Difference between Sanitizing and Disinfecting – Cleaning tip #2

In the cleaning industry, there are misunderstandings about disinfects and sanitizers.

If it is a food service area, then you'll be interested in sanitizers. If it's a medical facility, then you'll be more interested in disinfectants.

A disinfectant, is a chemical that completely destroys all organisms. The organisms it kills are disease causing bacteria and pathogens.

From a legal standpoint, disinfectants must reduce the level of pathogenic bacteria by 99.999%, during a time frame of greater than 5 minutes but less than 10 minutes.

A sanitizer in contrast, is a chemical that reduces the number of micro-organisms to a safe level. It does not need to eliminate 100% of all organisms to be effective.

Sanitizers, do not kill viruses and fungi. In a food service situtation the sanitizer must also reduce the bacteria count by 99.999% and are required to kill infectious organisms within 30 seconds.
If it's just general cleaning you are interested in to remove soil, you should consider using an all-purpose cleaner rather than a, disinfectant or sanitizer.

Always use a disinfectant on your restrooms.

Fight the Dust – Cleaning tip Number#1

Most of the dust entered into your home or small office is through your entrance points, front and back door. By placing the right kind of mats down you can eliminate some dust and cleaning time of your home or small office. I suggest getting a professional mat you see at entrances of hospitals, which can be found at most janitorial stores. They’re called walk-off mats. They’re available in a variety of types, colors, and sizes. The mats can be used inside and out. The mats should be vacuumed or shake them outside to get rid of the dirt. They can be hosed down and cleaned with all-purpose cleaner as needed. The mats should be hung and let them dry completely after cleaning.

The results have been good for us with the use of walk-off mats. I’m sure you will enjoy the benefit of having them in your home or small office also.

Spring Cleaning – Why not Go Green?

We have heard all of the negatives about some traditional cleaning products. How they detract from indoor air quality by leaving behind noxious fumes and residues that can worsen allergies. There are some great environmental friendly commercial cleaning products available. You just have to do your research. Try these eco-friendly alternatives:

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  Lemon Juice cleans grease and stains.
• White vinegar can be used to disinfect just about any surface. Mix with water and use as glass cleaner. Add organic salts to it for a green scrubbing solution.
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  Baking soda will polish stainless steel, remove acid stains, deodorize your fridge and absorb odors from carpet.
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  Mix olive oil with lemon juice to replace your furniture polish.

10 Worst Germ Hot Spots

I wanted to share some information I found in an article about the 10 Worst Germ Hot Spots. The article mention 10 but I want to focus on one that everybody faces daily
Hot spot: A dish towel
You know a sponge can harbor nasty germs, but a recent study of hundreds of homes across the United States found that about 7 percent of kitchen towels were contaminated with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the difficult-to-treat staph bacteria that can cause life-threatening skin infections. Dish towels also rated tops for dangerous strains of E. coli and other bacteria. We often use towels to wipe up spills, says Reynolds, then reuse before washing them, which spreads germs.
Keep it clean: Stick to paper towels to clean countertops, and save the dishrag to dry just-washed pots and plates. Change towels or launder at least twice a week in hot water and bleach.
My suggestion is to toss the dish towel. Use Micro Fiber towels and wash them daily or use paper towels. Read the entire article http://http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100233797&page=1