CM/Spotlight: Infection Control performed both before and after cleaning. Doing so is twofold: It shows that a sur-face was cleaned while also shedding light on the effectiveness of the cleaning. As can be surmised, a low ATP count is preferable — as the gist of cleaning is to remove unwanted matter from surfaces. A high ATP count means there is potential contamination on a surface, likely resulting from improper cleaning and/or insufficient disinfection. ATP measurement offers proof of results that can reassure supervisors that their staffs are competently cleaning — and disinfecting where applicable — and help teach frontline custodians the proper tech-niques for maximum soil and germ removal. However, according to Lynn Krafft, International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) editor and owner of Krafft Cleaning Service, ATP measurement can be costly and instill a false sense of security. “We live in a sea of microbes, and attempting to remove them or reduce their numbers makes no sense unless there is a real danger imposed by their presence in a specific setting,” expresses Krafft. In high-risk environments like schools and health care facilities, ATP measure-ment can be quite effective in quantifying germ removal; in an office or industrial facil-ity, it might be unnecessary. given to the lavatory. Quality assurance individuals also use UV lights to analyze cleaners’ work, notably in places like hotel and patient rooms. ■ Particle counters Unlike other devices that detect con-tamination on surfaces, particle counters detect airborne particulates — a measure of indoor air quality (IAQ). Sometimes, cleaning can cause matter to become suspended in the air, which will either be inhaled by building occupants or redistributed on surfaces as the matter settles. With a particle counter, users can con-firm the effectiveness of their air scrub-bers; high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuums; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and their general cleaning. “Monitoring IAQ provides a measure of cleaning effectiveness that is quantifiable and can be shared with the client or ten-ant,” says Bob Croft, president of CBN Building Maintenance. ■ Log reductions Log reduction, a mathematical term show-ing a reduction in the number of live germs logarithmically, denotes the relative number of live microbes eliminated from a surface after sanitizing, disinfecting or cleaning. “When it comes to determining actu-al germ kill, ‘inactivation’ or removal, log reduction is important to understand,” asserts Morrison. A 1-log reduction means the number of germs on a surface is 10 times less than it was prior to cleaning; a 2-log reduction means the number is 100 times less; a 3-log reduction is 1,000 times less; and so on up to a 7-log reduction. A log reduction-based cleaning system can help identify the cleaning processes that work best to achieve desired cleanli-ness levels in a given timeframe. cautions and environmental cleaning and disinfecting. Regardless of what is used to assess results, the goal is universal: Sufficiently remove unwanted soils — which include germs and bacteria — from the indoor environment. “Investment in science-based measure-ment does represent additional costs that cleaning professionals have not historically had,” opines Sheldon. “The real question for the cleaning professional is, ‘What is the real value of evidence-based cleaning?’” The various measurement devices avail-able allow for tangible data that either help prove or disprove cleaning efficacy. This helps custodial professionals cater their cleaning efforts to better achieve cleanliness and hygiene objectives. And, a clean and hygienic indoor environ-ment equates to happy and healthy build-ing occupants. Properly Using An ATP Meter One of the most common measuring devices in use today is the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) meter. Given the quick and generally accurate results ATP meters produce, they are great devices to have in any janitorial closet or on any custodial cart where val-idation of cleaning processes is required. Validation of cleaning processes with an ATP meter can be done in as little as 15 seconds with five easy steps: 1. Properly clean the surface to be measured 2. Swab a four-square-inch area, mak-ing sure to contact the surface with all sides of the cotton swab 3. Snap and squeeze the swab to release the active liquid so that it can react with ATP on the cotton end of the swab 4. Insert the swab into the ATP meter and wait about 15 seconds for the meter to display the results 5. Read the results and move forward accordingly. CM Other Options Aside from the ever popular ATP meter — which has gone down in cost and increased in accuracy and functionality in the past several years — there are other devices and methods to enumerate the removal of unwanted matter. ■ Ultraviolet light Though it does not produce a number or a percentage, testing an area with an ultraviolet (UV) light will show whether or not a surface is contaminated with any fluo-rescent substances, which are otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Many bodily fluids contain fluorescent molecules, as do chemical and mineral residues that may be left behind after insuf-ficient cleaning. Testing with a UV light is popular in rest-rooms and is a good way to gauge how much attention a cleaning professional has The Bottom Line At the end of the shift, it all comes down to effective cleaning. According to LaFreniere, custodial pro-fessionals should adopt a comprehensive infection prevention and control plan that includes measures such as attention to hand hygiene, surveillance, contact pre-18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2012
CMM – Archives Feb 2012: 18
