Posts Tagged ‘cleaning’

 In the world of cleaning, we as business owners need to educate ourselves and our employees on how to clean and sanitize the surfaces we care for. Bacteria growth is a big concern for our clients because they want to protect their employees, customers and visitors from unhealthy environments.

Understanding bacteria and how it grows and moves is one of the starting points in learning how to keep the environments we care for, clean.

Bacteria Reproduction Facts: 

1. Bacteria reproduce by dividing. Once the cell reaches its maximum size it starts to come together in the middle and eventually breaks in two. This process can take 15 to 30 minutes.  
2. In just 5 hours, one bacterium can turn into over 1 million bacteria. 
3. Since you would rarely start with just 1 bacterium on any given surface, you can see where bacteria can spread into millions and billions of bacteria very quickly. 

How Bacteria Spread:

Bacteria don’t spread on their own. Here are some ways bacteria find their way to other surfaces. 

1. People are carriers of bacteria and can pass the bacteria to others in a variety of ways. 
2. They can travel through the air when someone sneezes. 
3. We deposit them on objects we touch, so bacteria can literally be anywhere. This is why cleaning companies must pay particular attention to “touch points” like door knobs, telephones and desk tops when cleaning and disinfecting. 
4. Animals and insects can carry bacteria. 

Methods of Killing Bacteria: 

1. Heat – this method can include sterilization (steam under pressure), moist heat (autoclaves), boiling, and dry heat (hot air sterilization). 
2. Cold – cold doesn’t actually kill bacteria, but it inhibits the growth. 
3. Direct sunlight or ultraviolet light. 
4. Chemical Agents like disinfectants or germicides. 

By having an understanding of bacteria and how it spreads, you can make more informed choices on the products you choose to use and what areas may be at higher risk of bacteria growth.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.

In the cleaning industry, there are misunderstandings about disinfects and sanitizers.

If it is a food service area, then you’ll be interested in sanitizers. If it’s a medical facility, then you’ll be more interested in disinfectants.

A disinfectant, is a chemical that completely destroys all organisms. The organisms it kills are disease causing bacteria and pathogens.

From a legal standpoint, disinfectants must reduce the level of pathogenic bacteria by 99.9%, during a time frame of greater than 5 minutes but less than 10 minutes.

A sanitizer in contrast, is a chemical that reduces the number of micro-organisms to a safe level. It does not need to eliminate 100% of all organisms to be effective.

Sanitizers, do not kill viruses and fungi. In a food service situtation the sanitizer must also reduce the bacteria count by 99.9% and are required to kill infectious organisms within 30 seconds.

If it’s just general cleaning you are interested in to remove soil, you should consider using an all-purpose cleaner rather than a, disinfectant or sanitizer.

Always use a disinfectant on your restrooms.

Most of the dust entered into your home or small office is through your entrance points, front and back door.  By placing the right kind of mats down you can eliminate some dust and cleaning time of your home or small office.  I suggest getting a professional mat you see at entrances of hospitals, which can be found at most janitorial stores.  They’re called walk-off mats.  They’re available in a variety of types, colors, and sizes.   The mats can be used inside and out.   The mats should be vacuumed or shake them outside to get rid of the dirt.  They can be hosed down and cleaned with all-purpose cleaner as needed.  The mats should be hung and let them dry completely after cleaning.

The results have been good for us with the use of walk-off mats.  I’m sure you will enjoy the benefit of having them in your home or small office also.