The Janitors' Closet

Touchpoint disinfecting

I just ran across a good article on combating "enveloped viruses", such as the flu, a good many common colds, and Covid-19 - provided by our friends at CleanLink.

To summarize, an enveloped virus is one that comes with a coating (the "envelope") of fat or protein. If you puncture the envelope, you puncture the virus inside, which prevents it from transmitting (infecting).  Disinfectants are quite good at doing so (viruses are generally easier to kill than bacteria or fungi).  Quaternary ammonia products have been around for 85 years or so, and do quite well, though they irritate eyes and lungs, so protective gear ought be utilized.  Hydrogen peroxide products, like many used in electrostatic applications, work at least as well, without the potential irritation.

An advantage of electrostatic applicators is that they coat all surfaces of the thing aimed at; wiping or pump spraying will often miss prime pathogen areas, such as sides of desks. phone handsets and the undersides of chair arms; pump sprayers also tend to apply disinfectant unevenly - some areas don't get enough dwell time, and other areas are over-wet.  And, as always, dwell time is important. 

A bit ago, I happened to watch a music teacher (quite a conscientious fellow, with a doctorate) sanitizing in a music classroom.  He was spraying the music stands with a trigger bottle, and wiping immediately with a dry cloth.  I asked him what the dell time was on the chemical (from the unlabeled bottle he'd been given) was; he didn't know from "dwell time", but knew that the chemical was referred to by administration as the "purple stuff".  I mentioned that few disinfectants are effective at less than a minute's dwell time (that is, with a wet surface); he thanked me for the insight, and went back to spraying and wiping.

Good thing it's relatively hard to pick up a case of coronavirus from touching an infected surface.

Pink eye - the epidemic

Received a call from a client this morning, the facility manager of a large insurance agency.  He has something of an epidemic of "pink eye" around the office, with perhaps a half dozen of his folks affected.  Wanted to know what he, or we, might be able to do about it.

Pink eye can be several things.  A somewhat unusual allergy affecting multiple people simultaneously seems unlikely, so we are left with viral or bacterial infection.  Bacteria is the more serious, and indicates medical treatment, but the symptoms (green discharge, eyes swollen shut) are not present.  So, we're likely left with viral.

Generally with a virus you can vaccinate beforehand, but not kill the virus once it hits; you just try to mitigate the symptoms, and let the immune system work its magic.  So all we can do regarding the office environment is prevent the spread of the illness, which is what my client called about in the first place.

The pathogen can be either touch-point or air borne; left on the refrigerator door or coffee pot handle, or broadcast by the fellow in the next cubicle coughing without a hand or tissue over his mouth.

Providing nightly janitorial service, with an eye (no pun intended) on health, we stress touch-point sanitation, using microfiber wipes and a hydrogen peroxide solution, and full restroom/break-room disinfection, with a hospital grade product; we can generally leave the facility pretty healthy for the next morning.  Problem is, the first fellow who scratches his itchy eyelid and then touches a doorknob re-infects the place.

I asked my crew to double down on the sanitation procedures, but also suggested the client 1) pick up some antiseptic wipes, and get someone to wipe down touch-points around the office multiple times per day; 2) advise staff to avoid shaking hands, or using another's phone or keyboard, and to avoid coughing at people (perhaps hand out some surgical masks for emphasis); 3) pick up a barrier hand lotion (we use one by R & R Lotion, a local Scottsdale and Phoenix supplier), which kills pathogens on one's hands for some four hours after application.  We offer the latter to our cleaning crews, to defeat anything that gets past the latex gloves; I use it religiously myself, before visiting clients, or attending Chamber meet-and-greet events, or Sunday church.

Haven't had a cold in a long time.

Just how effective is one-time sanitation?

Caught an article in their local press about a grade school school in Connecticut experiencing an outbreak of a viral infection; the article touted the school district's bringing in the janitorial contractor to do a one shot sanitizing of touch-points - desk tops, door jambs, and so on.

This sounds good at first.  But I noticed, further down the article, that kids will be infectious before showing symptoms. So, we sanitize the school tonight, and a kid (or several) comes to school tomorrow, feeling and looking healthy, and touching things.  The school stayed sanitized from when the janitor finished last night to when the first child touched a doorknob this morning.

