Today more than ever before, facilities depend on custodians to maintain safe, healthy spaces for customers and employees. Avoiding cross-contamination when cleaning is essential to reducing pathogens, including the coronavirus, and these three tactics can ensure your space is clean and contaminant-free.
Color Code Your Supplies
Switching cleaning tools and cloths after completing a task is one of the easiest ways to avoid cross-contamination.
Red tools may be used for restroom floors, urinals, toilets and sanitary appliances.
Yellow may be used for door handles, soap dispensers, walls, sinks, hand dryers, towel dispensers and other restroom surfaces.
Green is generally used for foodservice areas, like general food and bar cleanup.
Blue tools may be used for areas with a lower risk of contamination, like classrooms, offices and hallways.
Remember that separation should continue while storing tools. For example, if the mop you used in the kitchen is stored on top of the mop you used in the restroom, cross-contamination remains a risk.
Switch to Microfiber
Microfiber mop heads and cloths are available in the four colors mentioned above, and they also have a particle-trapping property that attracts dust and traps it so it is not redistributed around a space while cleaning.
Researchers from the EPA and UC Davis Medical Center have studied bacteria cultures gathered from surfaces following cleaning with a microfiber mop and a traditional wet mop. The surfaces cleaned with a traditional wet mop displayed a 30% reduction in bacteria. In contrast, the surfaces cleaned with a microfiber mop showed a 99% reduction in bacteria.
You can find microfiber cleaning supplies, including color-coded microfiber cloths, in our online catalog!
Work from Top to Bottom
The risk of cross-contamination is greatest when you’re dealing with high-touch areas like counters, door knobs and railings. Take a thoughtful approach to cleaning to avoid missing any areas of your space. Clean from top to bottom so dirt and dust falls to the floor, where you can clean it up at the end of your process.
Wipe down surfaces and fixtures using cleaning solution and water first. Next, disinfect areas that need it, and allow the solution to set for five to ten minutes before wiping down. Finally, tackle the floors, and work from the farthest corner of the room toward the door so you aren’t working yourself into a corner.
Following these tips can help you avoid cross-contamination and ensure your space is clean, healthy and safe.
