Specialised cleaning · updated August 2026
Office Disinfection: What Works, What Is Theatre, and How to Verify the Product
Contact time is the whole answer, and almost everyone gets it wrong. An EPA-registered disinfectant only works if the surface stays visibly wet for the full label contact time — commonly one to ten minutes. A spray-and-wipe in three seconds is cleaning, not disinfection. Surfaces must also be cleaned first, because soil neutralises the active ingredient.
Contact Time by Chemistry
| Chemistry | Typical contact time | Surface compatibility | Irritation profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quaternary ammonium | 2–10 min | Broad; can film | Recognised asthmagen |
| Hydrogen peroxide based | 1–5 min | Broad; good on stainless | Lower irritant |
| Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) | 1–10 min | Damages metals, fabrics, stone | Recognised asthmagen |
| Alcohol (70%) | Evaporates fast — hard to hold dwell | Good on electronics, on the cloth | Moderate; flammable |
| Citric acid based | 2–10 min | Not for marble, stone or terrazzo | Lower irritant |
Verify Your Vendor's Disinfectant in Sixty Seconds
- Ask them to photograph the label of the product they will actually use in your space.
- Find the EPA Registration Number — formatted like 1234-56 or 1234-56-789.
- Take the first two number sets and search them on the EPA's List N tool.
- A match on those base numbers means the product qualifies, even if sold under a different brand name.
EPA's List N is still actively maintained, and the agency states it expects listed products to kill all strains and variants of SARS-CoV-2 when used according to label directions.
GBAC STAR: Facility Versus Service
Two different accreditations that get conflated. GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation applies to a building; GBAC STAR Service Accreditation applies to a cleaning company. Facility accreditation is annual with yearly reaccreditation, and published costs run roughly: restaurants per seat; hotels per room; arenas and stadiums per seat; other facilities by square footage.
When You Should Not Buy This
Honest version: routine nightly disinfection of every horizontal surface in an ordinary office has limited evidence behind it. What actually reduces transmission is high-touch point frequency, accessible hand hygiene, ventilation and sick-leave policy. Fogging an open floor nightly is expensive and largely performative.
Where enhanced disinfection genuinely earns its cost: a documented outbreak; medical and dental settings; shared-desk and hot-desking environments; gyms and childcare; and seasonally from October to March, where the right response is raising high-touch frequency rather than spraying more surfaces.
A Flu-Season Protocol Worth Running
- October to March: high-touch disinfection frequency raised, with dwell time inspected
- Hand sanitiser stations sited at entries, lifts and pantries, checked nightly
- Outbreak escalation with a defined response window and a written record of areas treated
- Ventilation reviewed with building management — filtration does more than product choice
Last reviewed August 2026. Figures for prevailing wage and regulatory schedules change on 1 January and 1 July — we re-verify this page each cycle.
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