When something is 98% effective, what does that mean?
For example, a cleaning product that says it’s 98% effective at removing germs from surfaces.
* Does it clean 98% of all germs away and leave 2% behind?
* Of all known germs, are 2% of them totally immune to this cleaner, so it can only hope to clean the other 98%?
* Is it that out of 100 people, 98 will be able to clean the surface to 100% clean and the other 2 won’t?
* Does the product work on 98% of surfaces, but there are some surfaces, say the metal bolts on a toilet, that the product just can’t clean?
* Is the product actually 100% effective, but in tests 2% of people drank it instead of wiped the counter with it?
How can you really tell what an effectiveness rating is measuring?
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> For example, a cleaning product that says it’s 98% effective at removing germs from surfaces.
they come up with this rating based on controlled labratory tests… where the scenario is all uniform (same chemical, same volume, same bacteria, same application method) except in variations of either type of bacteria or the concentration of the chemical
> Does it clean 98% of all germs away and leave 2% behind?
yes, there’s more to it, but that’s what it means
> Of all known germs, are 2% of them totally immune to this cleaner, so it can only hope to clean the other 98%?
No. It can be immune, but we/they don’t know the cause in every case
> Is it that out of 100 people, 98 will be able to clean the surface to 100% clean and the other 2 won’t?
No, the effectiveness is of the chemical, not the cleaning ability of the person.
> Does the product work on 98% of surfaces, but there are some surfaces, say the metal bolts on a toilet, that the product just can’t clean?
No, should be applicable to all surfaces, unless the instructions specify exceptions. There will be differences in performance if you clean a smooth surface vs a fuzzy surface
> Is the product actually 100% effective, but in tests 2% of people drank it instead of wiped the counter with it?
no, funny scenario, but no
> How can you really tell what an effectiveness rating is measuring?
only by how much you trust the company to report it’s product with accuracy. that’s why there’s laws and regulations to leverage risk vs compliance.
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