When choosing cleaning products, one of the first steps is understanding the differences between cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants. If your goal is to eliminate both bacteria and viruses, you need a disinfectant. However, regardless of the product you choose, it needs to be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people developed a newfound awareness of how disease spreads. There is now a better overall understanding of why it’s important to maintain good sanitation standards, especially in public or shared spaces. Although COVID-19 restrictions have loosened as vaccines roll out, there are some best practices we should continue to implement post-pandemic. 

As we gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 spreads and more people get vaccinated, the world is gradually returning to pre-pandemic activities, including sports at all ages and levels. Of course, returning to sports safely—for athletes, spectators, broadcasters, and venue employees—is a high priority. The more venue owners and team managers can do to maintain a clean environment, the safer everybody will be. 

As more restaurants reopen for dine-in service, customers are paying attention to the measures being taken to protect both employees and themselves. Restaurant sanitation has always been important from a food safety perspective. Now, restaurant managers and employees must also take additional steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 as we strive to return to normalcy requires a new level of disinfection, both indoors and outdoors. For outdoor sporting and entertainment events, disinfecting large seating areas can be costly and time-consuming. Fortunately, innovative companies and venue managers are coming up with innovative methods to protect fans, performers, and players.

School is back in session, and for many universities, team sports are also on the agenda. Individuals are starting to return to normal routines, which often means hitting the gym or attending a fitness class. Weight rooms and fitness facilities with shared equipment have always taken precautions to protect those who use them, but in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, extra disinfection measures (using effective cleaning solutions) are being taken to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. 

Although a full return to normal is not yet in the near future, we are increasingly reopening public and private facilities and interacting with each other more. This means we must remain vigilant about implementing cleaning solutions that help keep spaces safe. Even facilities that have always maintained a high standard of cleanliness—hospitals, schools, restaurants, and so on—need to take their practices to the next level.

Disinfectants have never been more in the limelight than they are these days. Everybody is using them, and decision makers across all industries have to decide which products to use. Unfortunately, the best choice is not always crystal clear. In addition to consumers having a limited education about the nuances of disinfectants, sanitizers, and cleaners, some disreputable companies are muddying the waters by marketing products with false claims.