A couple of months ago, a long time client - a small architecture office, that we clean just once per week - called about several of their staff being sick.  They asked us to temporarily up service to nightly, with an emphasis on sanitizing touch-points; they also had the wisdom to ask what else could be done.  I set them up with boxes of sanitizing wipes, for use by their staff all day long, and pointed them in the direction of a pathogen killing lotion that we issue to our nightly cleaning crews, claimed to be effective for some 4 hours after applying to ones hands (thus protecting the user, and anything or anyone he touched).

In passing, our normal protocol on cleaning and sanitizing touch-points involves Diversey AlphaHP, a hydrogen peroxide cleaner-sanitizer with a 30- to 60-second kill time, applied with a microfiber cloth.  We did the same for the intensive regime, but followed it with a misting of Diversey's Virex, a quat based hospital grade disinfectant.  I needs 10 minutes dwell time, wet, which is hard to achieve on general office touch-points, so I did not claim full disinfection to the client, but it doubtless gave the already quite effective HP a good boost. 

My client's (and my) response, while a bit more costly, seems an approach much more likely to work.  And it's not likely to be more costly than having more staff out sick or, worse, sick at work.

Sanitizing trash cans

Caught an article in one our industry trade publications (we provide janitorial services Phoenix) about a fellow in Fargo, North Dakota, who has started a "curb side trash can cleaning service".

Sounds to me a good idea.  in doing office cleaning, Phoenix, and stressing disinfection (touchpoints, restrooms, kitchen surfaces and appliances - who ever thinks about the handle on the coffee pot?), trash cans are always a concern, so we use cna change liners, and clean cans when needed.   But, we don't do anything with the exterior dumpster, except to use it.  This fellow seems to be working residential customers - the 40 gallon plus individual cans you roll out to the curb Monday mornings; a lot of folks never clean them.  From the article:

"Schielke sprays the inside of cans with biodegradable detergent and pressure washes the can to remove any lingering debris; the process is completed with the application of a disinfectant."

Sounds good, until I got to thinking about a curbside service, and where the runoff goes.  Most people washing out cans - and most people reading the article, and getting thereby an idea for a easy-to-enter business - will dump residue into the storm drain, or onto the lawn or driveway.  All good ways to contaminate groundwater, and to get the attention of various regulators.

So i clicked the link to the original article, out of the local paper.  (like asking for directions, or reading instructions, the last thing one thinks of doing.)  Seems tha fellow's doing it right: a grab and lift attachment on his truck, like on a garbage truck, and an enclosed tank for holding the waste water, for delivery to the waste water recycling center.  The pressure washing occurs, mostly, within the tank.  Quite a fancy rig.  But not an easy entry business.

Nice idea, but I think I'll pass.

Help keep your staff healthy

The CDC reports high levels of flu-like illness in some 37 states.  Anecdotally, our Phoenix metro area seems to have some really nasty stuff going around.

So I wasn't surprised at a call I received yesterday from a long term client, the owner of a multi office architecture practice.  His outlying office (a small one where we're providing janitorial service only one night per week) has major respiratory problems among the staff.  He needed us to temporarily increase service to nightly, with a major emphasis on sanitizing touch-points.

Wasn't a problem.  We started same night; prior to, we gave our crew a quick refresher on sanitation procedures.  We use a hydrogen peroxide solution that is both a good cleaner and a very good sanitizer, with no residue or environmental issues, applied with a microfiber cloth (ditto).  We stressed (as we always do, but once again) door jambs and knobs, phone hand sets, counters, light switches, and - what many commercial cleaning firms neglect - lunchroom fridge, microwave and coffee pot handles.

My client also asked for my thoughts on precautions his staff can take.  Since most colds, at least, are picked up by touching (touching both people and touch points), not by the fellow at the next desk coughing in your direction (check Amazon for "The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu"), I suggested aggressive use of germicidal wipes (all day long), training folks to put the toilet seat down before flushing (the flush generates a plume of critter laden droplets), and a long-acting germicidal barrier hand lotion.  We use one by R & R Lotions that is supposed to kill most pathogens for up to four hours after applying.  I always slather it on before visiting clients, before Chamber of Commerce mixers (lots of hand shaking) and before church (again, lots of hand shaking - it's a very friendly church).  And particularly before visiting, to quote a potential facility or to check on our current client, any health care or child care facilities.

