Disinfecting - whether short-term to address the issue of maintaining hygiene standards as people slowly return to work, or longer-term stopping localized outbreaks of the virus – is now a topic of huge public interest. No matter what we choose to do, the ‘new normal’ for post-COVID-19 cleaning routines look very different.

There are several ways to deep clean, but fogging is rapidly emerging as a highly effective control measure for workplaces and public facilities alike. As the term suggests, fogging uses a disinfectant sprayed from a fogging machine to create a ‘fog’ – tiny droplets of disinfectant – that effectively ‘coats’ and disinfects everything it meets.

It is a top-level disinfection process to be used in addition to your standard cleaning and disinfecting practices – particularly effective in higher-reach or difficult to access areas that may otherwise be missed.

However, the biggest advantage of disinfectant fogging is its ease. Traditional spray-and-wipe disinfectant applications have a limited area of effect and, in larger areas like hotel lobbies, school corridors and office entrances can take a huge amount of time. Foggers – with an average 3m range – disinfect areas in a fraction of the time and, when done regularly, can reduce the number of pathogens present in the building – lowering overall infection risk.

 

The Benefits and Downsides of fogging:

  • As we have explained above, fogging provides users with a wide range of benefits:

  • Safely and effectively disinfect areas, including high-level surfaces, small, confined spaces, or large vertical surfaces

  • Effectively reduces airborne contaminants – as the disinfectant passes through the air, it actively combats airborne pathogens

  • Ease of use – Minimize cleaning time and increase overall cleaning effectiveness with longer-range foggers

  • Routine fogging helps reduce the overall surface load

  • Some foggers, such as our ULV Fogger, can produce a dry fog suitable for use in an electrical or textile heavy environment

However, fogging does have certain limitations:

  • It has no impact on closed areas

  • It does not replace standard cleaning practices

  • Only electrostatic foggers such as our Electrostatic Fogger – will coat the underside of horizontal surfaces

  • Fogging is not as effective on vertical walls – gravity can mean the disinfectant applied can drip off vertical surfaces if the fog is too heavy. We recommend using a fogger with an adjustable flow rate to ensure maximum surface effectiveness.

Interested in finding out more? Our team are happy to help – simply contact us on 01743 283600 or backtowork@arrowcounty.com!