letters and views Letters Insights from the JanSan industry. A Follow-up To “A Commentary On Cleaning Standards” I agree wholeheartedly with Allen Rathey’s assertion that the concept of “cleaning for health” offers the industry a terrific oppor-tunity to generate awareness of the crucial importance of cleaning in maintaining a healthy environment and one that is condu-cive to occupant productivity. That being said, I am troubled by the apparent conclusion that it is not possible to develop a successful industry standard that can serve as a rallying point for all seg-ments of the industry. In fact, I believe that ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (GB) program accomplishes that precise goal. In essence, by setting forth universal-ly-accepted criteria for effective manage-ment and green cleaning, CIMS provides a framework for improvement that will enable the industry to increase professionalism and work toward an even higher standard of quality. Perhaps even more importantly, CIMS offers validation of quality and service, all while providing a foundation upon which improved productivity, efficiency and con-sistency can be based. Ultimately, it is up to the industry as a whole to band together to change the way cleaning is viewed so that it is treated as an investment and not as a cost to be minimized. To The Editor Once we accomplish that, the industry will finally be in a position to receive the recognition it deserves. Creating standards and fostering compli-ance is a first, necessary step, and I am proud to say that CIMS has already moved us far along the path. — Dan Wagner, director of facility service programs for ISSA. 10 minutes, but that stuff evaporates in 5 seconds. — Neloma Sterner of a leading health care facility. 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. Negative Headlines I love being connected to industry news. However, I wish you didn’t lead with negative headlines. Knowing that a custodian was accused of cracking a safe is irrelevant at best and sort of demeaning if that’s the best lead headline you can come up with. Pet peeve rant over. — Skip Dallen of Hillyard Inc. of Los Angeles. Raising Cleaning Standards This pertains to the April 2011 issue of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine with the commentary from Allen Rathey about raising cleaning standards. Here’s the big picture: It’s not about get-ting a blasting machine or whose floors shine the brightest; it’s about clean. People know what clean looks like to them. Now, will that raise the bar for housekeep-ers to be looked at differently? Not with all the infections occurring in health care facilities and at gyms. Read your disinfectants, people; there is a dwell time, meaning this area has to be wet, so to speak, for 10 minutes — the average time for many disinfectants, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By supplying these places with wipes, you’re passing out a false sense of security. Alcohol cannot kill unless it dwells for I appreciate your feedback, Skip, and value your opinion and those of all our subscribers. I know it is no consolation, and your view is shared by many CM e-News Daily subscribers, but the times we run sensa-tionalized headlines are the days we seem to generate the most interest in our content. Like your regional newspaper covering local business events — including those that uncover corporate corruption and things of the like — we feel it would be a disservice not to address the news when applicable. We do our best to include a variety of coverage, including personal interest sto-ries, company hirings, industry awards and 6 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • May 2011
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