Increase your knowledge, improve your skills—and have something in writing to show for it. ISSA Show North America 2022, taking place at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center from October 10–13, is offering several workshops that can help you and your fellow employees become certified in a variety of professions. A total of eight workshops providing certifications upon successful completion are being offered, as follows: October 9–10: IEHA Master Environmental Services Registered/Master Environmental Services Certified Executive (MESRE/MESCE) October 9: Certified Healthy Hotel Management Professional (CHHMP) October 10: CMI Certified Workloading Specialist Course October 11–12: Train the Trainer October 11: IEHA Certified Laundry/Linen Professional Course (CLLP) October 12–13: IEHA Certified Environmental Services Executive/Registered Environmental Services Executive (CESE/RESE) October 12–13: House Cleaning Technician (HCT) Program October 12: IEHA Certified Perioperative Cleaning Specialist Course (CPCS) Please note that the workshops taking place on Sunday, October 9 are doing so one day before the ISSA Show’s official start date of Monday, October 10. Extensive write-ups on what to expect from each of these certification workshops, along with their start times, are available here.
Don’t forget to register for our free webinar, Flushed With Pride: Creating Restrooms That Improve Facility Image, to learn just how important your restrooms are to your facility’s overall image. The hour-long webinar starts at 11:00 a.m. ET/Noon CT on Wednesday, August 24, and covers the following topics: Technologies for smart/internet-connected/touch-free restrooms Workloading to ensure consumables are always available Best practices for common trouble areas and eliminating odors How to deal with restroom cleaning challenges and complaints Processes and procedures for better productivity Staffing and retention best practices How to handle high-traffic situations with cleaning and re-stocking The ongoing pandemic concerns and issues with safe and inviting public restrooms Validation methods designed to establish cleaning results. You’ll also have the opportunity to get all your questions answered by the expert panelists during the Q&A session. Be sure to register to participate in this free webinar, brought to you by Kaivac Inc. and SteraMist by TOMI Environmental Solutions.
Don’t forget to register for the upcoming GBAC Symposium, to be held August 16–17 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This year’s symposium, presented by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, is focused on improving the quality of indoor air in non-healthcare settings such as convention centers, hotels, and stadiums. The event will present best practices, as well as advances in innovations, programs, and processes, all with the intent of making facility air safer—during a pandemic and beyond. Experts presenting at the symposium include Dr. Deborah Birx, world-renowned medical physician and infectious disease expert, and Dr. John McKeon, medical entrepreneur and CEO of Allergy Standards Ltd. (ASL), an international standards and certification body. Property managers, facility directors, and infection preventionists are just a few of the professions that will benefit from attending the event. The symposium’s special price for ISSA Members is US$250; non-members pay $350. The event is coming up quickly and space is limited, so register soon.
On Aug. 4, the same day that the White House declared monkeypox a national public health emergency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued significant, updated guidelines regarding the virus for cleaning professionals. According to the CDC, monkeypox spreads between people through direct contact with an infectious rash, body fluids, or by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact. Transmission of Monkeypox virus is possible from the onset of the first symptoms until the scabs have separated and the skin has completely healed. During the infectious period of time, body fluids, respiratory secretions, and lesion material from people with monkeypox can contaminate the environment. Poxviruses can survive in linens, clothing, and on environmental surfaces, particularly when in dark, cool, and low humidity environments. In one study, investigators found live virus 15 days after a patient’s home was left unoccupied. Studies show that other closely related orthopoxviruses can survive in an environment, similar to a household, for weeks or even months. Porous materials (bedding, clothing, etc.) might harbor live virus for longer periods of time than non-porous (plastic, glass, metal) surfaces. With these facts in mind, all cleaning professionals and building facilitators should consider putting into practice these CDC recommendations: Communicate with staff, volunteers, and residents. Provide clear information to staff, volunteers, and residents about monkeypox prevention, including the potential for transmission through close, sustained physical contact, including sexual activity. Provide prevention guidance including considerations for safer sex. Keep messages fact-based to avoid introducing stigma when communicating about monkeypox. Respond to cases. Consider the following actions to respond to cases in the facility: Test and medically evaluate staff, volunteers, or residents who are suspected to have monkeypox. Ideally, people identified to have monkeypox will remain isolated away from others until there is full healing of the rash with formation of a fresh layer of skin, which typically takes two to four weeks. Consult your state, tribal, local, or territorial health department before discontinuing isolation. Ensure that residents with monkeypox wear a well-fitting disposable mask over their nose and mouth and cover any skin lesions with long pants and long sleeves, bandages, or a sheet or gown if they need to leave the isolation area or if isolation areas are not yet available. Some facilities might be able to provide isolation on-site while others may need to move residents off site to isolate. Resident isolation spaces should have a door that can be closed and a dedicated bathroom that other residents do not use. Multiple residents who test positive for monkeypox can stay in