WARNING – Improper use of disinfectants in house cleaning may be ‘training’ super bugs to resist antibiotics!

We have all heard about Super Bugs or bacteria resistant to antibiotics.   The Center for Disease Control has recently issued new alarms about these bacteria saying that conservatively, 2 million people are infected each year and over 23,000 die.  There is beginning to be talk about a “Post Antibiotic Era”.  We have heard how overuse of antibiotics has contributed to this problem, but new studies are raising additional concerns.

As I travel around the country teaching the House Cleaning Technician course for IICRC certification, it is apparent that very few people are using disinfectants and disinfecting cleaners properly.  This was not too big a concern since the assumption was that while they were not actually achieving disinfection, they were sanitizing the surface by cleaning it, and in most cases, that was really all that was needed. 

When Disinfectants Go Awry

A recent study at the National University of Ireland indicates that such misuse may be far more dangerous than had been believed.  In brief, the study found that bacteria exposed to low amounts of disinfectants could survive and become resistant to the disinfectant.  This could happen if the disinfectant was improperly mixed or if insufficient3 dwell times were permitted.  Even more disturbing, the mechanism which allowed the bacteria to resist 6the weak or insufficiently applied disinfectant also made it resistant to antibiotics, even if it had not previously been exposed to the antibiotic in question.  The method the bacteria “learned” to use as a defense against the weak disinfectant apparently carried over to the occasion when confronted by another threat, in the form of an antibiotic.  The bacteria was predisposed to use the same ‘evacuation’ method to rid itself of both threats, the disinfectant and the antibiotics.

So what does this tell us?  We should use disinfectants and disinfecting cleaners only when needed and when they are used, to follow all label directions precisely.  In most cases, good cleaning will adequately sanitize a surface.  In cases where disinfectants are truly needed for example, with at-risk populations, cleaning known infectious agents, etc. be sure to follow label directions exactly.  Use precision to dilute properly, pre-clean the surface and then apply the disinfectant allowing the full dwell time.  Proper dwell time typically involves keeping a surface wet with the agent for 5 to 10 minutes.  Some newer disinfectants do have shorter dwell time.  Responsibly used, disinfectants are a critical part of the cleaning arsenal, but please, if you are going to us it, do so correctly and, as always, follow label directions.

Author: Bruce Vance