Disinfection vs. decontamination: what's the difference?

La Providence has been a leader in the cleaning industry for over 60 years. Amid the global COVID-19 crisis, our expertise has never been more critical, helping our clients safely resume business operations while prioritizing everyone’s health.

This is why our teams regularly perform both disinfection and decontamination procedures. But do you know the difference between these two terms? Which method should you choose, and how do our teams handle workplace decontamination?

Disinfection is a preventative process—less intense but more targeted than decontamination—used to deeply clean all surfaces where no confirmed case of COVID-19 has occurred. It eliminates bacteria, mold, and traces of viruses. This process works through contact between a liquid or foamy disinfectant and the surface to be cleaned. The disinfectant must meet specific standards to prove its effectiveness against particular pathogens. For COVID-19, for example, the EN 14476 standard is required for effective elimination.

For disinfection to be effective, a preliminary cleaning phase (detergency) is essential. Usually, two separate products are needed: a detergent and a disinfectant. The detergent is applied first to remove dust, mold, or grease, ensuring the surface is prepped for disinfection. Some products combine both actions in one. Since prevention is better than cure, we recommend disinfection as essential before resuming business operations.

When a case of COVID-19 or any other virus has been confirmed at your workplace, decontamination becomes necessary. This method is much more thorough than disinfection, as it eliminates the virus on surfaces and in the air.

A specialized machine, called a micro-nebulizer, is used to vaporize a patented solution of stabilized hydrogen peroxide, silver salts, and purified water into the air of an entire room. This solution eradicates any trace of the virus.

The formula contains two biocidal agents:

• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) quickly breaks down into hydroxyl radicals (OH), which instantly react with essential biomolecules (such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, etc.), deactivating them. This is the cleansing phase.
• Silver cations (Ag+) cause cellular inactivation and kill viruses, bacteria, spores, molds, and biofilms, providing a long-lasting disinfectant-biostatic effect. This is the virus elimination phase.

Disinfection is used as a preventive measure when no contamination has been confirmed. It removes bacteria, molds, and viruses from surfaces but is less thorough than decontamination.

Decontamination, on the other hand, eradicates all traces of viruses from one or more rooms where contamination has been confirmed. This method uses a micro-nebulizer to spray the entire room with a stabilized hydrogen peroxide solution.