Every industry, including retail, grocery, and educational institutions, must follow professional cleaning practices to keep the building safe. Cleaners must also be mindful to prevent cross contamination, which leads to severe sickness. Learn more here.
What Are the Causes of Cross Contamination?
Cleaning multiple areas with the same towels and equipment carries germs from one place to another, causing cross contamination. In this case, you’re not eliminating germs and bacteria—you’re relocating them.
It’s true you must clean often and rigorously. However, you must also clean correctly. There is a right and a wrong way to clean. Cleaning incorrectly results in leftover residue, lingering particulates, and impurities that have been transferred to various surfaces throughout the building.
How To Prevent Cross Contamination
Cleaning may seem simple enough—use warm water, detergent, and elbow grease. But it takes more than that to make sure the surfaces are truly clean. Just because an area looks clean doesn’t mean it’s not covered in bacteria. To prevent cross contamination, professionals must follow steps strategically.
Schools, grocery stores, and retail shops all receive a moderate-to-large volume of customers daily. Since the staff and the general public frequently contact high-touch surfaces like door handles, register keypads, and front desks, it’s vital to clean them properly.
Each Area Needs Its Own Towel
You wouldn’t wipe down the door handles with the same towel used on the toilet. Designate a towel for different areas. Cleaning with fresh materials ensures the microbes are not returned to the original surface or taken to another one.
Work Your Way From Top to Bottom
Top-to-bottom cleaning is a systematic way of getting the job done thoroughly without missing any spots. Starting with places high up, like countertops, handles, and faucets, remove surface microbes as the rest fall to the floor. Once the entire upper portion of the room is clean, it’s safe to move on to sweeping and mopping. Doing so removes bacteria and microbes that may have fallen from the countertops or fixtures.
Disinfect and Sanitize
Don’t forget to incorporate disinfecting and sanitizing into your commercial cleaning routine. Sanitizing isn’t just for the food and hospitality industry. It’s beneficial to every building, no matter the market. Sanitizing lowers the number of germs to “safe” levels according to your industry’s standards. Follow up with disinfecting using EPA-approved chemicals to kill remaining germs on contact and lower the risk of infection.
Hire Knowledgeable Professionals
Inadequate training results in improper cleaning protocols. If commercial cleaning staff doesn’t receive in-depth training, incorrect cleaning protocols are perpetuated. Intensive training is key to safe and effective cleaning techniques that prevent cross contamination in your restrooms.
What To Do if Cross Contamination Happens?
The effects of cross contamination are severe, including food poisoning, bacterial infections, and viral diseases. The antidote for cross contamination is disinfection and sanitization using a clean microfiber towel. After cleaning with the appropriate detergent and water, get another fresh towel and use a disinfectant and sanitizer solution that’s safe for the surface.
Call Carlson To Clean Your Facility Correctly
Carlson Building Maintenance provides cutting-edge cleaning solutions for all industries. It’s never a good time to slack on cleaning duties, but proper ongoing cleaning is more important now than ever. With the ongoing health crisis, keep your staff and visitors safe within your facility by prioritizing clean surroundings. Cross contamination is a serious matter and should be prevented at all costs.
Whether you’re preparing food, teaching students, or assisting customers with purchases, harmful bacteria can wreak havoc on your health. Carlson helps keep you and your company safe. Call us today to discuss your personalized commercial cleaning plan.
