How do you judge whether your building is “clean?” Are you like most people and simply go by scent and appearance? If the restroom looks and smells clean, then it must be free of germs and viruses too, right?
That’s a big mistake many people make.
Yes, appearing clean to your senses is a good first step for being clean. However, there’s often still millions of germs and viruses floating around that your senses can’t perceive. That means your organization can still experience high employee sickness rates, even if it is cleaned well. And if you’re a school, you’ll notice high student absenteeism.
What if you could greatly reduce that? Your organization would save money and increase productivity.
So what should your janitors do to minimize the presence of germs and viruses? The following:
- Train, Train, Train
Your janitors need to know the specific procedures and chemicals that remove germs and viruses. Most importantly, they need to know the ”Why.” When a procedure sounds ridiculous, janitors are likely to nod their heads in agreement that it’s important…and then completely ignore the procedure when they’re supposed to do it the next day. However, if they understand why they have to do a seemingly absurd procedure, they’ll be highly likely to do it.
- Aggressive Disinfectant Cleaning…Especially During Cold and Flu Season
Ventilation, while necessary, also spreads germs all over your building. However, more aggressive disinfectant cleaning can minimize the spread and presence of germs. You’ll do this when the building is unoccupied. And, as always, make sure you have a thorough and well-communicated procedure in place to make sure the disinfectants don’t cause harm to anyone in your building.
- Proper Handwashing
While seemingly small, this is one that you can’t stress nearly enough. The reality is that, in the healthcare industry, up to 100,000 unnecessary deaths happen each year due in part to doctors, nurses, and janitors in hospitals who don’t wash their hands properly.
Now, if you don’t wash your hands, that’s probably not going to lead to the end of anyone’s life. But, it does show you how important proper handwashing is at scale. So make sure your team is properly trained and observes good handwashing procedure.
- Consider Color-Coding Equipment to Avoid Cross-Contamination
Some buildings require highly specialized cleaning routines. For example, the pharmaceutical industry commonly has “clean rooms,” which are highly controlled environments optimized for making certain drugs. Even just a small change in such a room could completely ruin the product. For example, you may color-code your mops for various places within your building.
Can you completely eliminate germs and viruses? Probably not. But, it’s a lofty standard you should aim for. Because you, and your customers (whether internal or external), benefit massively when you minimize the presence of germs and bacteria.