The Janitors' Closet

Get a feel (as it were) for hand sanitation

We tend to focus on the sexy "what's new and better" in jobsite health: hydrogen peroxide and quat sanitizers and disinfectants, microfiber for floors and surfaces, HEPA filtration on vacuums, chemical selection and training in use of, and so on.  All of it good, and I figure we're somewhere around the cutting edge of the industry along those lines. But the lowly washing of hands (thoroughly) is overlooked.

Here's an article from our friends at Waxie (our go-to paper and equipment supplier - good folks!) focusing on just hands.

Per the article, other points in hand sanitation, often overlooked, include:

"...the use of automatic dispensers enhance the consumers perception of restroom cleanliness and placing paper towels by exits are preferred by building occupants. Strategic placement of automatic hand sanitizer dispensers near the restroom, at building entrances and exits, reception counters, and anywhere else they are needed to ensure good hand hygiene."

Good links in the article as well.

As the article notes, bacteria shouldn't be the only culture you're exposed to.

Enjoy, and wash up afterwards! 

 

Poop on your shoes

Interesting article in Smithsonian's daily magazine, on recent testing for animal fecal matter on sidewalks, shoes and interior floors in New York City.

The supposition (quite reasonably) is that the poop plops (as it were) on sidewalks, spreads via water and traffic, and enters one's building.  Rather evocatively, in testing for bacteria load, per the article:

"They detected the highest amounts of enterococci in the building’s entryway and smaller amounts on interior floors. And carpets had more bacteria than bare flooring: While a carpeted entryway had around 22,000 enterococci per square meter, uncarpeted floor in the same area had only 100 per square meter".

Thus, it appears that carpeting in the entry area (doesn't say how much, as in how far you must walk over the carpet for the observed effect) seems to do a marvelous job stopping bacteria.  Stopping various varieties of "dirt" is the rational behind entry matting; a rented, regularly laundered and treated mat should perform even better than a hunk of carpet.

That's why we suggest them to our clients.  The more dirt (and poop bacteria) stopped at the door, the cleaner the building stays.  Better for our cleaners, and better for our client.

Consider before you flush

I posted a bit ago in this space about the plume of fine droplets ejected from a toilet at each flush; here's an article from Smithsonian, of all places, presenting a graphic version.

I've seen studies that the finer droplets can spread some 40 feet from the offending fixture, likely carrying an unhealthy mix of viruses and bacteria.  Thus, it's recommended to close the lid before you flush, to somewhat mitigate the effect.  Easy to do at home, but many commercial facilities lack a lid.  In particular, the fancy low water  ones rely on high pressure - a really aggressive flush - to do the job, and that aggressive flush likely spreads droplets further and faster than the old fashioned kind (new is not always better).  Further, in my limited experience, the fancy ones almost always lack a lid.

So - an N-95 mask while you're in the "room down the hall", or simply don't inhale?

Air quality and dementia.

Caught an interesting article, in Medical News Today, about increased dementia risks associated with polluted air, specifically the inhalation of small particles, under 2.5 microns in size.

The article focuses on traffic related air pollution, but doesn't distinguish particles from vehicle emissions from any other particles.  Everything I've seen, over several decades of following the research, indicates that it's foreign particles per se, rather than any particular kind of particle, that causes damage. And, that's damage to many parts of one's body.  Per the article:

"....there are many ways by which air pollution could drive dementia risk, including causing inflammation of the brain and nervous system, oxidative stress, and harmful impacts on the lungs and heart.  And under it all, we know that air pollution increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and vascular damage in the brain. And we know that underlying vascular pathology along with neurodegeneration drives the risk for dementia, too”.

If it doesn't much matter what the particle is, it likely doesn't matter where you encountered it.  And we all spend much more time at the office than in traffic.

That's why, for better than 30 years, CBN has stressed office cleaning with a focus on improving indoor air quality: wiping rather than feather dusting, vacuuming rather then sweeping or dust mopping hard floors, and - most critically - using HEPA filtered vacuums.  The particles that are dangerous (penetrating deep into the lungs, entering the bloodstream) are those under 2.5 microns.  A HEPA filter will intercept particles down to 0.3 microns - 99.97% of them.  It stops pretty everything in the harmful range.

Quite a difference, in air quality and in our clients' health.

Covid and Indoor Air Quality

Katelyn Jenner, an epidemiologist I follow, recently posted a piece on what schools can do to limit the
spread of Covid, that doesn't depend on compliance from teachers or students.  Much here is applicable to commercial, health care  and retail facilities as well.

From her air quality post:

"Schools need to upgrade their ventilation and filtration systems. This is one of the most powerful tools we have to curb COVID-19 and other viruses because it happens in the background—it’s an institutional-level intervention that doesn’t require the teachers, parents, or students to do anything. Unfortunately, a small proportion www.cbnclean.com/health/of schools report using these strategies, especially in rural and mid-poverty schools. Many administrators aren’t aware that federal funding is available for ventilation improvements."

