News & Views

1. Know the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.…

Hand hygiene is a critical component of infection prevention in hospitals, but the unintended consequences include water splashing out of a sink to spread contaminants from dirty faucets according to new research presented last week in Philadelphia at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Researchers at…

The manufacturing of cars and building cleaning are two industries that don’t have much in common. Well, at least not on the surface. But cleaning departments can use a series of principles for managing production originated under Henry Ford’s leadership to improve efficiency, says a recent ManageMen blog post. Lean management principles started on Ford’s…

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, as the winner of its ninth annual Film Festival competition. The video entitled “Gundersen Petri Bowl” demonstrates the importance of hand hygiene through a variety of scenarios. Gundersen’s film is styled after a sportscast and follows an…

The future of smart restrooms has arrived, but jan/san distributors have so far been slow to embrace the technology, leaving behind a lucrative service offering that could skyrocket their value and relevance within the cleaning industry. For the past several years, cleaning supply manufacturers have embarked on ambitious R&D initiatives to develop restroom devices connected…

An observational study conducted in a French hospital showed that human contact was responsible for 90 percent of the spread of one species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to new patients, but less than 60 percent of the spread of a different species. These findings suggest hand hygiene is a key, but more methods are needed to…

The office toilet could hold the key to cutting a companies’ water bills, according to an article from IOL. A recent study at the Stellenbosch University Business School (USB) in Cape Town, South Africa, found that in one office building alone, yearly water consumption and associated costs was cut by 87 percent by fixing a…

There’s a great story about an Air Force general and his facility manager. When being presented with a PowerPoint about some facility issues, the general stated the following: You’re air to me. I need you to be there, but I don’t want to see you or think about you. I just need to know, to…

An observational study conducted in a French hospital showed that human contact was responsible for 90 percent of the spread of one species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to new patients, but less than 60 percent of the spread of a different species. Audrey Duval of the Versailles Saint Quentin University and Institut Pasteur in Paris, France,…

1. Accident and Illness Prevention A great team keeps responsiveness top of list (of course) to control slippery spills, but we’re talking about a more comprehensive, long-term strategy. Careful attention to floor cleaning brings to light issues with floors and stairs that need maintenance or repair. The extra attention paid during deep cleaning and care…