DROP THE MOP
It’s time for the industry to clean up its act and embrace innovation, says James White, Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd.
First impressions count. When someone walks into a restaurant or shop (or any other business for that matter), they expect to be met with clean, hygienic premises. If they are greeted with anything less, they instantly get a poor perception.
But when it comes to floorcare, there’s more at risk than reputation. After all, as well as acting as a breeding ground for bacteria, grimy floors are one of the main causes of slips and falls, which can be extremely costly to a company.
So, given the damage that an unhygienic floor can do to a business – both financially and to its image – why are some still employing outdated, ineffective cleaning practices?
STUCK IN THE PAST For countless years, we have seen the mop and bucket being wheeled out to deal with spills and dirt, despite its lack of efficacy. But what has been really staggering to see over the past 12 months, is just how heavily many professional cleaners rely on the mop.
You would think that a global pandemic would force cleaners to ditch the ineffective, archaic methods, but, astonishingly, many were employing techniques that haven’t been updated for decades. And what makes this even more concerning, is that these methods have become widely accepted as standard practice by many.
However, in reality, practices such as mopping are pretty much pointless, especially when used against something as infectious as SARS-CoV-2. All a mop and bucket is good for is spreading dirt around. It does nothing to actually lift and remove the soils.
In fact, scientific research, using test plates infected with organisms, has shown that ‘cleaned’ areas are instantly reinfected as the mop-head picks up soils in the bucket’s contaminated water and circulates them across the floor. Even microfibre mopping only cuts bacteria levels by 51% at best, before dragging bacteria back into clean areas, resulting in an overall effectiveness of 24%.
INVEST IN INNOVATION It has never been a better time to leave the outdated, inadequate practices firmly in the past and invest in innovative, science-led cleaning methods. Quite frankly, it’s long overdue.
In the wake of coronavirus, we have created a process that not only fully removes dangerous bacteria from floors, but protects them from re-infection. We call this the ‘Remove, Improve and Protect strategy’.
REMOVE Step one is to fully remove contaminants by adding water, and the correct chemistry in the form of a pure cleaning solution. With some dwell time and agitation where necessary, high- flow fluid extraction can then be used to take away the used solution, storing it separately for disposal.
36 | FLOORCARE & MAINTENANCE
IMPROVE The next step is to test the effectiveness of the clean. Using the above method will greatly improve cleanliness the first time it is employed, but adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurements taken before and after cleaning provide proof of the standard of clean, instilling confidence in the process.
We recently tested out the ‘remove’ process at a chain of fast food restaurants and the results were undeniable. We took ATP measurements before and after the restaurant’s regular cleaning process, and again after our own cleaning method using the Univac. After our cleaning process, the readings were classed as clinically clean, even the floors. What’s more, the problem of grease on the floors had been completely eliminated.
PROTECT Finally, once all dirt has been removed, one should always protect surfaces with an anti-microbial shield. This offers active protection for any treated surface, significantly reducing the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses, and providing long-lasting defence. The solution can be applied to a surface by spraying, wiping, or ‘fogging’, leaving behind a mono-molecular layer that permanently bonds to the surface, forming a protective barrier. Regular, routine cleaning can continue without disturbing the effectiveness of the coating.
www.rawlins.co.uk/remove-improve-protect-covid
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