by Brianna Crandall — February 26, 2016—When it comes to effective cleaning in education facilities, what most people think about first is the restrooms. In fact, studies have found that parents, when visiting a college or university their son or daughter is considering, invariably visit the restrooms to examine their cleanliness. The reasoning is: Clean restrooms are perceived to mean a well-run school; poorly maintained restrooms can mean something far different.
Many people, however, are unaware of the most important areas that need proper cleaning; these places are known in the professional cleaning industry as high-touch areas, notes Betco, provider of support to facilities maintenance professionals since 1950, in an advisory to education facilities cleaning staff.
Betco identifies germ touchpoints as including the following:
- Light switches
- Door knobs
- Railings
- Tops and sides of chairs and tables
- Elevator buttons
The list could go on, says Betco; the company’s site further claims that “MRSA and staph run rampant” on lockers, and that desktops have “400 times more bacteria than a restroom toilet.”
High-touch areas can spread germs to many people. Once a surface is contaminated, everyone who touches the surface can spread the germs to other surfaces. This problem is paramount in education facilities because many students fail to wash their hands after using the restrooms, says the company.
This means custodial workers must pay extra special attention to germ touchpoints, says Betco. An EPA-registered disinfectant (reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being effective against the pathogens listed on the label) should be used to clean these areas.
If the surface is visibly soiled, the high-touch area must first be cleaned prior to disinfection. This two-step process can be avoided if using a Betco product whose label clearly says it can be used for cleaning and disinfecting. Using such a product can be a major time-saver, asserts the company.
High-touch areas should be cleaned frequently, as often as once per day, advises Betco. The company recommends that cleaning professionals use microfiber cleaning cloths because they tend to be more effective at removing germs and bacteria than traditional cleaning cloths. Also, the cloths should be changed frequently and used for the same purpose: for example, never use a microfiber cleaning cloth used to clean restroom fixtures on light switches.
While students and teachers may not realize how important it is to keep high-touch areas properly cleaned, cleaning professionals must be acutely aware of how important keeping these areas clean and sanitary is to protecting the health of all building users — students, teachers, staff and visitors, concludes Betco.
For more information about Betco Corp. and its products, or best practices and products for education facilities, visit the company’s Web site.
