INFECTION CONTROL UNDER CONTROL


How can care and social care companies control infections and reduce harmful chemicals in order to protect vulnerable people and their staff, asks Robert Scott.


Maintaining high standards of cleanliness in facilities housing vulnerable people, such as care homes, has always been crucial. In a post-Covid world, even greater emphasis has been placed on hygiene as an infection control measure.


Employers in these sectors are increasingly focused on their duty of care toward both customers and staff. As a result, many facilities have overhauled their approach to cleaning and infection control.


One technology that operators are turning to is the Toucan Eco system from cleaning manufacturer and distributor, Robert Scott.


A POWERFUL SOLUTION


The advanced system delivers powerful disinfection without harsh chemicals. It uses just water and salt to create an eco-friendly, multipurpose disinfectant solution through electrolysis. The active compounds in this solution are hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and a very low concentration of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), resulting in a mild pH level of 7.8 to 8.5.


“WHEN HUMANS COME UNDER ATTACK FROM INVADING BACTERIA AND VIRUSES, OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONDS BY SENDING WHITE BLOOD CELLS CALLED NEUTROPHILS STRAIGHT TO THE INFECTION.”


Steve Courtney, Business Development Manager at Robert Scott, explains: “The electrolysis replicates the human body’s immune system response to infection. When humans come under attack from invading bacteria and viruses, our immune system responds by sending white blood cells called neutrophils straight to the infection. Once activated, these cells produce the same hypochlorous acid as Toucan Eco, a potent and naturally occurring disinfectant.”


Though gentle on humans, the formulation is highly effective against microorganisms. Certified to antiviral EN 14476 and EN 16777, and antibacterial EN 1276 and EN 13697, it kills up to 99.999% of germs while reducing chemical use by around 80%.


IDEAL FOR INFECTION CONTROL


Toucan Eco’s multi-use approach is ideal for facilities where infection control is a priority, as it can clean and sanitise any surface – including kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and soft furnishings – while also acting as a deodoriser. Croll Healthcare, a family-run care home company in Essex with over 60 employees, adopted the system several years ago. Its group manager, Tanya Crosby, explains their choice: “We were conscious of the amount of cleaning chemicals we were using. We want our facilities to feel homely for residents, not like a hospital, and smell plays an important part in this. We aim not to use strong-smelling chemical cleaners


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whenever we can, not just because of odour but also because we don’t want our residents breathing in chemicals all day.”


In addition to reducing the strong smell of cleaning chemicals, Toucan Eco provides a number of additional benefits for facilities with vulnerable people. For instance, its synthetic chemical-free composition and neutral pH make it extremely gentle on both lungs and skin.


Tanya adds: “We wanted a solution we could spritz everywhere without worrying about health implications from inhalation or skin contact. We don’t want our staff or residents breathing in excess chemicals.


“Toucan Eco helps us achieve this. We can spray surfaces multiple times a day without leaving a smell. We know our residents are protected by the disinfectant, but we’re also safeguarding their lungs and skin because there are no nasties in the cleaning products we use.”


ADDITIONAL BENEFITS


The system also delivers sustainability benefits. A key advantage is its ability to help businesses drastically reduce disposable plastic use, eliminating over 80% of single-use plastic bottles. This cuts plastic waste as well as carbon emissions linked to manufacturing and shipping traditional cleaning products.


The Toucan Eco range includes systems of varying sizes and capacities, ensuring a suitable solution for any facility. Latest additions to the range include the Centrego Renew, which makes two litres of powerful multi-surface cleaner in just four minutes – perfect for small to medium-sized premises. Also launched recently is the Toucan Eco Auto, an automated disinfectant generator capable of producing 20 litres of multipurpose disinfectant cleaner in 30 minutes, making it a robust solution for operators of medium to large facilities.


Tanya concludes: “Ultimately, we all want to create safe, welcoming spaces for our residents and protect the people working with them. Toucan Eco is phenomenal – its cleaning power is exceptional, and even our most hardened bleach fans have been converted.”


www.robert-scott.co.uk WWW.TOMORROWSHS.COM


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