After two long years of fear and mandates, everyone is looking to go back to the way things were before COVID. But it is critical to remember that COVID taught us that we were grossly unprepared when it came to cleaning and disinfecting practices.
First and foremost, we were reminded that regular cleaning and disinfecting is the best defense for a healthy work environment. Routine cleaning and disinfecting are needed to keep homes, schools, offices, businesses, restaurants, stores, and modes of transportation safe places to occupy.
But, as mentioned in a previous article, cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting are not the same thing. Cleaning removes dirt on surfaces, but it does not kill bacteria, fungi, or viruses; and sanitizing only kills bacteria and fungi. Dirt is often visible; viruses and bacteria are not, so it is important to disinfect after cleaning to kill any viruses, bacteria or fungi that remain on surfaces. When disinfecting it is always important to use a product that is on the EPA List N.
Secondly, we became grossly aware that not all cleaning and disinfecting products are safe. The majority of brand-named agents have harsh chemicals and irritants and can be harmful if there is mishandling or overexposure to the chemicals. Even naturally occurring chemicals can be harmful for the same reasons; too much water can cause a life-threatening condition called hyponatremia and too much oxygen can cause oxygen toxicity.
To make your cleaning and disinfecting process safer, use fewer products, read labels, and buy products that fully disclose their ingredients. Use only what is necessary for the task at hand. Use non-toxic products with no phosphates, ammonia, bleach, or VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).
Whether cleaning and/or disinfecting, use products that eliminate dangerous pathogens but do not put you at risk of being exposed to harmful chemicals and irritants which can cause allergies, asthma, and potentially lead to other harmful long term health effects. Products like PURE® Multi-Purpose and Floor Cleaner and PURE® Hard Surface Disinfectant do just that. Powered by a patented Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC) Molecule, they safely and effectively deliver broad spectrum power to clean and eliminate dangerous pathogens in a wide range of environments.
SDC is a broad-spectrum, non-toxic antimicrobial agent which is manufactured as a liquid and delivered in various concentrations.
EPA approved for disinfecting surfaces as well as FDA approved for direct food contact without rinsing, PURE® Hard Surface Disinfectant and Multi-Purpose Cleaner are the perfect Non-Toxic Combination.
The product is unique in that it has a 30 to 120 second hospital-grade disinfectant kill, setting SDC apart from most other chemicals which take five to 10 minutes wet on the surface. While most other disinfectants require a post-application rise, the PURE solution can be applied to surfaces (even infant bottles and pacifiers) with no rinsing required.
Disinfection “log reduction” is a measure of a product’s ability to reduce pathogens on a scale of 0 log to 6 log, with 6 log representing the highest pathogen reduction. PURE Hard Surface Disinfectant can reduce pathogens on a school bus on the order of 4 log to 5 log in approximately one minute.
In addition to killing 99.999 percent of germs on hard surfaces, the disinfectant eliminates the SARS-CoV-2 virus (causes COVID-19) in 30 seconds on hard non-porous surfaces, and kills more than 31 harmful germs, viruses, and bacteria including MRSA, VRE, CRE, E. coli, Salmonella, Human Coronavirus, Norovirus, Influenza A (H1NI), HIV Type 1, Hepatitis B and C, and more.
The other major variable of the disinfecting equation is the spray applications. ULV (Ultra Low Volume) Handheld sprayers work best in onboard applications. They release PURE Hard Surface Disinfectant as a fine mist. The mist is applied 2 feet above the surface – or 2 feet away from a vertical surface. Spraying at a rate of 2 feet per second, it only takes 30 to 40 seconds to spray the length of an entire school bus.
As with any bus operation, there is no one-size-fits-all applicator. The handheld is an easy-to-spray solution, but high-capacity units and 50-foot hoses might be better for larger operations with bigger cleaning lanes.
Similarly, always remember: Solutions such as PURE Hard Surface Disinfectant and Multi-Purpose Cleaner can (and should) be used in tandem with other best practices and purification processes to create a robust service plan for total vehicle sanitization, because no one solution is the end-all sanitization answer.
Toby Drysdale is owner of Salus Product Group and distributor of Pure Hard Surface Disinfectant. For more information, please visit www.saluspg.com or contact him at 833-725-8774 ext 700 or toby.drysdale@saluspg.com