Veterinary disinfectant versus regular disinfectant products

An effective disinfection and cleaning protocol is essential for vet clinics and other animal care settings to ensure the prevention and control of harmful viruses and bacteria.

While there are countless disinfectant and cleaning products available to purchase, they are not all created equal. Some don’t kill tougher viruses like Parvovirus or Coronavirus. Some are highly effective but can be toxic for your staff and the animals they care for.

Safe4 products were developed more than 25 years ago to provide a range of veterinary products that were highly effective in killing germs but also a safe alternative to regular cleaning and disinfection products.

How are Safe4 products different from regular disinfectant products?

While many traditional disinfectant products may be effective as a disinfectant in some circumstances, they can actually be quite harmful to both your staff and animals. It’s important to understand all the ingredients that go into the product you are using, and the potential effect on your staff and animals.

No phenols and aldehydes

In the ingredients list of all Safe4 products, you’ll never find any harmful phenols or aldehydes. However, a number of common cleaning and disinfectant solutions do include these toxic chemicals, which can be very harmful when inhaled. Products containing these chemicals can also cause skin damage for animals, and also lead to severe gastrointestinal issues in pets if ingested.

No alcohol

Safe4 products also don’t include any alcohol. Alcohol is another common ingredient of regular cleaning products. While alcohol is highly effective at killing germs, it can be very harmful to animals if ingested, and may even be fatal. Other alcohol-based products that are used regularly in vet clinics and other animal care settings – such as hand sanitiser – can also lead to skin irritations for people, especially after repeated use.

APVMA approved

Disinfectants that are specifically designed for the veterinary industry – such as Safe4 – need to pass additional testing and scrutiny before being approved for sale. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority carefully assess veterinary disinfectants, including their effectiveness against viruses and bacteria, the ingredient list, and safety data, to ensure the product does what it says it will do, and that it is safe for use in a vet clinic setting.

These stringent checks and balances, and subsequent approval for sale for veterinary disinfectant are not required for regular disinfectant products.

No rinsing needed

A big advantage of Safe4 disinfectant – thanks to its absence of any toxic chemicals – is that both animals and the people who care for them can be exposed to the disinfectant while it is still wet. This is because Safe4 veterinary disinfectant has a neutral pH of approximately 7.6 when diluted and does not require rinsing after application. This saves you valuable time and makes cleaning a much more streamlined process.

Safe4 is also non-corrosive, non-tainting and non-staining and all recommended dilutions, meaning you’re not going to damage your surfaces or flooring like many regular disinfectant products can.

The difference is clear

When you choose the Safe4 veterinary disinfectant over a regular disinfectant, you can be secure in the knowledge that it will help prevent cross-infection of harmful viruses and bacteria, and that is safe for people and animals.

You can learn more about what’s in our disinfectant, and how it’s performed in a range of efficacy tests against key viruses and bacteria by visiting the Safe4 website.

Or if you have any questions about our product range, call us on 1300 661 821.