Cleanliness of the clinical environment has a direct impact on healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) incidence and there is increasing evidence of its importance with regard to infection prevention and control. While traditional high-level disinfectants have excellent antimicrobial properties, these are typically offset against issues such as corrosiveness, toxicity, cost and user acceptance. Recent years have seen several user-friendly sporicidal disinfectants emerge onto the market. Antimicrobial profile and user acceptance determine the clinical success of any disinfectant. Therefore, product adoption is often a two-stage process with a tabletop evaluation of the appropriate technical data, including efficacy claims, followed by an in-use product evaluation. The first part of this article demonstrates the importance of the clinical environment with respect to HCAI and examines some of the issues around disinfectants used in health care and considerations when selecting a new disinfectant for use. The second part reports the experiences of the Infection Prevention and Control team at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in their assessment and subsequent adoption of a new user-friendly sporicidal disinfectant into clinical practice.