We have all heard the news and might be a little frightened about this new virus that is affecting China and has made it’s way to the U.S. With this in mind, and given that on any given workday employees use their hands to type up reports, shake hands with new clients, open doors and share community spaces, it might be good idea to work on prevention.
When an outbreak occurs, it’s usually up to facility managers and custodial crews to tackle the problem. While we hope this new virus will not affect us, it’s important to keep in mind that an outbreak among building occupants can still occur any time of the year and in any type of facility. You have to make sure the chemical you choose for disinfection is capable of killing the specific pathogen you are targeting.
Many disinfectants are rendered useless without the proper application. The best process is a clear and defined two-step process. First, remove soils first where microbes can hide. Second, sanitize or disinfect for the pathogen of concern. When you are ready to disinfect the affected area, dwell time (also referred to as contact time) is paramount. All EPA-registered disinfectants are labeled with a dwell time. This is the amount of time the product needs to be actually wet in order to kill the pathogen. Products will often naturally dry before 10 minutes are up. Look for a product with five minute or less contact time, because that ensures it has enough time to kill the germs you are attacking.
Promoting personal hygiene, such as hand washing and covering mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, is the best way to make sure illness does not spread in your building. Also proactive daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces like desktops to remove organic soils that can host and harbor pathogens. The key to any illness is to avoid transferal. If you can break a link in the chain, then you have a chance in stopping an outbreak.
Another way to make sure that your facility is germ free is to hire EcoCare to do a Deep Clean service that includes sanitizing your facility top to bottom. EcoCare can employ all of these tasks and more in your facility today. We employ green cleaning techniques and are very successful in disinfecting offices. We currently service the Waco, Austin and San Antonio areas.
(Credit: Cleaning & Maintenance Management Magazine)
