How much does professional disinfecting cost in Virginia?

There is no official or standard price for professional disinfecting in Virginia. No state agency sets one, and businesses price it in different ways: by the hour, by the room, by square footage, or as an add-on to a cleaning visit. The useful answer is to know what you are paying for, what drives the number, and how to get quotes you can compare.

What you are paying for

A disinfecting visit is mostly labor. Someone cleans the surfaces, applies a registered disinfectant, and leaves it on long enough to work. EPA registers surface disinfectants as antimicrobial pesticides,^[2] and a registered disinfectant carries an EPA registration number on its label.^[6] For it to work, the surface has to stay wet for the label's contact time,^[6] which is why a careful visit takes longer than a quick wipe-down and costs more.

What drives the price

How much of the house. A touch-point visit (door handles, light switches, faucets, toilets, appliance handles, remotes, counters) is far less work than wiping every hard surface in every room. Ask each business to quote the same list.

Whether cleaning is included. Disinfectant works on a clean surface. If the house needs a real clean first, the visit is closer to a deep clean plus disinfection, and it is priced that way.

The method. Wiping by hand is slow and thorough. Some businesses offer foggers or electrostatic sprayers. EPA does not recommend applying a disinfectant by fogging, fumigation, wide-area or electrostatic spraying unless the product label gives disinfection directions for that method.^[7] Before you pay extra for a sprayer, ask to see the label.

Devices. UV lights and ozone generators are sometimes sold as add-ons. UV lights and ozone generators count as pesticidal devices, and unlike chemical disinfectants, EPA does not routinely check whether they are safe or whether they work,^[8] so treat them as optional and ask what evidence the business has.

Soft furnishings and contents. Bedding, curtains, upholstery and toys do not take disinfectant like a countertop does. Laundering, steam cleaning or upholstery cleaning are usually separate line items.

Timing and travel. Same-day, evening or weekend work usually costs more. A business coming from farther away may add a travel charge, which matters in rural parts of the state.

Clutter and access. Cleared counters and floors make for a shorter visit.

Licences and overheads

Under Virginia's rules, a business that applies pesticides for pay in Virginia needs a pesticide business license,^[1] but the same regulation exempts "providers of janitorial, cleaning or sanitizing services if the providers use no pesticides other than sanitizers, disinfectants and germicides."^[1] EPA does not license cleaning companies either.^[5] So a cleaning business that sticks to those products does not need a Virginia pesticide business licence or an EPA licence, which leaves insurance, references and a clear written scope as the things to compare between bids.

A business may still need a local licence: Virginia counties, cities and towns may levy license taxes on "businesses, trades, professions, occupations and callings."^[3] Ask your county, city or town what applies there, and ask every business what insurance it carries and for the certificate.

Jobs that are priced as something else

Some calls for "disinfecting" are really another service, with its own price:

• Mold. Mold is a moisture problem: the Virginia Department of Health calls controlling the moisture source the key to controlling indoor mold growth.^[10] Under Virginia's Consumer Protection Act, it is a prohibited practice to sell or offer professional mold remediation on a home "without holding a mold remediation certification from a nationally or internationally recognized certifying body for mold remediation, and failing to comply with" EPA's guide to mold remediation in schools and commercial buildings, the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard, or another equivalent ANSI-accredited mold remediation standard.^[4] The Virginia Department of Health says small patches of mold, under 10 square feet, on hard surfaces can be cleaned with detergent and water,^[10] and recommends professional help for large areas covered in mold.^[10] See mold remediation businesses.
• Blood, sewage or an unattended death. These are biohazard and sewage cleanup, which involve protective equipment, disposal and often insurance claims. See biohazard cleanup.

Is it worth paying for?

For an ordinary household illness, often not. EPA's advice during the COVID-19 pandemic was that routine cleaning with soap and water lowers the risk of spreading the virus by taking germs and dirt off surfaces,^[9] and that "in most situations, cleaning is enough to reduce risk."^[9] A careful wipe-down of high-touch surfaces with a registered disinfectant is something most households can do themselves for the cost of a product and gloves; see how to disinfect your house after the flu. Paying for it makes more sense when no one at home is well enough, someone with asthma should not be around the fumes, or the job is large. When you need a professional disinfecting service goes through those cases.

Stop and call a pro if

• The contamination is blood, sewage or another body fluid over a large area. That is biohazard cleanup, not a routine disinfecting visit.
• Mold covers a large area, keeps coming back, or there is a musty smell with no visible source.
• Someone in the house has asthma or a weakened immune system and should not be in the house while products are used.

Getting quotes on Loclis

You can browse disinfecting and sanitizing businesses, look up cleaning services around Blacksburg, or read the other cleaning answers. Loclis's own fees are on the pricing page. To get quotes, describe the job on Loclis in your own words.