“Floors may be an overlooked source of infection”
The professional cleaning industry is being asked to play a leadership role when it comes to fighting the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
One way we can do this applies specifically to floorcare, according to Matt Morrison, communications manager for Kaivac, manufacturers of the No-Touch Cleaning® and OmniFlex® SUV floor cleaning systems.
Morrison points to a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. * In this study, it was found that:
“Hospital room floors may be an overlooked source of infection. Because items in the patient’s room may touch the floor, pathogens on hospital floors can rapidly move to the hands and high-touch surfaces throughout a hospital room.”
How the Floor Care Study was Conducted
The researchers tested 318 floor sites in 159 patient rooms. They found that the floors in these rooms were often contaminated with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant (VRE), both resistant to antibiotics, and C. difficile, which can cause intestinal infections.
“Efforts to improve disinfection in the hospital environment usually focus on surfaces that are frequently touched,” according to the researchers. “Although healthcare facility floors are often heavily contaminated, limited attention has been paid to disinfection of floors because they are not as frequently touched.”
However, the researchers concluded:
“The results of our study suggest that floors in hospital rooms could be a source of pathogens.”
This applies not to just hospital floors but floors in all types of facilities, according to Morrison.
“One way to help eliminate this ‘underappreciated source of pathogens’ is to stop mopping floors. Mops can spread contamination. Floor cleaning alternatives that do not involve mops should be selected. It’s more important today than ever before.”
Additional Kaivac information can be found here.
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