Ensure a Healthy and Clean Hotel Experience!

7 Areas that should NOT be overlooked by your staff:
1. Critical Touch Points including Faucets, Remote Controls, Door Handles, Light Switches
2. Bedspreads and bed sheets
3. Coffee makers
4. Mould growth and insect infestation
5. Bathroom Areas including counters, Faucets, Sinks, Showers, Bathtubs and Toilets
6. Floors, Walls and Carpets
7. The safety of the room and its equipment


Read more:
http://www.avmor.com//files/news/enews1353008833.pdf

Hotel Surfaces Put Under The Black Light

When it comes to germ hot spots in a hotel room, the TV remote is among the items most heavily contaminated with  67.6 colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria, according to a study that University of Houston researchers presented to the American Society for Microbiology.

The study also found high levels of bacterial contamination on the bedside lamp switch (112.7 CFU of aerobic bacteria and 111.1 CFU of fecal bacteria), while some of the highest levels of contamination were found in items from housekeeping carts, such as sponges and mops (at least 500 CFU of aerobic and fecal bacteria were found on the sponges), posing a risk for cross-contamination between rooms.

By comparison, one study of environmental cleanliness in hospitals recommended a top limit of 5 CFU per cubic centimeter squared.

For this most recent hotel room study, University of Houston researchers, along with researchers from Purdue University and the University of South Carolina sampled various surfaces from hotel rooms in Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. They tested the levels of total aerobic bacteria and coliform (fecal) bacterial contamination.

Read more:
  http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article.asp?id=14430

MRSA: Is Green Cleaning Effective?

Over the past several months MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) has frequently been in the news. However, this article is not about what a cleaning contractor needs to know about the appropriate cleaning or prevention of MRSA.

Rather, this article answers the question of whether it is possible to use disinfectants in a green cleaning program and does the need to protect public health in light of MRSA and other serious threats negate or supersede the demand for green cleaning.

To begin, I think it is important to stress that the whole purpose of green cleaning (or for that matter, traditional cleaning) is to protect public health. There can be no compromises. What makes green cleaning different, however, is that it additionally strives to reduce the environmental impacts associated with cleaning products and processes.

Herein lies the key: green cleaning requires effective cleaning. Additionally, it reduces the environmental issues associated with the entire cleaning process. Thus, it does not prohibit the use of disinfectants and in situations where MRSA is of concern, the appropriate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered disinfectant and cleaning protocols should be followed.

However, where green cleaning comes into play is to ensure that consideration is being given on how to identify the appropriate EPA-registered disinfectant for your needs and to ensure that the proper protocols such as dilution, application and contact time are followed. Finding the right product is relatively easy. The EPA provides a list of EPA-registered products effective against MRSA.

The next part of the equation is more complicated. As with using any product, especially disinfectants and pesticides, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s directions for use, product dilution, dwell times, need for precleaning surfaces, etc.

Read more:
 http://www.cleanlink.com/cp/article/MRSA-Is-Green-Cleaning-Effective--8312?keywords=mrsa%2C+green+cleaning%2C+stephen+ashkin

Green Truth Behind Hotels

With a push towards green, hotels around the country are changing their cleaning methods to embrace the trend. According to the Chicago Tribune, though, the push isn't necessarily driving consumer traffic to specific facilities. In fact, guests are more concerned about room rates and the location of the hotel.
Roughly 59 percent of frequent travelers admitted that their "green routines" get lax when they are on the road. One survey actually found the following:

• 70 percent open a new mini-bottle of shampoo and conditioner each time they shower on the road
• 75 percent expect fresh sheets and towels daily in a hotel, but not at home
• 62 percent said one reason they use water and energy less efficiently in a hotel than at home is that they "don't have to pay for it."

To fight this trend, hotels are planning to implement big changes to force guests to change. Some include: shampoo dispensers — eliminating the plastic mini-bottles; water-saving devices to conserve an estimated 4,358 gallons of water per room a year; and compact fluorescent light bulbs that can cut energy use by 75 percent.