In disinfecting surfaces, and keeping available full electrostatic disinfection service, there's only so much a commercial janitorial firm like ours can do.

Here's a handy graphic on strategies involving air filtration, exchange and purifying. 

Monkeypox and sanitation

I've fielded a couple of questions regarding transmitting of the "virus de jour", monkeypox, as to whether our standard janitorial routine of disinfecting office surfaces and touchpoints will likely keep our clients and their staff and visitors safe.  Here's some "FAQs" on the critter, from the CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/faq.html  

Couple of highlights: "Monkeypox spreads in different ways. The virus can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex. In addition, pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

"Touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids is another way monkeypox spreads. It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by eating meat or using products from an infected animal.

"People who do not have monkeypox symptoms cannot spread the virus to others."

It turns out to be a really ugly rash, which is present whenever the carrier is infectious. So one would not expect those infected to hang around the office for long (without getting run off).

As far as I can tell, on the off chance that a sufferer with the rash would be touching his infected parts to random office surfaces, our standard nightly Hydrogen Peroxide based touchpoint disinfectant ought to take care of the problem.  Except, perhaps, for the above noted "....during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex."  We have, several times over the years, chanced across the latter activity occurring in an office we're coming in to clean, generally in the wee hours of the morning (and generally to mutual embarrassment).  Not much I can do about that.....

The problem with studies.

A large study out of a couple of hospitals in Saudi Arabia reveals, at first glance, something a bit counter-intuitive:

"One of the findings that surprised investigators involved the higher risk of COVID-19 infection among support staff, such as administrators, researchers, cleaning and maintenance crews, food service, and security staff. The data showed support staff had a 15.1% chance of contracting COVID-19, compared to all other staff who had a 7.2% chance of contracting the disease. Previous studies suggested that nonclinical staff have lower risk of infection."

Further, "“The finding underscores the importance of strict implementation of preventive measures among all health care works, including those performing nonclinical services,” the study states."

One might think that the risk rates reflect something about working conditions, or preventive measures at work.  But we've no way of knowing if the cases were picked up at work, or during the rest of the worker's days.  Were support workers (or their families, or their friends) less likely to socially distance, or wear  masks, around the house? Or live in more crowded conditions? Or perhaps were not as aware of the deadliness of the virus, not being as able to observe it on a day to day basis as the clinical staff.

Without some way of ferreting out that information, there is little one can conclude from the study.  A well designed study would control for all factors not being studied.

In passing, that's why we talk to our janitorial folks about not just what they're doing on the job, but at home as well - as in, get thee vaccinated. 

 

Don't wash N95 masks, but you can clean them

Now that folks are finally realizing that any mask shy of a KN95 or N95 is less than optimal for protecting from Covid, there's been a bit of study on re-using them, and laundering them. Been doing both with mine for a while.  You can get a good 25 uses out of one, if you're careful.

From the article:  "N95 respirators were decontaminated with vaporous hydrogen peroxide 25 times.  No alterations to respiratory integrity or filtration efficiency seen by 25 cycles.  Vaporous hydrogen peroxide does not appear to impact fit or filtration efficiency using this defined process."

And another take - Rotate them - set the mask aside for a day or two, in a cool, dry place - perhaps a paper bag.  Any viruses will expire.  Check for fit, fraying, and the elastic bands holding up.

As they say, Who was that masked man?

"Exercise caution when removing bats"

"Exercise caution when removing bats" was the headline in my daily feed from Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

No kidding.  Bats have claws, very sharp teeth (and seem not afraid to use them), and there is this whole Covid originated in bats thing.  I'd be a bit cautions myself.

Turns out the article focused on rabies (something else I'd prefer to avoid).  Serves to remind one that there are more pathogens out there than just the coronavirus.  A good reason to select a janitorial firm with a firm (no pun intended) foundation in disinfection.

So ditch the cloth mask already

I'm finally seeing recognition of the inadequacy of the cloth facemask - even if it makes a fashion statement. Here's a Wall Street Journal article on physicians advising same.

Folks started advocating cloth face masks early in the pandemic, partly because they were about all that was available to other than medical personnel, and partly because we'd assumed that Covid transmission would be similar to the annual flu - via larger droplets (not aerosols) and touchpoints.  I cannot complain much about the latter - we did a brisk business disinfecting touchpoints - indeed, the entire office - using sophisticated  electrostatic application of a top-of-the-line JohnsonDiversey disinfectant.

But evidence emerged relatively quickly that transmission is largely through inhalation of aerosols - very small drops - that a cloth mask does little to stop. Hence, our reliance from the get-go on surgical masks and, a bit later, when we could get them in quantity, KN95 and then N95 respirators. 

So, we've done a pretty good job protecting our people and our clients.  Just wish we could find more of the touchpoint disinfection work.