letters and views Letters To The Editor The gist of the article — noted in your message — was that training is deficient and needs to be vamped up if we are to truly achieve what we set out to accom-plish: Hygienically clean surfaces. — Aaron Baunee, managing editor. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Disinfection . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Training . Insights from the JanSan industry. Each month, we welcome readers to opine on the noteworthy — or even the trivial — aspects of their lives as JanSan professionals. The following is some of the correspondence we have received in recent weeks. Disinfection A bridge from science and technology to improve the cleaning industry’s knowledge and practices. By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor The Fantasy Of O Aaron Baunee is the managing editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine. He can be reached at ABaunee@NTPMedia. com. In his years with the publica-tion, Baunee has amassed numerous articles, columns and commentaries pertaining to commercial cleaning and maintenance. Baunee encourag-es readers to communicate editorial ideas to him and welcomes discus-sions on pertinent industry happen-ings. Connect through social media: LinkedIn.com/in/AaronBaunee, Facebook.com/CMMOnline and Twitter.com/CMeNewsDaily. Over the past several years, cleaning for health has been a primary focus — as it should have been all along. No longer is it acceptable to have a surface simply look clean; with the rising costs of health care and the increased emphasis of healthy built environments, surfaces must be hygienically clean and free of all unwanted matter — not just innate soils. Short of sterilization — a non-realistic and almost unattainable goal — disinfection is the greatest tool we have to ensure the health and well-being of those working, living and otherwise existing in commercial facilities. However, according to Dr. Steven Spivak, professor emeritus of the University of Maryland and chairman of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute International’s (CIRI) Science Advisory Council, efficacy in principle is rarely reached when disinfecting in practice. Because of this failure and the time demands of cleaning services, some in the industry have dubbed the practice of attempting to remove harmful pathogens from surfaces “the fantasy of disinfection.” “It is not only building occupants at risk; end users’ well-being can be on the line by fail-ing to regularly and effectively clean and, when needed, properly disinfect,” notes Spivak. Making Fantasy A Reality The issue of disinfection — or the gross lack thereof — boils down to two concepts: A lack of cleaning science and deficient training. “Custodians are not chemists; they need to be better educated and better appreciated,” proclaims Jim Harris, Sr., chairman of CIRI. Harris opines that a substantial portion of the cleaning industry, without sufficient scientific foundation, is too casual. 14 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2011 Worth The Investment Time is saved when using no-touch cleaning systems. Along with a team cleaning specialist and a restroom specialist, no-touch systems provide assurance to make hygienically cleaning restrooms efficient. Please pass this on to anyone who cleans restrooms. When it comes to not spreading germs and reducing cross-contamination, these machines are the way to go. I now have four machines and plan to purchase more for the 20 school buildings that my staff maintains. Also, we have 70-plus backpack vacuums now; every custodian has one. They offer excellent service and perfor-mance. — David Hodge, custodian ser-vices manager for Montgomery County Public Schools. Fantasy Of Editorial Your article titled “The Fantasy of Disinfection” was interesting; however, I don’t believe you need to express your opinion when you stated: “A great deal of end users cannot comprehend verbiage beyond the eight grade reading level.” While this could be true, the responsibility is with the employer for training in proper procedures. Most custodians that I know are good, hardworking employees. If they are not cleaning effectively, it is because they have not been educated or trained to do so. — Morton Banks of Banks Industries Inc. walkways to the entrances of the buildings in the North. To help clear the frozen precipitation, ice melters will be used. Unfortunately, the ice melters will leave a haze on the floors and white marks on car-peting and entrance mats. Not only is the haze unsightly, it increases slip and fall hazards as it becomes wet from melting snow and ice. As you know, traditional neutral floor cleaners cannot remove the haze, and if you use a traditional haze remover, most either have a very high pH or a low pH, consequently dulling the floors and stripping the finish. A neutral-pH, EcoLogo-certified alterna-tive should be used. Some offerings are very effective cleaners for haze — as neutral clean-ers — as well as great on removing pencil lead marks from floors and walls. — Mike Sawchuck, general manager of Enviro-Solutions Ltd. CM Get involved CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online ™ viewers as well as CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor on topics of interest to the professional clean-ing and maintenance industry. Send letters to the editor to [email protected]. While my remark was not intended to belittle JanSan professionals, Morton, I understand how it could have come off as such. The point of that tidbit, which has been supported through various research and industry surveys, was to show that the very nature of labeling language is often confusing. Don’t Get Lost In The Haze We are approaching the time of year when the snow and ice will accumulate on the 8 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • December 2011
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