Are You Cleaning Your Cleaning Equipment?

ARE YOU CLEANING YOUR CLEANING EQUIPMENT? The fight against pathogens doesn’t end when the mopping does

by Drew Bunn

To protect the health of patients, housekeepers in most North American hospitals and healthcare facilities have been taught to change the mop heads used to clean and disinfect patient rooms frequently, typically as often as every three or four rooms. Due to COVID-19, this has sometimes been increased to changing mop heads after each use, and during the pandemic, these practices may even be applied to hospitality cleaning protocols.

There are several reasons for this. For one, as the mop is used, the disinfectant in the mop bucket begins to lose its efficacy. With use, the disinfectant degrades and in time becomes ineffective.

Thanks to a study published in Applied Microbiology in the early 1970s, we know that mops collect pathogens which are then redeposited on floors as the mops are used. We also know, based on similar studies, this can happen with cleaning cloths.

This hospital’s housekeepers follow these instructions accordingly. They likely believe, as do the hospital’s administrators, that these extra steps will help protect the health of patients and hospital staff, as well as housekeepers.

But do they? Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening to see if these healthprotecting steps may be causing more problems than they realize.

The following scenario may put this into perspective:

Wearing gloves, as well as a mask due to COVID-19, a housekeeper is cleaning all patient rooms on one floor of a hospital.

Upon cleaning the first room, she removes the flat mop head that has just been used. Any pathogens on the mop head may now be transferred to her gloves.

In the process of removing the mop head, she needs to touch various points on the mop pole, again using her potentially contaminated gloves.

With her gloves on, she grabs the handle on her cleaning cart to dispose of the mop head. While there, she also pulls a

Cords on electric equipment are rarely cleaned, and though not an area that is frequently considered, they do become soiled and touching them can spread disease.

cleaning solution, disinfectant, and trash liner, all to be used in the patient room.

Finished, she restocks her cart, removes her gloves as instructed, and proceeds to clean the next patient room.

While this scenario may play out differently in different hospitals and in different settings, the point is that throughout the cleaning process there are several ways in which contamination on gloves can be transferred to cleaning tools. These same tools may then be touched by unsuspecting others, including cleaning workers, increasing the chances of cross-contamination.

Think this doesn’t happen? Think again. It is already a recognized problem in the foodservice industry. According to a 2007 report commissioned by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition: “Cleaning tools can be a significant source of microbial contamination if not cleaned. Cleaning tools like brooms, mops, squeegees, buckets, sponges, scrapers, foaming equipment, water guns, etc., should be cleaned and sanitized [and] stored clean, dried, and secured.”

Aware of this, what should cleaning professionals do — especially now with COVID-19 concerns everywhere — to keep their equipment clean?

Among the recommended steps are the following:

Always thoroughly clean tools after using them. Use an all-purpose cleaner to clean their exteriors, wipe them down, and then clean again with a sanitizer or disinfectant. This is a twostep process. Use a colour-coding system to designate which cloths are for cleaning equipment and which should be used for disinfecting. Before using any cleaning tools, first wash hands and then put on gloves; this prevents soils on hands from finding their way onto the gloves or cleaning tools. If mopping floors, change the mop head frequently and wash or dispose of after each use. Do not wait to change the mop head once it looks soiled, as at that point it is too late. Always clean and disinfect the entire mop pole and housing, rinse the bucket, then wipe clean and disinfect the handle. If using a vacuum cleaner, clean and disinfect all touched parts, handles, cords, and controls. Automatic scrubbers are complex machines and will require much more detail cleaning due to their many parts as well as splattering. The housing, shroud, wheels, squeegee, and the stem of the machine should be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Also be sure to clean the cord — as it is often rests on the moist floor it too can collect soils and pathogens. More Canadian facilities are now using no-touch cleaning systems due to COVID-19. Clean and disinfect all touchable surfaces, controls, and cords. Always store cleaning tools off the ground; this allows them to air dry more thoroughly and prevents them from encountering floor-surface moisture, pathogens, or soils. If working with a cleaning cart, clean and disinfect the cart after each use. Remove all supplies before cleaning. Pay special attention to cracks, crevices, joints, handles, and the wheels of the cart. This is where soil and contaminants build-up. Always have two laundry bags at hand, one for fresh cleaning cloths and towels and one for soiled cloths and towels. Pay attention to small cleaning items. This includes dustpans, brooms, and handheld tools.

This is also a very good time for cleaning professionals to consider “breaking the cord.” Cords on electric equipment are rarely cleaned, and though not an area that is frequently considered, they do become soiled and touching them can spread disease. When selecting new cleaning equipment, battery-powered tools not only eliminate concerns about soiled cords but, in most cases, help improve cleaning efficiency and productivity as well — always a plus in the professional cleaning industry. /

Drew Bunn is the Canadian director of sales for Kaivac Canada, manufacturers of professional cleaning tools for commercial facilities. He can be reached at dbunn@kaivac.com