What is Fogging Disinfection?

Effective disinfecting and the removal of potentially harmful contaminants plays a critical role in the sanitizing strategy for many commercial properties and businesses of any size. While there are a variety of disinfecting agents and special processes that can be used, a few rise to the top of the list when it comes to effecting a professional level of disinfecting.

This high level of cleaning and disinfecting plays an absolutely critical role in certain sectors such as food service, food prep, and service industry businesses, as well as the pharmaceutical industry. In recent years fitness centers and gyms have redoubled their sanitizing efforts. Not to mention the critical role that effective sanitation plays in hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities.

All of this is before we start talking about elephants in the room like COVID-19, recurring strains of influenza, and other communicable diseases that can live on surfaces long after being deposited by the cough or sneeze of an ill person.

One of the newest and highly effective methods for disinfecting a staggering variety of surfaces and materials is known as Fogging Disinfecting.

What Is Fogging Disinfecting?

Also known in some sectors as “Chemical Fogging Disinfection” it is a professional, strategic disinfecting process where a specially formulated aerosol is introduced to a potentially contaminated surface to effectively kill bacteria, viruses, and neutralize other illness-inducing pathogens. germs. The way the aerosol is formulated, and the process used to apply it, essentially encourages chemicals to cling onto all surfaces it contacts. This includes things like tabletops and shelving, as well as a multitude of hard-to-reach areas. I can even permeate narrow areas such as cracks and crevices, in walls, and ceilings.

You might be surprised to learn that many pathogenic substances, including bacteria and viruses, can potentially reach high-level areas such as light fixtures, as well as deep, difficult-to-access areas. Given enough time and the right conditions, these germs can even affect tiny gaps and holes in work surfaces and porous materials. These are the sort of places that a lot of traditional cleaning products at the retail level struggle to disinfect.

Of course, it’s of critical importance to eliminate all biological and pathogenic contaminants from these minute voids and tight spaces. If they aren’t disinfected, the lingering germs can easily spread and continue to promote health problems. In some cases, it can lead to severe illness in individuals with chronic health conditions or auto-immune disorders.

Thankfully, disinfectant chemical fogging happens to be one of the best methods to catch all the dangerous microorganisms that are hiding in these spaces. It’s also worth noting that disinfecting chemical fogging can also be a highly effective way to kill airborne contaminants that have the potential to linger in the air. These are exactly the kind of potentially dangerous airborne contamination that is rarely addressed by traditional cleaning processes.

How Does Chemical Fogging Disinfection Work?

The chemical fogging disinfection process can be easily used for decontaminating a wide range of work areas. While it might seem like a new technology has actually been around for a while. It’s only been in recent years that the atomizing process that creates the aerosol has taken leaps to maximize its effectiveness in many sectors.

The special fogging device uses sophisticatedly engineered stainless steel nozzles that have the durability to hold up to the rigors of time and extensive use. The sprayer nozzles then disperse the solutions consistently, and in a way that is safe for both the operator as well as the surfaces in the treated environment.

The operator needs to use a chemical process that uses an up-to-date cleaning solution that has been listed as one of the products on the CDC N-list. This ensures that the solution is safe for use around delicate areas as well as sensitive electronics and soft surfaces.

The disinfecting solution is then sprayed in a way that won’t wet down the area, but it will saturate the space and the atmosphere with a fine mist or fog. At that point, the operator will give the fog around 15 to 30 minutes to affect the area. The amount of time it takes to thoroughly disinfect will depend on several factors including the size of the space, and the materials that need to be treated. Longer time is generally given to larger areas, as well as those with minute voids, cracks, and other hard-to-reach spaces. This gives the fog time to permeate all the necessary surfaces.

How Long After Disinfecting Fogging Is It Safe For Humans To Reenter?

The total chemical disinfecting fogging time will vary depending on the size of the workspace, and the dynamics of the treated area. That’s why it’s important to have it performed by a highly trained and experienced professional.

In most cases, it should be safe to reenter the space within an hour. This should be more than enough time to let the solution effectively decontaminate the treated area and settle its way into the tight spaces it needs, to clean.

Naturally, human presence in the area will gradually start to reintroduce contaminants, pathogens, and germs into the area. In time the process should be performed again. Though, the area shouldn’t need fog disinfecting performed again for a while.

How Often Do I Need To Use Fogging Disinfection?

If your commercial property or office space is prone to pathogenic contamination, or it sees a high level of foot traffic, you might need to have chemical fogging disinfection applied more often. Especially if your place of business is involved in food prep, the service industry, or the health care sector.

In many of these scenarios chemical disinfectant fogging might need to be performed daily, weekly, or monthly. This will have the net effect of cutting down on harsh germs and dangerous contaminants, which will further help reduce health issues and illness, as well as employee absences. Not to mention visitors and your clientele will appreciate the added assurance that your place of business is free of germs and that you take decontaminating these areas seriously.