What is the minimum recommended time to soak items in a high-level disinfection chlorine bleach solution to ensure effective disinfection?

• A. 10 minutes
• B. 1 minute
• C. 30 minutes
• D. 30 seconds

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that high-level disinfection with chlorine bleach solutions requires sufficient contact time to effectively kill microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and spores.
2. Recognize that the minimum recommended soaking time is based on guidelines from health authorities such as the CDC or WHO, which ensure the bleach solution has enough time to act on pathogens.
3. Recall that common recommendations for soaking items in a chlorine bleach solution for high-level disinfection typically range from a few minutes to half an hour, depending on concentration and purpose.
4. Identify that among the given options (30 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes), the minimum time that balances effectiveness and practicality is 10 minutes.
5. Conclude that soaking items for at least 10 minutes in the chlorine bleach solution ensures effective high-level disinfection, as shorter times may not reliably kill all pathogens.