by Brianna Crandall — July 25, 2014—Worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) have just announced improvements to the ISSA Standard for Measuring the Effectiveness of Cleaning in K-12 Schools (“Clean Standard”) that enhances its use in evaluating cleaning processes at school facilities.
The Clean Standard provides K-12 schools with a tool that helps them evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of their cleaning processes using both a quantitative measure (i.e., ATP Meters using adenosine triphosphate) and traditional inspection methods. The ability to objectively evaluate cleaning processes and products is critical to providing a safe and healthy indoor environment for school-age children, asserts ISSA.
The recent enhancements to the Clean Standard include updated values that define “effective cleaning,” which are central to the Standard. Specifically, revisions have been made to the table at Section 5.5 that set forth the values that define “effective cleaning” for the range of ATP values with Hygiena SystemSure Plus. The values for other ATP systems in the Clean Standard (Charm Sciences NOVALUM and 3M Uni-Lite NG) remain the same. These revisions are the result of intensive field study during 2014, substantiated by industry and research scientists, and are now reflected in the latest edition of the Clean Standard.
Since it was first issued, the Clean Standard online toolkit has reportedly been downloaded more than 2,000 times. The Standard’s quantitative and qualitative measurement tools have been used by schools, cleaning service contractors, distributors, and others in the commercial cleaning marketplace as a way of evaluating and improving their cleaning processes. In addition, certification and training programs have developed around the Clean Standard, such as the Training and Certification program offered by CIRI.
ISSA and CIRI consider the Clean Standard a living document and invite users’ feedback regarding the ATP values and any other aspects of the Standard—including its applicability to other indoor environments including office buildings and other institutional facilities. Send comments and feedback to ISSA Legislative Affairs and Environmental Services Director Bill Balek.
