CLEANING FIVE KEY CLEANING PRACTICES
James White, Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd, shares his top tips for maintaining hygiene levels and managing infection control.
It is almost 18-months since the first national lockdown was announced in the UK but over the past few months, restrictions have lifted. Today, we can go to weddings, see our friends, and return to our favourite restaurants. We can even go back to the office.
Along with a successful vaccination programme, and the heroic efforts of the NHS, our return to normal is also thanks to many businesses adopting robust cleaning practices to help curb the spread.
But although we are largely out of the woods, we should not become complacent - I have a friend who is double vaccinated and currently on a ventilator.
As we approach autumn, that colder weather will likely bring an upswing in infection rates. And we’re not just talking about COVID-19. The rate of influenza and other dangerous respiratory conditions is expected to be double what it is in a ‘normal’ year. And there are concerns this could overwhelm the NHS.
That’s why we must be more vigilant than ever and continue to reduce transmission risk through robust cleaning practices.
Here are our top tips for how to achieve this:
Regular cleaning It goes without saying that regular cleaning is important in reducing transmission of communicable diseases. Cleaning is the removal of unwanted soils, both the seen and the unseen. Chemicals do not clean, but by applying water and the correct chemistry to loosen soils, we can then employ high-flow fluid extraction to remove the used solution and contaminants, which can be disposed of correctly.
We should not rely on disinfectant alone. Disinfectant might kill 99.9% of germs but it does not remove them. It leaves dead microbes, along with any surviving ones, smeared across the surface. These microbes then serve as a food source for the next wave of bugs.
Touch point cleaning It is important to complement a regular cleaning schedule with targeted touch point cleaning.
This means frequent cleaning of high traffic areas in shops, washrooms, offices, and sports stadiums.
This includes door handles, light switches and other surfaces that are touched multiple times.
We recommend spraying a neutral pH chemical cleaner and leaving it a few minutes to work before wiping away.
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The dwell time is important for making sure germs are dealt with effectively.
This step, used with an anti-microbial shield, will give long lasting protection on these critical areas.
Clean the air As COVID-19 and other winter viruses are airborne, surface cleaning alone is not enough.
To be doubly sure your environment is as safe as it can be, you might want to consider air sterilisation. Air sterilisation is a complex arena with only a few very effective products available. Understanding what is on offer is crucial.
Good quality air sterilisers can eliminate 99.9999+% of airborne pathogens instantly on the first pass - including enveloped viruses like the coronavirus. They then continue to sterilise the air regularly throughout the day.
Test cleanliness levels with ATP testing Constantly reviewing processes and making sure that they are up to standards it vital when it comes to infection control.
To do this, we take Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) measurements both before and after cleaning. This allows us to identify areas where cleaning can be improved.
With ATP testing we can prove the effectiveness of our processes. It gives us hard data that not only determines efficacy, but also provides reassurance to clients that their premises are as safe as possible.
Protect surfaces with an
anti-microbial shield This brings us to the final step, which is to protect the good work we have achieved with our cleaning.
Keeping surfaces free of pathogens is a challenge - they aren’t likely to stay clean for long.
But we can go a step further by introducing an anti-microbial shield. This offers long-lasting protection and defends the treated surface, reducing the spread of bacteria and viruses significantly.
Implementing and sustaining robust cleaning strategies is as important now as it was at the start of the pandemic. None of us want to be back in a lockdown, especially if an increase in transmission can be prevented by vigilance and effective cleaning.
www.rawlins.co.uk/ twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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