Properties of Ideal Disinfectant

Properties of Ideal Disinfectant

An ideal disinfectant or antiseptic has the following characteristics:

1.     Ideally, the disinfectant should have a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity. It must be effective against a wide variety of infectious agents (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, acid-fast bacteria, bacterial endospores, fungi, and viruses) at high dilutions.

2.     It should act in the presence of organic matter.

3.     It should not be toxic to human or corrosive. In prac-tice, this balance between effectiveness and low toxicity for animals is hard to achieve. Some chemicals are used despite their low effectiveness, because they are relatively nontoxic.

4.     It should be stable upon storage and should not undergo any chemical change.

5.     It should be odorless or with a pleasant odor.

6.     It should be soluble in water and lipids for penetration into microorganisms.

7.     It should be effective in acidic as well as in alkaline media.

8.     It should have speedy action.

9.     If possible, it should be relatively inexpensive.