the same room. Isolate staff or volunteers who have monkeypox away from congregate settings until they are fully recovered. Flexible, nonpunitive sick leave policies for staff members are critical to prevent spread of monkeypox. Reduce the number of staff who are entering the isolation areas to staff who are essential to isolation area operations. Manage waste from isolation areas (i.e., handling, storage, treatment, and disposal of soiled personal protective equipment (PPE), patient dressings, etc.) in accordance with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR, Parts 171-180.). Required waste management practices and category designation can differ depending on the monkeypox virus clade (strain) the patient has. Cases in the current outbreak have been identified to be West African clade, and waste from these patients is classified as regulated medical waste (Category B). See the DOT website for more information. Facilities should also comply with state and local regulations for handling, storage, treatment, and disposal of waste. Identify people who might have been exposed to monkeypox. Facilities should work with their health department to identify and monitor the health of any staff, volunteers, or residents who might have had close contact with someone who has monkeypox. Contact tracing can help identify people with exposure and help prevent additional cases. However, this might not be feasible in all settings. Use exposure risk assessment recommendations to identify people who had high degree of exposure to someone with monkeypox, where possible. The health department can provide post-exposure vaccination for people with high degree exposures. In facilities where contact tracing is not feasible, staff, volunteers, and residents who spent time in the same area as someone with monkeypox should be considered to have intermediate or low degree of exposure, depending on the characteristics of the setting (e.g., level of crowding). Post-exposure vaccination is not necessary for low or intermediate degree exposures unless deemed appropriate by the state or local health department. Ensure access to handwashing. Soap and water or hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol should be available at all times and at no cost to staff, volunteers, and residents. Anyone who touches lesions or clothing, linens, or surfaces that might have had contact with lesions should wash their hands immediately. Clean and disinfect the areas where people with monkeypox spent time. Avoid activities that could spread dried material from lesions (e.g., use of fans, dry dusting, sweeping, or vacuuming) in these areas. Perform disinfection using an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--registered disinfectant with an Emerging Viral Pathogens claim, which may be found on EPA’s List Q. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for concentration, contact time, and care and handling. Linens can be laundered using regular detergent and warm water. Soiled laundry should be gently and promptly contained in a laundry bag and never be shaken or handled in a manner that may disperse infectious material. Covering mattresses in isolation areas (e.g., with sheets, blankets, or a plastic cover) can facilitate easier laundering. Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff, volunteers, and residents. Employers are responsible for ensuring that workers are protected from exposure to Monkeypox virus and that workers are not exposed to harmful levels of chemicals used for cleaning and disinfection. PPE should be worn by staff, volunteers, or residents in these circumstances: Entering isolation areas—Staff who enter isolation areas should wear a gown, gloves, eye protection, and a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved particulate respirator equipped with N95 filters or higher. Laundry—When handling dirty laundry from people with known or suspected monkeypox infection, staff, volunteers, or residents should wear a gown, gloves, eye protection, and a
In response to deadly school shootings throughout the United States—the latest occurring in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24—a janitor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has come up with an idea that can potentially save lives. According to an article by KELOLAND News, Jeff Harris, a janitor for Dakota Wesleyan University, attended an active-shooter training on campus two years ago. During the session, Harris thought of a way to stop an armed assailant who might try to unlock a classroom door by first breaking the door’s window. Harris took the idea and created what he calls the “Threat Stop,” a device that could prevent deaths in the event of a school shooting. Harris received his patent for the device on July 28. It’s not his only invention designed to save lives during a school shooting. The former firefighter and EMT told KELOLAND News that he has two more devices he invented for other types of classroom doors that still have their patents pending. He hopes to sell the Threat Stop patent, and he’s currently negotiating with interested companies.
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) recently published an incident in which a worker on a tug boat mixed two cleaning solutions, resulting in his exposure to toxic chemical vapors. According to the IMCA, the employee who mixed the two chemicals—bleach and toilet cleaner—had no idea of the consequences. The fumes of the chemical reaction caused the worker to experience breathing discomfort, for which he received medical treatment onboard the boat, followed by an onshore assessment. Ultimately, the worker was diagnosed with chemical bronchitis. The incident not only shed light on the lack of knowledge on the part of the employee, but also a lack of sufficient training on the part of the employer. In providing a concentrated focus on the dangers of industrial chemicals, the company failed to communicate to workers the hazards associated with domestic cleaners. The company, in reaction to the incident, provided employees with training materials specifically on domestic chemicals and updated risk assessments regarding the mixing of chemicals. There was also a reduction of the number of chemicals in stock onboard the company’s vessels, as well as greater control to their access.
