Decontamination and Sterilization

Decontamination is the process of decreasing antimicrobial presence in an area or on a surface. Sterilization is actually a type of decontamination along with disinfection and antisepsis. Disinfection is not done to remove all contaminants, but instead reduces the amount of contamination. Certain surfaces cannot handle harsh cleaning over and over again so disinfection suffices. Everyday surfaces are usually disinfected, which kills some bacteria and fungi while inactivating viruses.