These are just some of the questions the general public are asking when it comes to the health of indoor environments when it comes to the terms that the majority of organizations and individuals within them are using in their marketing during this COVID pandemic.
For professionals in the cleaning industry, it is very clear that one and in some cases, all of the above questions are applicable. During this time there are numbers of people who are making statements about what they are doing, making comments about what others say or just plain don’t care about what they say, are of which are misleading to the general public they are speaking to.
So let’s look at some terms so that you might be educated, informed, or set straight before this goes any further. Here are a few to learn first.
FIT FOR PURPOSE: In other words, the purpose of the surface in which the control measures are being applied. The floor in the entrance of an office requires a different level of contaminate removal than that of a handrail on a patient’s bed.
PROCESSING: The act of using a cleaning agent and physical removal followed by a sanitizing or disinfecting agent on an item or area.
There are several levels of microbial control measures, all of which can be the right level depending on the purpose of the intended surface within an indoor environment.
For reference, these levels are considering the surfaces are environmental hard surfaces outside of foodservice/preparation areas.
CLEANING is the first level of contamination control on indoor environmental hard surfaces.
CLEANING: Cleaning occurs after contaminants have entered the indoor environment. Cleaning, therefore, is the removal of contaminants from these environments and putting them in their place. In cleaning we find, identify, capture, contain, remove, and dispose of contaminants. The two basic principles of cleaning a balance of pH and physical removal. Cleaning decreases the number contaminates and therefore reduces the risk of spreading infections.
Now, that we have a basic understanding of what cleaning is, it has been proven repeatedly that up to 90% of all contaminates can be physically removed by the use of water and a quality microfiber (pad or wiper). Here is a video clip from a recent LIVE remote class showing the process of cleaning and ATP measurement of the process.
Simply spraying a chemical agent and wiping is at best, ONLY cleaning.
However, this first level of contamination control can be the only level required for based on “fit for purpose”. IE: cleaning may be the appropriate level for a floor.
SANITIZATION is the next level of contamination control on many indoor environmental hard surfaces.
SANTIZATION: The process of removing contaminants from environmental hard surfaces and then the use of EPA registered sanitizer to further reduce the number of bacteria on said surfaces. General surface sanitization processes can produce a 99.9% reduction/kill of registered pathogenic organisms on a product label.
This level of contamination prevention is typically not a level used for processing most environmental surfaces. However, this level generally does not have the same dwell times as disinfectants. Thus, when the service technician uses general “spray and wipe” procedures, the surface is typically sanitized.
DISINFECTION is the highest level of contamination control on many indoor environmental hard surfaces.
DISINFECTION: The process of using cleaning agents to remove contaminants followed by the use of disinfectants that satisfy strict efficacy performance standards before being registered by the EPA for use.Disinfectants destroy or irreversibly inactivates 100% of the infectious pathogens on the product’s labeling, but not necessarily their spores to a level which is “fit for purpose”.
All disinfectants are regulated by the EPA. Thus the EPA registration number on the product’s label. These chemical agents are registered as “pesticides” under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Because disinfectants are classified as pesticides, these products should always be used in strict accordance with product labels.
RINSING: The process of removing previously used cleaning, sanitizing and/or disinfecting agents via the use of water. While this step may not be required by the manufacturer of the chemical, it is a “best practice” measure to render the surface free of contaminants, including chemistry.
This is just a quick, shortlist of some of the detailed terms that many individuals and operations have either misunderstood, gotten wrong, or otherwise don’t want to pay attention to. However, missing the details may cost someone their life, negating the purpose of the process altogether.
Saving the life of another individual is one of the highest callings in our existence. Providing the professional subject matter for infection prevention is the goal of the Academy of Cleaning Excellence. Please consider attending an upcoming, Accredited Infection Prevention Expert course soon. CLICK ON PICTURE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON THE COURSE.
“To say that a building is clean does not mean it is healthy, but if a building is healthy, it is clean.”
We have not gotten all of the recent podcasts up during this crisis time, however, we have been doing them. So here is a list of the last few for you to enjoy.
Bobby Zagers is the VP/CMO of GEM Supply, a distributor in central Florida. During this time of massive closures of facilities, service personnel is being called into action everywhere. As a result, distribution is being challenged.
So much so that Bobby was not able to join us for this live broadcast as planned.
Your host, David Thompson however, is at the forefront of dealing with the issues of “Best Practices” when it comes to processing the built environments we service.
J. Darrel Hicks presented a 2-hour class on COVID-19, risk assessment, processing of surface, what W.A.S.T.E. stands for and the value of being certified to handle the issue which comes with infection prevention in both the workplace and at home.
In today’s podcast, the guys talk about the use of hand sanitizer vs. hand washing, knowing your personal space and controlling your environment. Did you know that you touch entrance points on your face over 19 times every hour? These are the places (eyes, nose, mouth) where infectious agents gain entrance to your body and can cause infections and sometimes death.
Here are a few links to the information Darrel and Dave spoke about.
Have you given your power away to your family, clients, fears, your desire to be “nice”, your old stories, and your past? “Taking back your power” looks a little different for everyone.
Being nice is all well and good, but are you being too nice? Sometimes you have to rock the boat a little to be the best advocate for yourself! The world needs leaders and truth-tellers.
When you envision your ideal self at the end of this year, what does that look like? What if this is the year that you finally transform the things in your life that no longer work? I am here to help you find your way back to INNER PEACE and SUCCESS on your own terms.
Collins is the founder of Bestseller Builders and president of New Shelves Books. Collins is a trusted expert, speaker, and recommended sales consultant for some of the largest book and library retailers and wholesalers in the publishing industry. She is a USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL bestselling author and in the last 20 years, Amy and her team have sold over 40 Million books into the bookstore, library, and Chain store market for small and midsized publishers. She is a columnist for and a board member of several publishing organizations and a trusted teacher in the world of independent publishers.
When not in the office, her focus is on the working poor and poverty elimination, and she spends a great deal of time personally and professionally working with and training women from disadvantaged backgrounds. A member of several charitable and political organizations, she donates not only her time but a portion of her company’s profits to grant-based charities that work to alleviate the cycle of poverty.
She is a singer in a Celtic blues band on the weekends and is saving for a faster motorcycle.
