Infection prevention guide: what to use, and when
Infection control comes down to eight decisions: clean or disinfect, which chemistry, how long it stays wet, gel or wash, how you prepare skin, which gloves and PPE, which waste stream, and how you evidence decontamination. This guide answers each one in plain English so you can standardise practice across a site.
Eight steps
How to build an infection control routine that stands up to audit
Work through these in order. Most audit findings come from steps 3, 6 and 8 — contact time, fit testing and record keeping.
- 1
Decide whether the surface needs cleaning, disinfecting or both
Cleaning removes soil; disinfection reduces surviving organisms. A dirty surface cannot be disinfected, because soil physically shields organisms and neutralises the chemistry. For most clinical surfaces the answer is both, which is why one-step detergent-disinfectant wipes such as Clinell Universal are the default: they do the two jobs in a single pass, with no chance of staff skipping the clean.
- 2
Match the chemistry to the risk
Use a detergent-disinfectant wipe for routine surfaces and equipment. Use 70% IPA for small, already-clean hard items that must dry in seconds — probes, stethoscopes, connectors. Use a chlorine-releasing agent or peracetic acid for blood spills and where C. difficile or other spores are a risk, because alcohol is not sporicidal. Use a foaming disinfectant on vertical surfaces so the contact time is actually achieved.
- 3
Respect the contact time
Every disinfectant is tested at a stated contact time; if the surface dries before that time has passed, the claim does not apply. Read the pack, apply enough product to keep the surface visibly wet for the stated period, and choose foams or thicker wipes where evaporation is the limiting factor.
- 4
Get hand hygiene right, not just frequent
Alcohol hand rub on visibly clean hands, soap and water when hands are soiled, after the toilet, before food and where the organism resists alcohol — C. difficile and norovirus. Use around 3ml of rub, cover every surface including thumbs and fingertips, and keep rubbing until dry. Place dispensers in the workflow, not near it, because compliance follows convenience.
- 5
Prepare skin before anything breaks it
For injection, cannulation and minor procedures, use 2% chlorhexidine gluconate in 70% isopropyl alcohol, applied with friction for around 30 seconds and allowed to dry fully — the dry time is part of the antisepsis. Use povidone-iodine where chlorhexidine is contraindicated, and never apply alcohol-based preparations into an open wound.
- 6
Select gloves and PPE by task, not by habit
Nitrile examination gloves are the clinical default: latex-free, better puncture resistance than vinyl, sizes XS to XL. Move an individual to accelerator-free nitrile if they develop dermatitis. Aprons protect the front of the uniform; use a fluid-repellent gown where splashing to the arms is likely. FFP2 and FFP3 respirators must be fit tested per wearer and per model, with a fit check every time.
- 7
Segregate sharps and waste to the right stream
Orange lids and sacks for infectious waste that can be treated; yellow where the waste must be incinerated, including anything contaminated with medicines; purple for cytotoxic and cytostatic; red for anatomical; tiger stripe for offensive hygiene waste. Fill sharps containers only to the marked line, use the temporary closure when moving them, and never open or decant one.
- 8
Evidence your decontamination
If you reprocess instruments you have to be able to prove the cycle worked. Indicator tape shows a pack has been through a cycle; it does not prove sterility. Add daily Bowie-Dick testing on vacuum autoclaves, chemical integrators in loads, recorded cycle parameters and a written log. Auditors ask for the records far more often than the products.
FAQs
Infection control questions we are asked most
Short, direct answers to the questions that come up on nearly every site visit.
- What does Lanson Group supply for infection control?
- Everything a clinical or commercial site needs to control infection: surface wipes and disinfectants, hand hygiene and dispenser systems, skin preparation and antiseptics, nitrile examination gloves and PPE, sharps containers and clinical waste, sterilisation indicators and instrument care, plus paper and facility hygiene. Clinell is our lead brand, alongside Ecolab, Ansell, Vernacare, 3M and Tork.
- What is the difference between cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation?
- Cleaning physically removes soil and most organisms with detergent and water. Disinfection reduces the remaining organisms to a safe level using a chemical or heat process. Sterilisation removes or destroys all microorganisms including spores, and needs a validated autoclave cycle. You cannot disinfect a dirty surface, which is why one-step detergent-disinfectant wipes are so widely used.
- Which surface wipe should I use?
- For routine cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and equipment, use a one-step detergent-disinfectant wipe such as Clinell Universal. For small clean items that must dry in seconds, use a 70% IPA wipe. For blood spills and C. difficile risk, use a chlorine-releasing or peracetic acid product at the correct strength and contact time. Alcohol is not sporicidal.
- When should hands be washed rather than gelled?
- Wash with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, after using the toilet, before handling food, and where the organism is not inactivated by alcohol — notably C. difficile and norovirus. Alcohol hand rub is for decontaminating visibly clean hands between tasks, using enough product to keep hands wet for the full rub time.
- Do FFP3 respirators need to be fit tested?
- Yes. UK law requires face fit testing for each individual wearer and each make and model of tight-fitting respirator, with a fit check every time one is worn. We supply 3M Aura FFP2 and FFP3 respirators along with the FT-10 qualitative fit test kit and replacement solutions so you can run and record testing in-house.
- What do the sharps bin and waste bag colours mean?
- Orange sharps lids and sacks are for infectious waste that can be treated; yellow is for waste that must be incinerated, including anything contaminated with medicines; purple is cytotoxic and cytostatic; red is anatomical waste; and tiger stripe sacks are for offensive or hygiene waste that is not infectious. Correct segregation is a legal duty of care.
- How do I get infection control trade prices from Lanson Group?
- Product information on this site is open to everyone. Trade prices, pack costs and ordering appear once you log in with an approved Lanson Group trade account — apply online and we review the application, usually within one working day.
Need this turned into a stock list for your site?
Tell us the rooms, procedures and headcount and we will build a standing infection control list against your trade account — wipes, hand hygiene, gloves, PPE, sharps, waste and autoclave consumables, sized to your usage.
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