Read more:

http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Green-Truth-Behind-Hotels--7521?keywords=green%20cleaning,%20hospitality

Team AVMO Supports the Movember Initiative

Please take a look at our fabulous Avmo Team supporting the Movember Initiative.

Support their initiatives by visiting Team Avmo’s page:
http://ca.movember.com/team/657085

A good maintenance schedule will keep you on solid ground

How you clean your floors and with what products are two things to consider when implementing a green floor-cleaning program. But the matter of when and how often is just as important. In other words, it’s wise to have a cleaning schedule.

 

The frequency of your floor care program depends on many factors. To simplify things, Avmor breaks it down into 7 categories of scheduling and care:

High Maintenance

Locations may include: Grocery stores, large surface retail, convention centres

Maintenance may require: Spray buff or burnish 5-7 times per week, daily dust mop

Appearance level: High

Cost: Elevated

Periodic Maintenance

Locations may include: Office buildings, shopping malls, retail, mid-range department stores, health care, college and universities

Maintenance may require: Spray buff or burnish 2-3 times per week, daily wet clean and dust mop

Appearance level: Medium to high

Cost: Medium

Low Maintenance

Locations may include: Schools, elder care residences, lower-end commercial properties, municipal buildings

Maintenance may require: Polish less than 2 times per week, daily dust mop

Appearance level: Low to medium

Cost: Low

Daily Maintenance

Purpose: To keep floor clean and in good condition on a regular basis

How often: Daily with dust mop or combination of dust and wet mops

Preventative Maintenance

Purpose: To produce a high gloss which cannot be achieved with daily maintenance techniques alone

How often: Weekly or as needed with burnishing and/or spray buffing

Interim Maintenance

Purpose: To even out the floor appearance by removing top layer(s) of finish and recoating to build on the base. The floor will be clean and free of soil and heavy dirt deposits.

How often: Monthly or when the preventative maintenance program does not leave the floor at a standard level. Floors will show slight traffic lane wear, scratches and soil build-up.

Restorative Maintenance

Purpose: To restore and renew entire floor surface by stripping and applying new finish

How often: Annually or when interim maintenance program does not leave floor at a standard level. Floors will show heavy traffic lane wear, heavy soiling, heavy build-up along edges, etc. 

Green floor cleaning is about much more than just the products you use.

Marketplace puts six of the largest hotel chains in Canada to the test.

Overall Scores

Marketplace tested six national chains: Super 8, Econo Lodge, Best Western, Holiday Inn, The Fairmont and The Sheraton. We tested one hotel per chain, per city - Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver -- three rooms per hotel. 54 rooms in total. Tests were conducted in August and September, 2012.
In all, we did approximately 7,000 tests of 810 surfaces, all of which are commonly touched. This included scanning objects with a UV flashlight, testing for contamination using an ATP meter and taking contact plates which were incubated and examined at The University of Guelph by Keith Warriner, one of Canada's top microbiologists.

Six core items were tested and used to calculate the final scores received by each hotel. These items include: TV remote, comforter, toilet seat, bathroom counter, bathroom faucet, and black light of bed sheets. Each of these six core items were tested for ATP contamination, coliform, antibiotic resistant bacteria, C-difficile and TAC (Total Aerobic Count). We also tested ice machines.
Hotels were ranked for cleanliness - or lack thereof - based on the total score they received.

Hotel Scores
1 Vancouver Econo Lodge: 53
2 Montreal Super 8: 40
3 Vancouver Sheraton: 37
4 Vancouver Holiday Inn: 35
5 Vancouver Fairmont: 31
6 Montreal Econo Lodge: 31
7 Montreal Holiday Inn: 30
8 Toronto Best Western: 28
9 Vancouver Super 8: 26
10 Toronto Sheraton: 24
11 Montreal Sheraton: 23
12 Vancouver Best Western: 23
13 Toronto Fairmont: 22
14 Toronto Super 8: 22
15 Montreal Fairmont: 20
16 Toronto Econo Lodge: 20
17 Toronto Holiday Inn: 17
18 Montreal Best Western: 14


Watch Now: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2012/11/thedirtonhotels1.html