Final answer:
Sanitizing is defined as reducing the number of pathogens on a surface to safe levels for public health, often achieved through heat or chemical disinfectants. It differs from disinfection, which inactivates most microbes but may not achieve total sterilization, especially for resistant organisms like endospores.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sanitizing is the process of reducing the number of pathogens on a surface to safe levels. This process does not necessarily clean a surface from all organic material, but rather ensures that the number of disease-causing microbes is lowered to a point considered safe for public health. Sanitizing can be achieved through various methods, including using high temperatures, as in commercial dishwashers, or chemical disinfectants, commonly used in hospital settings to prevent disease transmission.
Considering different levels of cleanliness, items may require just general cleaning, high-level disinfection, or full sterilization depending on their use. For example, surfaces that come into contact with skin may only need sanitizing or general cleaning, while those in contact with mucous membranes or sterile tissues in clinical settings require disinfection or sterilization to avoid infections.
Disinfection, on the other hand, involves using antimicrobial chemicals or heat to inactivate most microbes on a surface of a fomite. However, unlike sterilization, disinfection does not eliminate all organisms, specifically resistant ones like endospores.