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Restrooms might not be high on the
list of reasons patrons visit a business,
but undoubtedly their cleanliness
and hygiene can factor into whether
they’ll stay.
With a heightened sense of hygiene
awareness coming in response to the
H1N1 outbreak earlier this year, the importance
of incorporating a solid disinfecting
program for deep restroom
cleaning has never been greater.
In a 2009 “Cleaning in a Down
Economy” survey, Procter & Gamble
Professional found that 65 percent of
decision makers managing in-house
and contract cleaning services indicated
that the restroom is the most important
room to clean. At the same
time, the majority of survey respondents
stated it is the most difficult room to clean effectively.
For cleaning professionals, this new
level of hygiene awareness has brought
about the need to reassess cleaning
products and cleaning practices with an
eye toward improved disinfection.
Cleaning programs that strive to rid facilities
of soil and germs can reduce the
transmission of infectious diseases,
while at the same time positively impact
the aesthetics of the restroom, improving
appearance and reducing
odors.
Such hygiene improvements can
leave patrons with a more favorable
overall feeling about the business.
As a result of recent economic conditions,
many businesses have had to reduce
cleaning staff size and overall
budgets. Cleaning professionals are increasingly
being asked to tackle the same
amount of work with fewer employees,
placing increased demands on staff productivity
and cleaning efficiency.
According to the P&G Pro survey,
nine of 10 businesses have made cleaning
cutbacks, including staff reductions,
supplies and inventory. The survey also
revealed that 85 percent of cleaning professionals
have adopted a “doing more
with less” approach in order to increase
productivity and streamline operations.
The key to achieving the highest
level of cleaning and disinfecting is to
ensure the effectiveness of cleaning
programs.
By simplifying cleaning routines and
using multipurpose cleaning products,
businesses can get the most out of staff
and vital resources. Interestingly
enough, adding a properly designed disinfecting
program – that relies on effective
and efficient products – to current
restroom cleaning protocols won’t necessarily
add time to cleaning efforts. In
fact, a good restroom cleaning and disinfecting
program can actually save
time in the long run.
Choosing highly effective, multipurpose
products that feature hospital grade
disinfectants capable of killing a
broad spectrum of germs can help ensure
an effective and time-efficient outcome
by reducing the task to one-step.
It’s always more efficient to get the job
done right the first time by cleaning
well and allowing the disinfecting actives
to work, avoiding rework. Getting the Job Done Right
Keeping restrooms clean so they
meet public expectations means ensuring
all surfaces are free of visible soil
and dirt, all contact surfaces are sanitized,
odors are minimized or eliminated,
mirrors and chrome are spot free
and shining, fixtures and dispensers are
free of stains, discoloration or soil, and
floors are clean and dry.
The goal of any effective
restroom disinfecting
program should first be to
remove the soils that harbor and provide
a breeding ground for germs.
Once soils are removed, kill the germs
through the proper use of an appropriate
disinfecting product.
Highly touched objects, such as door
handles and plates, toilet seats, urinals,
partitions and partition levers, faucets
and sinks, flushing levers, counters,
and soap, paper and feminine hygiene
dispensers, are the ones most likely to
be contaminated.
The more times a patron touches a
contaminated surface and then touches
areas on their own face (eyes, nose or
mouth), the greater the chance for transmission of human microbial
pathogens.
Effective cleaning is the first important
step toward disinfecting. If soil is
not removed, then the active disinfecting
ingredients in the cleaner will end
up interacting with the soil, thus reducing
its ability to disinfect. Multipurpose
products that are formulated to
remove a broad range of target soils
and disinfect simultaneously can help
cleaning professionals get the job done
right the first time.
Besides being highly effective restroom
cleaning solutions, some multipurpose
products can also clean and disinfect restrooms
at less than half the cost.*
Training for Proper
Restroom Disinfecting
Procter & Gamble Professional’s
survey also reveals that one of the
greatest challenges to effective cleaning
is staff training. With high staff
turnover as a result of tough economic
times, the importance of training employees
on proper procedures can be
critical, especially when it comes to
disinfecting. All disinfectants have a prescribed contact time needed to kill
pathogens. In many cases, this means
a disinfectant should be on a cleaning
surface for 10 minutes. However, in today’s
fast-paced spray-and-wipe cleaning
world, the required contact time is
not always followed.
Cleaning and disinfecting products
need to be “used as directed” in order
to be truly effective. Proper staff training
and better sharing of information
about disinfecting products with cleaning
employees can ensure proper contact
time for disinfectants is achieved
without lengthening the overall time it
takes to clean restrooms.
Achieving Clean and
Green Restrooms
As more and more businesses look
to incorporate sustainable practices,
cleaning professionals have an opportunity
to contribute to those environmental
efforts. Reducing the amount
of cleaning products used is the most
cost-effective approach to sustainable
cleaning.
By adopting, a “doing more with
less” approach that minimizes the amount of product used and placing an
emphasis on getting the job done right
the first time, business can potentially
improve their environmental footprint.
In addition to using fewer products, the
benefits extend down the supply chain
where less packaging is required, fewer
delivery trucks are needed, and chemicals,
water and energy are conserved.
Proper training and simplified cleaning
protocols, along with the use of
multipurpose products that are designed
to clean and disinfect simultaneously
can help eliminate the need to redo
work, while improving the disinfection
of restrooms. When hygiene is enhanced,
patrons and staff will be safer
and more at ease using the facilities. ❑
Mike Weber is principal Scientist of
Products Research with Procter &
Gamble Professional. A 30-year veteran
at Procter & Gamble, he has
helped develop the P&G Pro Line
brand of commercial cleaners and development
of products to better meet
customer needs. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in chemical engineering from
The Ohio State University. * Based on
a cost per case comparison. |
