Colorado Esthetician Written Practice Exam

What does disinfection achieve?

1. Destroys all microbial life

2. Kills all viruses

3. Uses high-pressure steam

4. Destroys most but not all organisms

The correct answer is: Destroys most but not all organisms

Disinfection is the process of reducing the number of microorganisms to a level where they are not harmful. It aims to destroy most but not necessarily all organisms, which is why option D is correct. Complete destruction of all microbial life (option A) is known as sterilization, not disinfection. Similarly, disinfection does not necessarily kill all viruses (option B) as some viruses may be resistant to standard disinfection methods. High-pressure steam (option C) is often associated with sterilization rather than disinfection.