<h3>Cleaning, Sanitising and Disinfecting</h3><p>These three terms are related but different. <strong>Cleaning</strong> removes visible dirt and grease. <strong>Sanitising</strong> reduces germs to a safe level. <strong>Disinfecting</strong> goes furthest, killing most germs on a surface using heat or chemical <strong>disinfectants</strong>.</p><h3>Disinfecting Clothing</h3><p>Clothing and bedding, especially of a sick person, can be disinfected by <strong>boiling</strong>, <strong>soaking in a safe disinfectant solution</strong>, washing thoroughly, and drying in <strong>direct sunlight</strong>, whose ultraviolet rays also help destroy germs.</p><h3>Disinfecting Articles and Equipment</h3><p>Household articles (utensils, surfaces) and farm equipment (milking cans, tools, animal houses) are first <strong>cleaned</strong> to remove dirt, then <strong>disinfected</strong> by wiping or soaking in a suitable disinfectant such as a diluted bleach (sodium hypochlorite) solution. On farms, <strong>footbaths</strong> at gates and disinfected equipment prevent the spread of diseases.</p><h3>Safe Use of Disinfectants</h3><p>Disinfectants are chemicals and must be used at the correct dilution, with good ventilation, kept away from food and out of reach of children. Never mix different cleaning chemicals.</p><div class="callout"><strong>Kenyan context:</strong> In Kenyan dairy and poultry units, farmers place a <em>disinfectant footbath</em> at the entrance and disinfect milking equipment after every use. During disease outbreaks, county veterinary officers advise disinfecting animal houses to stop diseases like Newcastle in chickens from wiping out a whole flock.</div>
Audio narration — reads aloud, works offline
What does disinfecting do that ordinary cleaning does not?