Stop Cross Contamination
StepNpull Door Hardware is a part of the bigger whole in helping the stop of the spread of viruses.
We have all had the opportunity to provide effective and efficient cleaning to our own bathrooms. The removal of soil and contaminants from the environment, not the spread of it sometimes takes some training and technique.
Here are some key pointers to cleaning techniques we might want to include:
• Consistency is key to training ourselves and others in cleaning.
• Procedures, tasks, frequencies, equipment and chemicals are part of the process of cleaning. We need to teach ourselves how to NOT cross-contaminate during the cleaning operation — cleaning from high to low, from in to out.
• The use of personal protective equipment that will minimize injuries and protect ourselves, employees and occupants is key. The frequency of changing gloves and cleaning materials should be clearly outlined so that the staff does not carry bacteria and viruses from one surface to another.
• The use of a broad-spectrum germicidal disinfectant is critical and should be mixed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s directions.
• Assume that all surfaces are contaminated, even though the contamination of each surface could be different. Trying to minimization of cross-contamination from one surface to another is our goal. For example, a cloth used to clean a toilet or urinal should not be used to clean a sink.
• Incorporate the use of touchless equipment – washers, sprayers, steam. These items may enable the staff to clean vertical and horizontal surfaces without touching anything, minimizing cross-contamination. Accessing hard to reach surfaces like grout lines efficiently and effectively is the result of using such equipment.
To provide a bacteria- and virus-free environment, it should be stressed that the cleaning of restrooms in not a one-time-a-day task. Instead, remember the cross contamination can be minimized through cleaning and touch-up cleaning depending on the frequency of your use of restrooms.
Many restrooms, especially in high-use facilities, are designed with door-less entryways so that a customer can walk in without touching any surface. Other restroom entrance doors may have a foot opener, like the StepNpull door hardware on the base of the door so that the customer can exit the restroom without contaminating their hands.
The elimination of any surface that is touched will greatly minimize the contamination, cross-contamination and spread of bacteria from within the restroom to other parts of the building.
See www.stepnpull.ca for more information
