods under a running stream of water to remove dirt and some germs mechanically, or use a food-safe sanitization solution and prepare and store them according to CDC recommendations.

It’s also important to note that soaking leafy greens in the cold can improve their appearance by shocking them, but this does not kill germs. Soaking allows living germs to transfer from one place to another.

6. Frequency

Cleaning frequency is a matter of personal preference. Cleaning can happen in response to a spill or on a regular schedule. Sanitize at least after every cleaning to kill germs left over on clean surfaces, or you can sanitize more often between cleanings.  For holiday gatherings, sanitize high-touch surfaces regularly with a low-odor, no-rinse surface sanitizer that works quickly so you can get back to enjoying the company.