Haven't had a cold since I began using the stuff.

 

2015-2016 Influenza Season Week 9 ending March 5, 2016

 

Floor safety tips

Random thoughts on improving your facility safety via reducing slips and falls:

1) Use a not-skid floor finish.  Higher end products by reputable manufacturers will meet slip resistant standards; the inexpensive off-brand product that your "ma & pa" or franchised janitorial service picks up might not.  Your service should have provided you an MSDS book, covering all the chemicals they bring into your facility (OSHA requires you to have all that safety info); a quick look ought tell you what product they say they're using.  Might be a good idea to double check as the ob is being cone, just to be safe.

2) It's best to stop loose dirt and dust, and particularly oil and the gunk from your parking lot, at the entry.  Therefor, rent treated entry mats; they work much better than the one you purchased at the office supply store.  First, you can never get your purchased mat clean (the mat rental company has a really big washing machine), and second, the mat folks treat the mat with a goop that grabs the fine particles, and the grease and oil.

3) Keep your floors clean, ongoing.  Vacuum them often (even on tile, a vacuum picks up much more stuff than does a dust-mop).  Damp mop your tile and vinyl just as often, with a product that will cut any oil or dirt, but not leave a residue.  A detergent, or oil, residue, will both attract dirt and (usually) increase slipperiness.  Use a microfiber mop, not a cotton string mop - it scrubs better, and leaves less water and dirt behind.  Also, clean up spills immediately.

4) Don't leave stuff in or near traffic paths.  No boxes, computer cords, or anything else.  People do not watch where they're going.

A whole lot of workplace injuries are the result of slips and falls.  And they are expensive.  A competent commercial janitorial service, like mine, can help you with much of the above, but the final responsibility, both legally and morally, is yours.

Airplanes house microscopic Stowaways

Caught an article on a study by microbiology professor James Barbaree of Auburn University showing that MRSA and E. coli (both common and nasty critters) can live for days on airplane armrests, tray tables, and seats.

Ruminating on that, and comparing usage of an airliner to that of the office and health care facilities we provide commercial janitorial service to, I'm struck by how much heavier is the usage in the airliner: hundreds of folks crammed together, multiple passenger changes over the course of the day, lots of folks grabbing headrests and seat backs as they move down the isle.  Compare that to the very few people likely to touch a door jamb or light switch in the average office.  And we are quite aggressive about cleaning and sanitizing those office surfaces every night; how often is the airliner thoroughly sanitized?

The article notes: "MRSA can cause skin infections and pneumonia. E. coli is usually a food-borne pathogen that can cause severe diarrhea, but the germ can also be transmitted through contact. Barbaree said both are relatively common.  "These are going to be on airplanes," he said. "There will be some people who carry MRSA."  The takeaway for travelers is to be as clean as possible. It is important to wash hands and faces during travel to prevent the spread of dangerous germs, Barbaree said."

Me, I'd take it a step forward.  We issue to our crews a lotion based hand sanitizer that is supposed to kill germs for up to four hours when applied to ones hands.  We use it under the standard latex gloves, figuring that the glove can always be torn or punctured, so a back-up is handy.  Further, consider how you remove the glove (in theory without letting your fingers touch the outer surface of the used glove).  I keep a small bottle of the stuff in by car, and use it before going into meetings, client facilities, or the grocery store.  Might as well use it on the plane as well.

Or maybe I'll drive.

 

 

Cut workplace absenteeism - some sanitation tips

Flu and cold season is just around the corner.  Sick employees coming to work will infect others, who will infect others.  This from a friend, Dr. Charles Gerba, down the road at the University of Arizona:

“In our studies, we found if we put a racer virus on the doorknob of an office building, we can detect it on 50 percent of the people’s hands that work in the office and half of the surfaces they commonly touch,” says Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. “People who come to work with the cold virus spread it around.”

