According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cleaning consists of removing foreign material, such as soil and organic materials, from objects normally using water with detergents cou-pled with agitation of the cleaning solution as it is applied to the surfaces. Although the cleaning step may reduce the amount of microbial contamination on a surface, called the “bioburden,” a separate disinfectant solution having Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved efficacy in killing microbials should then be used. In particular, the disinfectant used must be shown to be efficient in killing the bacte-rial species found in the particular environ-ment being disinfected. Wherever there is pressure to control budgets, there is a tendency for directors and workers involved in cleaning and sani-tization programs to scrimp on using prop-er concentrations of disinfectant solutions, to not allow enough time for applied disin-fectants to act, to use less efficient wipers or methods to apply the disinfectants and/or to neglect highly touched objects. This sort of pressure must be resisted because any successful cleaning/disinfec-tion program includes: Using the correct tools and products for the job Monitoring cleaning activities and measuring efficacy Training personnel effectively Creating a culture of professionalism within the cleaning services staff. The spread into the community of pathogens that previously have been chiefly found in hospitals, coupled with the increased susceptibility of children to infec-tions, makes it imperative that school cleaning efforts must minimize pupilsʼ exposure to picking up pathogens from their school environments and spreading it into their homes. research is that HTOs in hospital rooms, including doorknobs, light switches, arm-rests and telephones, are well cleaned only about 50 percent of the time. On the other hand, toilets, toilet seats and sinks are well cleaned 85 to 90 percent of the time. Thus, the normal hospital situation is that HTOs that are the most contaminated are the least well cleaned. It is hard to see why this situation will be different in schools. Tools to monitor the efficiencies of both cleaning and disinfection are readily avail-able from commercial sources. For example, HTOs may be coated selectively with a water-soluble dye that is invisible in ordinary light, but fluoresces under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The HTOs to be audited are coated with Practical Aspects Of Cleaning HTO Surfaces Fortunately, a great deal of practical research has been forthcoming in recent years on how to stem hospital infections. It seems logical that many of the meth-ods developed for minimizing hospital infections should be applied to cleaning school environments. One of the most important findings of this Circle Product Information no. 208 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 13
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