Janitorial companies serve their customers in a variety of measurable ways: eliminating dust, maintaining floors, cleaning spills, and eradicating mold to name a few. However, one of the most important challenges facing janitorial companies is what cleaning technicians can’t see during their cleaning programs: cross contamination. Cross contamination occurs when bacteria is spread between people, food, surfaces, and equipment. Contaminants are found at a 500% higher rate indoors than outdoors, but most people spend the majority of their time indoors. While this statistic is notable, well-trained janitorial companies can eradicate this issue in a variety of ways. Let’s take a look at how janitorial services can help prevent cross contamination.
How Janitorial Services Can Help Prevent Cross Contamination
Proper janitorial training is the first line of defense against cross contamination. This means that each cleaning technician should understand which cleaning techniques prevent the spread of germs to other areas of the facility. One common cleaning mistake is that multiple areas are cleaned with the same supplies and equipment, which is a leading cause of cross contamination in a facility. While other janitorial companies can be more proactive in separating their equipment/supplies while cleaning, they may fail to store them separately, which is just as harmful. It’s important that restroom cleaning supplies are stored separately from general cleaning supplies and equipment, for instance. While fundamental training is a great start, janitorial companies should also provide continued education on this topic.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how clean how facility looks; what matters is how safe and healthy your facilities are for your staff and customers. The right tools, equipment, and training can help meet these new janitorial standards. We hope the guidelines below help limit cross contamination in your facility.
Guidelines to limit cross contamination:
- Properly train cleaning technicians in healthy janitorial techniques
- Separate restroom cleaning supplies from general equipment
- Restroom microfiber cleaning cloths should be color-coded to ensure they are not used in other areas
- Focus on entryway mats in order to prevent the spread of dirt and bacteria
- Janitorial staff should wear gloves when cleaning restrooms and those gloves should be discarded when the restroom is complete
- Sanitary cleaning should focus on facility touch-points including door handles, light switches and other common contact areas
When You’re Ready for a Consistently-Clean Workplace
The easiest way to keep your office, retail business, and workplace clean on a regular basis is to hire a professional team to clean. Let us do the cleaning work for you – either on a regular schedule or for your one-time cleans. Click here to learn more about the janitorial services we can help you with.
Our professional cleaning staff is bonded, insured, and maintains OSHA compliance. We are happy to clean your fitness and recreation centers, schools, health care facilities, churches, and many more work environments. Please contact us online or call us at 571.451.0441 for answers to your cleaning questions and to schedule your personalized janitorial cleaning estimate today!