Regardless of how thorough a job your janitorial service is doing for you, they cannot deal with ongoing issues through the course of the day.  Here's a few things to look at:

1) Get a pack of sanitizing wipes; have your folks use them throughout the day on shared "touch-points": the front door push bar, phone hand sets, counters, elevator buttons, and the like

2) Place hand sanitizer dispensers at strategic points around the office, like the entry to the lunchroom, or a customer sales counter area

3) Speaking of lunchrooms, constantly wipe, with the sanitizing wipe, coffee pot handles, the fridge and microwave handles (and the microwave control panel), the sink faucet, the counter, the hinged top of the trash can

4) Not that I'm a misogynist (or at least not much), but studies have shown that gals' desks harbor many more critters than do ours.  Two reasons: many ladies take their purses with them into the restroom, and into the stall, and set them on the floor.  Stall floors in restrooms are particularly nasty due to the plume of fine water droplets that erupts from the toilet bowl when it's flushed.  Then, they take the purse back to the cubicle, and set it on the desk.  Go figure.  The second reason is that gals, more than fellows, stash chips and candy bars and such in their desk drawers, attracting critters.  (In passing, I've been advised that if you find yourself stuck in the office over the lunch hour, with no lunch to hand, go rummaging through gals' desk drawers.  Just don't tell them I told so.)

5) Check the hand soap dispensers in the restrooms: If you use "bulk" soap (it comes by the gallon, and you pour it into the wall dispenser or the under-the-counter bottle), you've a 25% likelihood of the soap harboring bacteria - even if it's anti-bacterial soap.  Better to buy the pre-package product.  When the dispenser is empty, you pop in a fresh package and nozzle combination.  Much less chance of contamination.

In passing, the season might be a good excuse to review what your current office cleaning service is doing, infection control-wise.  A good hospital grade disinfectant, after cleaning, in restrooms and lunchrooms; a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner/sanitizer, with a microfiber cloth, for general touch-points; vacuuming hard surface floors, followed by microfiber mopping, both to remove fine particles and pathogens from your facility; black-light inspections, regularly; and crew training.  And, for safety and OSHA compliance, an MSDS book in your janitors' closet - that matches the labels on the janitor's chemicals.  Here's a bit on what we do at CBN.

Germ Warfare in your facility

Just got an invite from my good friends at Waxie Sanitary Supply, featuring University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba in a symposium titled "Germ Warfare in Your Facility".

I've featured Dr. Gerba's work repeatedly over the past several years.  He's done extensive "real world" testing of pathogen loads carried on various touch-points around home and office; as an example, one's computer mouse is generally a whole lot more germ infested than your toilet seat.  In doing commercial janitorial service in the Phoenix area, just up the freeway from Gerba's base at the U of A in Tucson, we use his work both to design our sanitation and pathogen control program (and testing the effectiveness there-of), and in getting our crew's attention to the importance of method and thoroughness of what they do.

Here's a link to Waxie.  The seminar is Wednesday, 9/17; wouldn't be surprised if they can fit a couple extra folks in.

Elevator buttons and "microbiological growth"

61% of elevator buttons sampled showed microbiological growth, compared to 43% of toilet surfaces, in a study performed in....a hospital, according to the Open Medicine Journal.  Per the article, "Bacteria cultured from the elevator buttons and toilet surfaces included Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, coliform (or bowel) bacteria, Enterococcus and Pseudomonas...".  Not the stuff I'd want on MY elevator button.

In doing commercial janitorial (and not just in health care facilities), we've long stressed the importance of touch-point sanitation, including areas like door push bars and elevator buttons.  Our standard touch-point protocal involves a microfiber cloth saturated in a hydrogen-peroxide sanitizer.  The HP is both an effective cleaner and sanitizer; the microfiber is a good cleaner, even with plain water, and because it both scrubs the dangerous critters from the surface, and hangs onto them, one could almost consider the microfiber a sanitizer as well.  Combined, hydrogen peroxide and microfiber become quite the effective sanitation team.

However, we also realize that the very best cleaned and sanitized surface will find itself violated by the first grubby digit with which it comes in contact.  So clean hands ought be a no-braine r.

Likewise, the article advocates using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after touching the elevator button, or using one's elbow, or a pen, to push the button (this assumes that you don't chew the end of your pen), and educating the public about the importance of hand sanitation.

Finally, “We were surprised by the frequency of bacterial colonization on the elevator buttons, but we were also struck by how easily it could be avoided, specifically by the use of good hand washing or hand hygiene,” says co-author Dr. Andrew Simor, chief, department of microbiology and infectious diseases at Sunnybrook."

It's not rocket science.