What Is a Hospital Disinfectant?

by Autumn "SoRite" Ryan, Founder and CEO of SoRite

Even AI gets it wrong. Search the internet for hospital disinfectant and you will see post after post that renames hospital disinfectant to hospital-grade disinfectant. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not recognize the word "grade" in its hospital disinfectant category. What is a hospital disinfectant? According to the EPA a hospital disinfectant is a disinfectant that kills Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

There are three classifications of disinfectants according to the EPA: hospital disinfectants, broad-spectrum (general) disinfectants, and limited disinfectants. One is not better than the other. The quality and efficacy of a disinfectant is based on the germ it is proven to kill. Limited disinfectants are effective against only a specific major group of microorganisms. Broad-spectrum disinfectants are effective against bacteria. Hospital disinfectants are generally fungicidal, bactericidal and virucidal.

The EPA monitors the efficacy of disinfectant products with public health claims under its registration and reregistration processes. SoRite Hospital Disinfectant has undergone rigorous testing in third-party EPA-Certified laboratories to prove its ability to kill as advertised. In addition, it was tested according to a 4-level toxicity ranking and SoRite scored the lowest for inhalation, oral/dermal and skin irritation—the same as water. 

Are Hospital Disinfectants Safe for Home Use?

The short answer is yes. Residential surfaces encounter most of the same bacteria and viruses found in hospitals. We bring them in on our shoes. On our hands. And even through droplets from sneezing, coughing and flushing the toilet. (It's called toilet plume and the reason you should shut the lid before you flush.)

Disinfectants are recognized as pesticides by the EPA because they kill viruses, bacteria and mold, which are living organisms. All pesticides are required to be registered by the EPA according to the Pesticide Registration Manual which details how to apply, fees, testing, state-by-state registrations, and other requirements in 21 online chapters equivalent to more than 1,200 pages if published as a book. And all this so that the Directions For Use on your favorite disinfectant deliver as promised and provide information about how to use the disinfectant safely. "Signal" words required to be listed on the front of the label range from CAUTION (for products with the lowest toxicity) to WARNING to DANGER or DANGER-POISON (with a skill and crossbones). Required on all disinfectants is a statement to "Keep Out of Reach of Children."

Why Do You Need a Disinfectant vs. Multi-purpose Cleaner?

Multi-purpose cleaners are not regulated by the EPA and do not kill germs. Your multi-purpose cleaner is great for making it easier to clean surfaces from ordinary grime, soap scum etc. But when there is a flu or respiratory virus outbreak, you'll want to disinfect the surfaces your family touch every day. Pay particular attention to doorknobs, appliance handles, flush and faucet handles, and even items like salt and pepper shakers. Most of the illnesses we get are from touching items where bacteria and viruses have landed, then touching our face, nose or mouth.

The Clean Truth

The SoRite Company is the developer and manufacturer of one of the fastest working disinfectants on the market. Our disinfectant spray kills Herpes Simplex, Athlete's Foot, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MRSA, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcal peneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 in 15 seconds. That's seconds, not minutes.

Whether you’re scrubbing your kitchen counter or cleaning up at the gym, you deserve to know how your disinfectant really works. We are completely transparent about the safety and efficacy of our products. We even publish the proof!  SoRite.com/pages/proof.