Floor Care Facts

One of the most important steps in reducing the spread of infectious diseases between children and childcare providers is the cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces. Any surface that is within reach of children or adults has the potential to be contaminated with infectious disease agents, and no surface is more at risk of contamination than the floor. Routine cleaning with detergent and water is useful for removing visible dirt and germs from surfaces, but some floors require an additional step after cleaning to reduce the number of germs. This step is called sanitizing.

One of the surfaces that children touch and contaminate is right under your feet--literally! Keeping the floors clean and safe for children is easy if you follow the steps below.

Wood, Vinyl, and Tile

Hard flooring surfaces, such as vinyl, tile, and wood, should be cleaned and sanitized daily as well as any time they are soiled by spills or body fluids. This is a two-step process of cleaning and sanitizing.

• To clean floors, first remove soil by sweeping and damp mopping using water and a dash of dishwashing detergent. (For wood floors, try a solution of 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 gallon of warm water.) Scrub areas as needed with nylon netting to loosen stubborn, ground-in soil. Be sure to get dirt hidden in corners or under furniture.
• Rinse thoroughly, especially if using a cleaner that contains ammonia. Mixing these chemicals with the bleach used in the next step can produce hazardous gases.
• Sanitize floors using a household bleach and water mixture, or an industrial product. By itself, bleach is not a good cleaning agent because it is too strong. But using a fresh bleach solution on the clean floor will effectively kill most germs. Combine 1/4 cup of liquid bleach that is 5.25 percent hypochlorite with one gallon of tap water (or, for a smaller amount, one tablespoon of bleach plus one quart of tap water) and damp-mop the clean floor. (Most household bleach is 5.25 percent hypochlorite; "ultra" bleach contains 6 percent hypochlorite.) Since chlorine evaporates into the air leaving no residue, surfaces sanitized with bleach may be left to air dry. (For wood floors, check with a flooring specialist about using bleach solution or other disinfectant.) Remember that vinegar is not a disinfectant!

The use of industrially-prepared detergent/sanitizer solutions or cleaning with detergent, rinsing, and then applying a non-bleach sanitizer is acceptable as long as these products are non-toxic for children and are used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Industrial products that meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for "hospital grade" germicides (solutions that kill germs) may be used for sanitizing. Industrial products that advertise themselves to be "disinfectants," "have germicidal action," or "kill germs," may have some effect on germs, but may not be as effective as bleach and water or EPA approved hospital grade germicides. When in doubt, your local health department or regulatory licensing authority may be able to help you determine if a product is appropriate.

Be sure to clean and sanitize mops and cleaning equipment! After each use, wash mops and rags in detergent and water, rinse in water, immerse in sanitizing solution, and wring as dry as possible. After cleaning and sanitizing, hang mops and rags to dry. Detachable mop heads and reusable rags may be cleaned in a washing machine and dried in a mechanical dryer.

Occasionally, floors will be soiled by spills of body fluids, including urine, feces, blood, saliva, nasal discharge, eye discharge, injury or tissue discharges, and human milk. These spills must be cleaned up immediately! Put on your gloves and remove the fluid by blotting with paper towels or clean rags that can be laundered. Clean the area with a detergent solution, and sanitize with a bleach solution. Mix one tablespoon bleach solution with one quart water in a spray bottle and keep this in a place that is accessible to staff, but out of reach of children. Remember, a solution of bleach and water loses its strength very quickly and must be mixed fresh each day to be effective. NEVER mix bleach with anything but fresh clean water!

Carpets and Rugs

Few construction materials offer the advantages of carpet. It is colorful, comfortable, generally easy to maintain, and is often the most economical choice for floor covering. However, carpets and rugs trap soil and potentially contaminated materials, and they are difficult to clean and sanitize. Therefore, they should not be used in toilet rooms, diaper changing areas, or areas where food handling occurs.

Carpet also can harbor dust mites or other allergens that can cause health problems for staff and children. Dust mites are microscopic insects that ingest the tiny particles of skin humans shed normally every day. They live in carpeting and fabric but can be killed by frequent washing and use of a mechanical, heated dryer, so it is helpful to use only carpeting that can be cleaned regularly. Other children may have allergies to animal products in carpeting, such as feathers, fur, and wool, or to latex found in carpet.

Small rugs should be vacuumed or shaken outdoors daily and laundered weekly. Carpets and large area rugs should be vacuumed daily either before children arrive or after they leave. Carpets should be thoroughly cleaned at least monthly in infant areas, every three months in other areas, and, of course, whenever soiled.

All carpet cleaning methods, whether do-it-yourself or professional, offer various advantages, but also have limitations. No single method is superior, and when properly performed, each method can provide satisfactory results. The standard cleaning methods include:

• Hot water extraction (steam cleaning). A hot water cleaning solution is sprayed on the carpet and immediately extracted, taking dissolved soil with it, using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner.
• Shampooing. The cleaning solution is showered onto the carpet through several openings in a circular brush. The rotary action of the brush whips the detergent into a foam and provides agitation or rubbing action on the carpet. This suspends the soil, and the wet/dry vacuuming that follows removes it.
• Foam cleaning. A cleaning machine produces a foam detergent, which is agitated on the carpet by brushes. The foam and trapped soil are removed by an extraction/vacuum pickup.
• Dry cleaning (absorbent compound). An absorbent, dry compound containing solvents and detergent is sprinkled on the carpet and worked into the pile by a machine. It is vacuumed off after about half an hour, removing the soil suspended by the compound.

Cleaning and sanitizing rugs and carpeting that have been contaminated by body fluids is challenging. Wearing gloves, quickly try to blot or remove as much of the contaminating material as possible before it penetrates the surface to lower layers. Check with the health department or ask a carpet cleaning professional about products that can be used to quickly spot clean and sanitize.

by Charlotte Hendricks, HSD
Associate Editor HealthyCHILDCare

Fresh bleach solution is an effective disinfectant. Mix 1/4 cup bleach with one gallon of water. NEVER mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaning agent! Remember that vinegar is not a disinfectant.

Avoid using carpet freshners and fragrances. These can cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems, or skin irritations.

INTERNET RESOURCES

www.allabouthome.com/directories/dir_cleaning.html

www.cleanuppages.com

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