Study Measures Bacteria Levels In Offices

Your co-workers may seem friendly but, if a recent study is any indication, they could be aircraft carriers for germs.

According to University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, who researches the environmental presence of infectious bacteria and viruses, employees in offices arrive in the morning, "put their stuff on their desks" where, he says, the germ payload is often more than you'd find on the typical toilet seat, "and then go to break rooms to get coffee. The two things you spread in a break room are office gossip and germs."

Gerba consulted on the new study, conducted by a division of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where researchers collected nearly 5,000 swabs from office buildings containing almost 3,000 employees over the course of two years to measure traces of possible contamination on office surfaces.

The study, which focused on office break rooms, found that 75 percent of break room faucet handles displayed a high degree of contamination as did nearly half of microwave oven handles, and a quarter of refrigerator door handles.

"The break room is really the center of germ transfer in the office rather than the individual cubicle," said Gerba. "Everything is shared in the break room."

Read more: http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article.asp?id=14347

Green Trends Not to Be Ignored

Not so many years ago, distributors of commercial cleaning products would only venture to stock a handful of green chemical cleaners, and often, there was little or no demand for these products. Fast forward to today, and it is an entirely different picture. In a recent survey conducted by ISSA and Sanitary Maintenance magazine, distributors reported that almost one-third of their total sales were green cleaning products, and they covered the gamut of commercial cleaning products—chemical cleaners, powered equipment, paper and plastics, and every other janitorial product.

While this statistic is a wonderful testament to green cleaning gaining traction in the marketplace, the cleaning industry (and green cleaning market in particular) will continue to evolve and take on new characteristics in the near future. Changes to green building certifications, new green cleaning products, purchasers’ demand for transparency, and a greater focus on cleaning for health will all affect the green cleaning marketplace.

LEEDING the Way

To assess the future direction of green cleaning, it is helpful first to look at how the green building market is growing. The dramatic expansion in green buildings, fueled by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, will continue to shape the market for green cleaning products and services. LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) has a robust green cleaning component, and, to a large extent, the evolution of the green cleaning marketplace has mirrored its green cleaning provisions. The LEED program continues to grow exponentially and its influence on green cleaning will continue to grow as well. Consider the following:
• Overall, LEED-registered floor area is up 45 percent compared with last year’s registrations
• LEED certification is expected to reach 2 billion square feet in 2012
• LEED registrations rose by 53 percent overseas and 39 percent in the United States in the past year
• LEED-EBOM experienced an 18 percent system-wide increase in registered floor area.
This illustrates the importance of looking at the LEED program and its treatment of green cleaning when considering the future of green cleaning. Presently, the LEED-EBOM standard is being revised with a finalized program expected in November 2012. The current draft provides insight into the direction green cleaning will be headed in the not too distant future.

Read more: http://www.issa.com/?m=articles&event=view&id=3906&page=1&lg=&category=18

Every Day Is Earth Day for the Cleaning Industry

Earth Day was created 42 years ago by a small but passionate group of individuals that organized speeches and rallies throughout the country to focus attention on our environment and how man’s activities can harm it. These individuals also pressed federal, state, and local governments to pass laws and regulations that would protect the environment and achieve their goals for a cleaner, healthier planet.

At that time, activists and most Americans alike expected the government to implement environmental regulations. They believed political action was necessary—that it was, in fact, the only way the changes they hoped for would occur. Four decades later, however, both individuals and industries such as our own have come to voluntarily embrace many of the changes those first Earth Day activists were working for, taking significant steps to protect our environment without waiting for a government mandate.

Read more: http://www.issa.com/?m=articles&event=view&id=3968&page=1&lg=&category=116

Interesting article from The Vancouver Sun- Fraser Health spends $520,000 to deep clean five hospitals

Fraser Health has spent almost $520,000 conducting "super cleans" at five of its hospitals to deal with the issue of C. difficile.

On Friday, spokesman Roy Thorpe-Dorward said deep cleans have now been done at Burnaby Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital.
The deep cleans - which were done twice a day in two steps using a sporacidal bleach - were conducted over a period of between two to three weeks at each hospital, Thorpe-Dorward said, adding the total price tag was $519,943.

The intensive cleaning regimens were ordered after public attention was focused on the issue of C. difficile at Burnaby Hospital earlier this year.

In February, a letter from eight senior doctors surfaced revealing serious concerns over the fact that 84 patients with C. difficile had died at the hospital between 2009 and mid-2011. Rates of the infection at the hospital had been ranging between two to three times the national average, the doctors said.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Fraser+Health+spends+deep+clean+five+hospitals/6649469/story.html#ixzz1vsx80pah

Interesting Video from CNN: The Dirty details on break room germs

Watch now: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2012/05/23/es-break-room-germs.cnn

Spring cleaning with a clear conscience

MONTREAL - It could be argued that spring cleaning is in our DNA. At the first whiff of warm spring air,
we kick into frenzied cleaning mode, ridding our surroundings of the grime accumulated over the long
winter months. We scrub, buff and scrape, and nowadays, more of us are considering doing it all with the help of a few simple ingredients bought at the local grocery store or natural-food shop.

It’s simpler than you think.

Stock your pantry with a few basics and you can clean your entire home without worrying about
adverse effects if the family pet happens to lick the floor or the baby crawls up and over everything and
then sticks gummy fingers in mouth. The list is not long: washing soda, borax, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, vegetable oil-based liquid soaps, spray bottles, shaker jars, cotton rags, natural scrub pads and brushes.

Read more: http://www.avmor.com//files/tools/est1337706128.pdf