According to CPR News, the Colorado Springs City Council will be voting on August 9 to approve a US$2.7 million program that plans to address the city’s growing trash problem by employing people transitioning out of homelessness. While the article reports that most of the money would go toward the purchasing of street cleaning equipment, the proposal would also fund about 10 employees to help meet the city’s cleaning goals. Travis Easton, the city’s public works director who proposed the funding, told CPR News that he hopes to expand a pothole repair program as well, which operates in conjunction with Springs Rescue Mission to provide work for those moving out of homelessness. An official with the mission—an organization that provides critically needed food, shelter, clothing, and services to those experiencing homelessness—said the nonprofit is hopeful about working more with the city, although details on the street cleaning project are not yet final.
In an interview with Infection Control Today®, Maria Montero, an infection preventionist at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, discussed her research on selecting the right disinfection wipes for health care facilities. The Northwestern Medicine health care system, which employs Montero, is comprised of 11 hospitals and more than 300 ambulatory sites with various practice settings throughout the Chicago area. As lead author of the study Standardizing Disinfectant Wipes Across a Hospital System, Montero noted that the various disinfection wipes in use across Northwestern Medicine created confusion among staff and concluded that standardization across all locations was optimal. Criteria used to whittle down the choices of wipes included highest kill claims, one-step disinfection, short dwell time, compatibility with common medical equipment, ease of use, and level of safety for patients and staff. A total of 14 different types of disinfectant wipes were compared to determine the final selection. “The importance [of the study] was to make sure that clinical staff were using cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and medical equipment appropriately, correctly following the correct contact times using the appropriate disinfectant wipes,” Montero said in the interview.
You’ve probably heard of secondhand smoke—the smoke that’s exhaled by someone indulging in a tobacco product, specifically cigarettes or cigars. Also called passive or secondary smoke, secondhand smoke increases the risk for many diseases. Exposure to nonsmokers increases their lung cancer risk by about 20% and is thought to cause approximately 53,800 deaths annually in the United States. But there’s also thirdhand smoke—the persistent residue generated from aged secondhand smoke that adheres to indoor dust and surfaces and reemits into the air, which is also a concern regarding public health, according to a publication by Public Health Rep. It’s estimated that 5% to 60% of the harm assumed to be caused by secondhand smoke might instead be the fault of thirdhand smoke. In a Mayo Clinic article, Dr. J. Taylor Hays discussed how thirdhand smoke builds up on surfaces over time and can become embedded in soft surfaces, such as furniture, drapes, bedding, and carpets. It also settles as dust-like particles on hard surfaces, such as walls and floors. Unfortunately, removing it, he said, is not as simple as just “airing out” a room. Furthermore, traditional household cleaning often cannot remove thirdhand smoke effectively from many surfaces. As difficult as it might be, the website thridhandsmoke.org offers several ways to attempt to remove thirdhand smoke, including the following: Frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter and regular cleaning of hard surfaces with acidic and alkaline cleaning solutions Machine washing of fabrics such as blankets and pillows Using a dishwasher (several times if necessary) for plates, pots, and cutlery In the case of contaminated walls, using trisodium phosphate (TSP) to deal with persistent thirdhand smoke residue, followed by special paint primers. Watch out for hidden surfaces such as HVAC ducts, undersides of tables, insides of cabinets, and backsides of bookcases, as well as any covered wall spaces. Consider disposing and replacing any polluted items that cannot be cleaned. But the website also cautions that unless the underlying reservoirs of thirdhand smoke are completely removed, it will be re-emitted from these reservoirs and continue to pollute household surfaces and dust. This includes walls that have been primed and repainted. Sadly, attempts to completely remove thirdhand smoke can be a losing battle. So, the most effective way of dealing with thirdhand smoke is to never introduce it into the environment in the first place. All smoking of tobacco should take place outside of buildings to prevent the dangerous and often permanent contamination caused by thirdhand smoke. If you manage a building or facility, a smoke-free policy is your best defense against the costly repairs and replacements due to thirdhand smoke damage.
