 |
|||||||||
 |
|
 |
|||||||
 |
|||||||||
 |
How Clean?. Traditional cleaning methods mean that only the top surface of an area is cleaned. Although the area looks clean, germs and bacteria can survive beneath the surface and continue to breed. Moist or wet areas are ideal breeding grounds for pathogens to multiply and infest. Cleaning with mops and water only serve to wash a soup of infection across an area. Steam cleaners have been designed to provide deep down cleaning, meaning that the area is thoroughly cleaned throughout and not just on the visible surface. Areas are left hygenic, free from germs and bacteria with minimal effort, new germs cannot find a proper ground to grow. Using a steam cleaner also means that the use of chemicals are reduced by 80-90% and the use of water is reduced by 90-95%. Steamers work by transferring water from the cold water tank, through the boiler which heats it and turns it into steam at the nozzle. There are a range of accessories that can be attached to the lance in order to meet any cleaning requirement.
Microbes in the Wahroom! The micro-organisms of concern in the washrooms and the toilets would be those arising from faecal contamination. Human faeces are loaded with a multiplicity of microbs. More than 100 distinct types of micro-organisms occur regularly in the normal faecal flora. There are an estimated 10,0000000000 bacteria / gramme of faeces! Among these, the presence of a group of bacteria called the ‘Coliform bacilli - especially Escherichia coli is a sure indicator of faecal contamination. In addition to these there are others with the potential to cause diseases. Some such pathogenic microbes, which get excreted include:
Microbes generally thrive in wet or moist environments. Water used quite liberally, more to clean the feet (an interesting Indian tradition), than the hands, ensures that the floor, sink and surrounding areas are mostly wet. Poor hygiene by way of splashing urine on the floors, toilet seats or soiling the hands also assists microbial survival. Urine is a good medium for the multiplication of bacteria. The place in a restroom with the highest concentration of microbial colonies is, surprisingly, the sink,due in part to accumulations of water where these organisms breed freely after landing. While toilets are obviously not sterile environments, they tend not to be as bad as people think becasue they receive more attention and are cleaned more often. If an alien came from space and studied the bacterial counts, he probably would conclude he should wash his hands in the toilet and crap in your sink!!! But our place is clean!. If you regularly clean your facilities well done!! And you may also congratulate yourself if you have soap, and hot air dryers. It has been shown that in routine practice hot air driers are not as good as one would expect them to be, and have not been effective in reducing the number of bacteria carried on the hands. The rubbing of hands under the hot air devices and the propelling of bacteria by the hot air jets combines actually to increase the number of bacteria in the washrooms. Another aspect is that hot air driers take longer to dry hands than towels. Because only one person can use the drier at a time, others may become impatient and wipe their hands on their clothing or a handkerchief. In fact, one researcher has shown that the electric driers increased the bacteria on the hands by as much as 162%, while paper towels reduced them by 29%. Continuous use of cotton towels also have their problems. Once again, it has been shown that the hand count of bacteria increased after wiping on these, probably because the microbes remained on these towels due to constant use and the moisture that remained. It must be remembered that in these towels, there will be an increased risk of cross-contamination with germs from the previous user
Conclusion Thus it is clear that a visit to the toilet or washroom can have its problems. The areas of potential contamination or the ‘hot zones’ need special attention. Even when a toilet looks clean, it is not really so from the point of view of the Microbiologist! There are the invisible denizens of the sewer waiting to move up as the hidden invaders. Thorough, regular steam cleaning can rid washrooms of these dangers . It is entirely in our HANDS to ensure we overcome them. The aspects of HAND HYGIENE need to be addressed separately. Often the most mundane activities of our lives slip our sense of scrutiny. Toilet hygiene should never be one of them. Awareness of the environment here, should be the first step to know about the lurking dangers in a washroom!
Call 0781 307 2458 |
 |
 |
||
