Difference in Soap & Sanitizer for Dishes

The Way They Are Used

• Dish soap is used by squirting or pouring a small amount of soap into a sink full of hot water. The soap and water combine to make bubbles. This water and the bubbles are used to wash the food from the dishes. With sanitizer, you pour a certain amount into a sink full of warm water, place the washed dishes into the sanitizer water and allow them to soak for five minutes. The sanitizer will kill any germs on the dishes. The dishes are removed and allowed to air dry after the soaking time.

The Results

• Soap removes any visible sign that the dish was used, such as food particles and grease. This makes the dish look clean and appetizing and removes some of the bacterial from the surface. Sanitizer does not remove food or grease, but kills the vast majority of germs on a dish. You can have the cleanest looking dishes in the world, but if they're not sanitized, they can still be carrying food-borne illness.

The Liquids

• There are many different kinds of dish soap, but they are all basically the same liquid -- a detergent of some type mixed with colors and scents. There are different types of sanitizer; while they have the same results, they must be handled differently. Bleach must be measured out by the capful or cup, depending on the amount of water. Quaternary ammonium sanitizer, or quats, need a smaller amount in the sink. Follow the manufacturer's directions for every type of sanitizer to make an effective solution.

How to Know They're Working

• With dish soap, the evidence of success is right in front of you. If the dishes are free of food particles and not greasy to the touch, the soap has done its job. Sanitizer is a bit more difficult to check. Instead of checking for results, you must check to make sure the chemical compound is correct, then trust the science and know that a certain strength solution will kill the germs. Test this solution by using pH test strips. Each sanitizing solution will bring the water to a certain pH balance. When the solution is within the target range, it will kill the germs on the dishes.