2022’s hot real estate market has also meant big opportunities for the home cleaning industry. Real estate agents rely heavily on professional home cleaners to assist in the overall prepping and staging of homes for sale. But will those opportunities dry up along with home sales if there’s a housing market recession? The United States might be on the brink of one. According to the National Association of Reators® (NAR), U.S. existing-home sales declined in June 2022 for the fifth straight month, falling 5.4% from the previous month and down 14.2% from a year ago. Declines were recorded in three out of four major U.S. regions month-over-month and down in all regions year-over-year. “Falling housing affordability continues to take a toll on potential home buyers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Both mortgage rates and home prices have risen too sharply in a short span of time.” A logical conclusion might be to assume that slowing sales would translate to less demand for home cleaning services. But that’s not necessarily the case. Real estate agents tend to rely even heavier on marketing tactics during a downturn in sales to generate business, and that includes making the home as attractive as possible. A 2021 report by NAR on home staging revealed that 47% of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home. Among sellers’ agents, 23% reported a 1% to 5% price increase on offers for staged homes, while another 18% said staging increased a home’s price between 6% and 10%. Moreover, 31% said that home staging greatly decreased the amount of time a home spent on the market. The report also stated that buyers’ expectations are extremely high when it comes to a home’s appearance. In fact, most buyers expect a home to look as nice as the homes they see on TV. A majority of the buyers surveyed—61%—said that TV programs have set higher expectations of how homes on sale should appear, and 68% were disappointed when a home didn’t live up to those seen on TV shows. Staging can be a pricey investment. According to NAR, the average cost for most stagers is US$300 to $600 for an initial design consultation, and $500 to $600 per month per staged room. When it comes to such marketing, sellers are wanting real estate agents more and more to bear the brunt of those costs. But one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, with the biggest return on investment for both agents and their sellers, is the foundation of staging—namely, home cleaning. According to HomeLight, hiring a professional to clean a 1,500-square-foot home with three bedrooms and two baths typically costs between $200 to $400, a fraction of what full-on staging can cost. “When home sales are stalling, we agents find professional cleaning all the more valuable,” said Jack Keenan, Realtor® with EXIT Strategy Realty Chicago. “It’s one of the most affordable and effective marketing tools we have at our disposal. In a down market, we do everything we can to sell a home, and professional cleaning services are always a part of those efforts.” So, while the housing market might be softening, real estate agents still recognize the need for professional cleaning services. That need has the potential to grow even stronger as the market gets weaker and agents pull out all the stops to get their inventory sold. Looking for a reputable and effective home cleaning service? Use the online directory from the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI), a division of ISSA, the residential cleaning arm of the worldwide cleaning industry association.
From now until September 4, 2022, the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, is featuring “Healing and the Art of Compassion (and the Lack Thereof!),” and in the temporary exhibit, one particular piece serves as a tribute to health care workers, including the important role of custodians. Three wooden statues, hand-carved and painted by artist Arthur Lopez, depict women within hospital professions: a doctor, a nurse, and a cleaning woman who holds a mop in one hand and bottle of bleach in the other. Behind their heads, each woman sports a spectacular halo, signifying a saintly compassion for those they serve. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lopez began to carve images of such “saints”—statues of essential workers who worked in health care during outbreak. In creating his three-dimensional carvings, Lopez employs art processes that have been used in New Mexico since the 1700s. His paints are all handmade using natural pigments. 2022 marks his 22nd year as an artist using these ancient methods. To view the artwork and learn more about the exhibit, visit the American Visionary Art Museum website.
To create a good impression of your facility, a great place to start is with its restrooms. Your building’s restrooms are a reflection of your facility as a whole. What do your restrooms convey about your facility? Are they poorly stocked, dirty, and uninviting? Or are they well-stocked, clean, and comfortable? And what can you do to improve the impression they make on your visitors and occupants? To find out, join our free webinar Flushed with Pride: Creating Restrooms that Improve Facility Image, starting at 11:00 a.m. ET/Noon CT on Wednesday, August 24. During this hour-long webinar, you’ll learn: Technologies for smart/connected/touch-free restrooms Workloading to ensure consumables are always available Best practices for common trouble areas and eliminating odors How to deal with restroom cleaning challenges and complaints Processes and procedures for better productivity Staffing and retention best practices How to handle high-traffic situations with cleaning and re-stocking The ongoing pandemic concerns and issues with safe and inviting public restrooms Validation methods designed to establish cleaning results. The webinar includes a special Q&A session with the expert panelists, so you’ll leave fully informed with all your questions answered. Come discover how your restrooms can send the right message! This free webinar is brought to you by Kaivac Inc. and SteraMist by TOMI Environmental Solutions. Register here.
