A chemical germicide is defined two ways: by the surface it is safe on — living tissue (antiseptic) versus an inanimate object (disinfectant) — and by its level of activity, meaning how far up the ladder of microbial resistance it can kill. Tap an agent to see both.
Order of resistance
killedsurvivesonly with prolonged contact
Microbes are stacked by resistance — the hardest to kill sit on top.