If you disinfect something, you clean it using a substance that kills germs. Chlorine is used to disinfect water = sterilize
To free from infectious or contagious matter; to destroy putrefaction; to purify; to make innocuous
(verb)- to clean something so as to destroy disease-carrying microorganisms and prevent infection Example: Even after a finishing barn is clean as defined above, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that are capable of causing disease may remain in the air or on surfaces Application of a disinfectant after cleaning could help to destroy some of those disease-carrying microorganisms The effectiveness of the disinfectant could be dependent on temperature, water hardness, surface texture and composition, and the effectiveness of prior washing and rinsing