CM/Spotlight: Restroom Care years, the accepted knowledge has been that soils harbor germs; that these germs cause disease; and that disease and other health-related problems can be minimized or eliminated through proper cleaning. And, germs are especially present in restrooms. Public restrooms have more “high-touch” contamination points than any other area of a facility. Not only are counters, surfaces, door-knobs and fixtures a concern, so are the floors. Mark Warner, product manager for disinfectants and sanitizers for Enviro-Solutions Ltd., says we have as many as 50 direct and indirect contacts with floors every day. This means that if floors are contaminat-ed, the possibility for cross contamination is much greater than most FSPs and facility managers ever thought possible. In light of all these issues — the tough economy, doing more with less, grave con-cerns about swine flu and the many con-tamination points in restrooms — cleaning professionals and managers must step back, reevaluate their restroom cleaning systems and see how they can keep stan-dards and appearance high throughout this difficult period. Some business consultants refer to this as a “cleansing process.” As it applies to cleaning, this cleansing process allows a facility to determine which cleaning tools and procedures protect health and improve the appearance of rest-rooms — keeping those that do and elimi-nating those that do not. Floor Contact Do you ever touch the floor? To some, the answer and frequency are surprising. H e r e a r e so m e i n d i r e c t w a y s w e t o u c h f l o o r s e v e r y d a y : When our shoe laces drag on the ground We drop our pen, keys or glasses Picking up a card, paper or similar item from the floor Placing computer bags, travel bags or purses on the ground Wrapping up an electrical chord Touching the bottom of a trashcan when emptying trash. yarn that could be wrung out and rinsed. And, it also allowed for the replacement of just the mop head, and not the handle, when needed. His invention made restroom floor clean-ing much easier and more cost effective, since users no longer had to replace the entire mop but just the head when it became too soiled. But did it make floor cleaning healthier? Jumping forward to the present day, we now realize the answer is likely no. In 2006, with the help of Dr. Jay Glasel, professor emeritus of the department of microbial, molecular and structural biolo-gy at the University of Connecticut Medical/Dental School, a series of tests were conducted evaluating soil removal capabilities of string mops and flat mops, which were invented about 50 years ago, versus a modern no-touch cleaning system introduced about 10 years ago. The study found that: String and flat mops left 30 times more urine residue on hard surface floors and grout On smooth floor surfaces, there was as much as 13 times more urine residue remaining after cleaning with a flat or string mop In facilities cleaned with only a mop, nearly as much urine residue was present on hard floors after cleaning as before cleaning. Core to the problem, as we know now, is that conventional restroom mopping processes spread contaminants as much as or more than they remove them from floor surfaces. This should come as no surprise to FSPs who use mops every day. This has been substantiated by studies dating back more than 35 years. One such study found that mops, stored wet — which is not uncommon in most floor mopping situations — support bacterial growth to very high levels, which “[cannot] be adequately decontaminated by chemi-cal disinfection.” Where Do We Go From Here? Fortunately, there are ways to keep rest-rooms hygienically clean and healthy in a cost-effective manner. Some ways to do this include: Turning to modern tools. Advances in new restroom cleaning technologies and equipment have been scientifical-ly proven to improve restroom sanita-tion. Training, training and more training. Many custodians are self-taught, which is one reason cleaning quality, times and performance can vary. Custodial training should always be viewed as an investment in protecting the health of a facility. Training has a financial return on investment as well since it improves cleaning procedures and efficiency, thus reducing overall cleaning costs. Testing and evaluating. Relatively inexpensive equipment is now avail-able, such as a hand-held adenosine triphosphate (ATP) meter that allows FSPs and managers to prove a sur-face is clean and healthy. We must also recognize that improving restroom cleaning effectiveness and pro-tecting the health of a facility is a top-down process. This means that it involves not just FSPs or even facility managers to make a differ-ence. It starts at the top, with high-level admin-istrators setting the tone for overcoming obstacles and meeting challenges to help foster a healthier, more hygienically clean facility. CM Old But Still Good? Mops and other conventional floor cleaning tools are a multibillion dollar business in the United States. Virtually every facility — regardless of size — has a mop on hand. Mops are one of the oldest cleaning tools available. String mops, essentially as we know them today, were invented by Thomas Stewart back in 1893. Although there were other types of mops before his invention, Stewartʼs mop was dif-ferent because the head was made from 26 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2009
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