Introduction

Cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitized environments cannot be understated anymore. The pandemic has opened the eyes of the world to keep things disinfected and maintain social distancing. As a result, there have been quite a few developments in disinfectant efficacy when applied to different surfaces; in the case of residential areas, the disinfectants need not be medical-level strong.

Healthcare facilities deal with more contaminations than one; therefore, stronger disinfectants are required – however, in residential areas, the methods mentioned in this blog are effective enough. Let’s understand how surface disinfection can be done smartly in residential areas.

Identify The Areas to be Disinfected

It all starts with knowing what to do and how to do it. It is important to identify the areas in your residential community that needs to be disinfected periodically. These may be areas of the congregation or high-touch surfaces, depending on what type of housing it is. A basic list of the areas that need to be disinfected is as follows:

• Community gates, locks, guardrooms, bolts, and chains
• Parking areas, stairwells, railings, and doors
• Children’s play areas – joyrides, swings, fences, benches, gates, bicycles, guard room, etc.
• Community hall – seating area, washrooms, cafeteria, pool area, park benches, doors, handles, railings, mirrors, switchboards, remote controls, etc.
• Utility – poles and fences, dustbins, etc.

A residential area comprises a lot of touchable surfaces that need to be disinfected regularly. There may be more areas and surfaces apart from the ones that are mentioned that need cleaning. It works best to resort to fumigation to disperse a suitable disinfectant while requesting the inhabitants to stay indoors as it does its job.

It is best to not blindly set out with disinfectants without thoroughly understanding the extent to which a surface needs cleaning – a high-touch surface like swings may need more cleaning and disinfection than, say, a gate.

Smart Technologies to Use for Surface Disinfection

Smart methods and technologies have been invented of late that help achieves a good degree of surface disinfection in residential areas. Let’s look at a few of them now.

Aerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide

Aerosolized hydrogen peroxide is known to be highly effective in disinfecting spaces like closed parking lots, rooms, and other semi-closed areas. It is best to use a solution that has from 3% to 7% hydrogen peroxide; it depends on a choice whether or not silver ions should be mixed into the solution. Aerosolized hydrogen peroxide is sprayed into parking lots and rooms at injection pressures and allowed to run its course through passive ventilation. This method is known to effectively remove microbial activity from the treated space.

Ultraviolet Light Devices

Ultraviolet light devices are portable and highly useful for spaces that have known prior contamination, like isolation or home quarantine rooms in residential areas, guardrooms, etc. These devices emit UV-C light at a wavelength of 254 nm and are effective in targeting vegetative bacteria and spores. All one needs to do is place these devices in spaces that need to be disinfected and switch them on. The fact that minimal training is needed for personnel to utilize the disinfection capability of this device makes them a great disinfection option.

High-Intensity Narrow Spectrum Light

High-Intensity Narrow Spectrum Light, or HINS Light, has proven to be highly effective in disinfecting air and surfaces. Since this works to disinfect air as well, it is highly suited for use in children’s play areas, joyrides, and other surfaces in an open to air space. The HINS Light works by targeting the intracellular porphyrins, which are known to absorb light to produce reactive oxygen species. Although this technology isn’t as effective as UV-C light, for open spaces like playgrounds, it can be used.

Photocatalytic Disinfection

This high-tech device was designed to be used by NASA. It utilizes photocatalytic reactions triggered by UV-activated titanium dioxide that results in the oxidation of volatile organic compounds in spaces, including airborne microorganisms. There are still studies in progress that could discover and collate the potential of this technology for use in the disinfection of environmental surfaces. However, its efficacy in removing airborne pathogens has been long established, leaving room for further study and research of its application to other places.

Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour

The most effective disinfectant comes in the form of a 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide vapors. This “Dry gas” mixture is effective against many bacteria and viruses. A stronger version with 35% hydrogen peroxide concentration works to eradicate high-risk pathogens like VRE, Serratia, fungi, and viruses. This method of disinfection can be used for high-touch surfaces in residential areas.

Conclusion

Residential areas have a high concentration of population, especially during lockdown or quarantine periods. Disinfection of these spaces is an imperative step to ensure the safety of inhabitants and visitors.