We love that fall is finally here, but that also means its flu season. Today we are giving a quick refresher on easy cleaning and hand hygiene tips for infection prevention. Keeping facilities cold and flu-free is crucial for the health of customers, employees, and the general public. Follow these easy tips, and we promise it will limit germ exposure.
- Cleaning Routine: Studies show that having a regular cleaning routine is the first and best line of defense against the spread of germs. This time of year, it is essential to reevaluate cleaning routines and train/re-train staff accordingly. We often do facility walkthroughs with customers, as another set of eyes, to suggest any changes to cleaning routines or products during cold and flu season. Additionally, a cleaning protocol checklist can be found here.
- Disinfect and Sanitize: After cleaning, surfaces need to be disinfected and regularly sanitized. Disinfectants require that a surface remains wet for a certain length of time to kill the germs. They should also be properly registered with the EPA and contain appropriate kill claims. Following the instructions on the back of the bottle is required to ensure proper surface application, pathogen efficacy, and contact time. Using a product that kills the most germs in the least amount of time is the best option. Sanitizing surfaces after they have been cleaned, and disinfected provides another line of defense against bacteria. Sanitizers offer a shorter dwell time than disinfectants and are very useful for the next time tip below. More on disinfectants here.
- High Touch Areas: It is especially important to make sure cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing efforts are laser-focused on “high touch areas”, especially when a known flu outbreak has occurred. These areas include door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, waiting rooms, tray tables, computer screens, telephones, and other areas that do not regularly get disinfected. High touch areas are always the culprits of spreading germs. We recommended this product, for quick easy sanitation.
- Hand Hygiene: Proper cleaning and hand hygiene go hand in hand. Allowing guests, customers, employees, and the general public access to hand sanitizer in lobbies, waiting rooms, patient rooms, near elevators, and doorways is another critical step to stopping the spread of germs. When possible, washing hands with warm soapy water is the preferred hand hygiene method. Learn more about hand hygiene here.
For help, input, training, product recommendations, or anything else cold and flu-related, please contact us here. We are happy to help!
