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The International Executive Housekeepers Association (now “IEHA”) and The Housekeeping Channel (HC) are pleased to present free flu-prevention information for schools.
According to the free ($4.50 S&H) IEHA pocket guidebook, Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies:
“Proper cleaning, sanitation and good personal hygiene practices are the most effective means of controlling the spread of common diseases — more effective than vaccines or antibiotics.
Effective cleaning of frequently touched school surfaces, combined with hand washing and/or use of hand sanitizers where soap and water is not available, has been shown to significantly reduce the number of infections and reduce absentee rates due to illness by 50 percent or more.”
With this in mind, IEHA and HC are pleased to share the following information to assist schools and parents of school-aged children.
IEHA/HC Article: A Guide to Choosing Cleaning Products – Seeing Past the Marketing Hype
In addition, IEHA, HC and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) all stress the importance of frequent handwashing.
According to the free ($4.50 S&H) IEHA pocket guidebook, Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies:
“Making sure your hands are clean is one of the best things you can do avoid infection. Make sure that you wash:
* Before and after eating or handling food
* After you cough into your hands or contact blood or body fluids
* After using the bathroom or changing a diaper
* After handling animals, their toys, leashes, or waste
* After touching something that has a good chance of being contaminated, such as a trash can or cleaning cloth
* Before dressing a wound, giving, medicine, or inserting contact lenses
* More often when you’re sick or during the cold or flu season
* Whenever they look dirty."
Also from the free ($4.50 S&H) IEHA pocket guidebook, Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies...
“For healthy schools, proper cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and restrooms must be top priority. The emphasis on proper is important. Some ways of ‘cleaning’ are ineffective in removing microbial contamination, and others have been shown to actually spread contamination to other surfaces. Further, cleaning with chemical cleaners involves the potential for contamination of the environment, which can be harmful to health unless you choose products, methods, and equipment carefully.”
According to the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/cleaning.htm
Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. Although widespread influenza activity occurs every year, the timing, severity, and duration of it depend on many factors, including which flu viruses are spreading, the number of people who are susceptible to the circulating flu viruses, and how well the flu vaccine is matched to the flu viruses that are causing illness. The timing of flu can vary from season to season. In the United States, seasonal flu activity most commonly peaks in January or February, but flu viruses can cause illness from early October to late May. Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughs and sneezes of infected individuals. People may also become infected by touching something with flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.
Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing infectious diseases in schools…[CDC] More from CDC:
1. Know the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing
Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.
Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects to a safe level, as judged by public health standards or requirements. This process works by either cleaning or disinfecting surfaces or objects to lower the risk of spreading infection.
2. Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often
Follow your school’s standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting. Typically, this means daily sanitizing surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, phones, and toys. Some schools may also require daily disinfecting these items. Standard procedures often call for disinfecting specific areas of the school, like bathrooms.
Immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. If surfaces or objects are soiled with body fluids or blood, use gloves and other standard precautions to avoid coming into contact with the fluid. Remove the spill, and then clean and disinfect the surface
3. Simply do routine cleaning and disinfecting
It’s important to match your cleaning and disinfecting activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill. Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface. Therefore, it is not necessary to close schools to clean or disinfect every surface in the building to slow the spread of flu. Also, if students and staff are dismissed because the school cannot function normally (e.g., high absenteeism during a flu outbreak), it is not necessary to do extra cleaning and disinfecting.
Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them. Special cleaning and disinfecting processes, including wiping down walls and ceilings, frequently using room air deodorizers, and fumigating, are not necessary or recommended. These processes can irritate eyes, noses, throats, and skin; aggravate asthma; and cause other serious side effects.
4. Clean and disinfect correctly
Always follow label directions on cleaning products and disinfectants. Wash surfaces with a general household cleaner to remove germs. Rinse with water, and follow with an EPA-registered disinfectant to kill germs. Read the label to make sure it states that EPA has approved the product for effectiveness against influenza A virus…
5. Use products safely
Pay close attention to hazard warnings and directions on product labels. Cleaning products and disinfectants often call for the use of gloves or eye protection. For example, gloves should always be worn to protect your hands when working with bleach solutions.
Do not mix cleaners and disinfectants unless the labels indicate it is safe to do so. Combining certain products (such as chlorine bleach and ammonia cleaners) can result in serious injury or death.
Ensure that custodial staff, teachers, and others who use cleaners and disinfectants read and understand all instruction labels and understand safe and appropriate use. This might require that instructional materials and training be provided in other languages.
6. Handle waste properly
Follow your school’s standard procedures for handling waste, which may include wearing gloves. Place no-touch waste baskets where they are easy to use. Throw disposable items used to clean surfaces and items in the trash immediately after use. Avoid touching used tissues and other waste when emptying waste baskets. Wash your hands with soap and water after emptying waste baskets and touching used tissues and similar waste.
7. Learn more
How to Clean and Disinfect Schools to Help Slow the Spread of Flu
How To Clean and Disinfect Schools To Help Slow the Spread of Flu[CDC Excerpt]
Routinely clean surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, and phones. Empty trash cans as needed.
Use general cleaning products that you normally use. Always follow product label directions. Additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning is not recommended.
Provide adequate supplies, such as general EPA-registered cleaning products, gloves, disinfecting wipes, and no-touch trash cans.
Match your cleaning activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill.
Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard practices, such as cleaning with soap and water, can help remove and kill them.
Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface. Therefore, special sanitizing processes beyond routine cleaning, including closing schools to clean every surface in the building, are not necessary or recommended to slow the spread of flu, even during a flu outbreak.
Some schools may include other cleaning and disinfecting practices in their standard procedures to address germs that are not removed or killed by soap and water alone.
Encourage students and staff to stay home when sick through education and policy.
Teach students, parents, and staff the importance of staying home when sick until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius, measured by mouth) or signs of a fever (chills, feeling very warm, flushed appearance, or sweating) without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
Review school policies, and consider revising those that make it difficult for students and staff to stay home when sick or when caring for others who are sick.
Implement flexible sick leave policies for students and staff.
Avoid the use of perfect attendance awards.
Cross-train staff so that others can cover for co-workers who need to stay home.
About IEHA
IEHA is a 3,500-plus professional member organization for persons employed in facility housekeeping at the management level. The organization was founded in 1930 in New York City, and is now located in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of the State’s capitol, Columbus. Executive Housekeepers are managers who direct housekeeping programs in commercial, industrial or institutional facilities. They supervise staffs ranging from a few to several hundred people and handle budgets from a few thousand dollars to millions. IEHA provides members with an array of channels through which they can achieve personal and professional growth. Some are: leadership opportunities; resource materials; education program designation; employment referral service; a Technical Question Hotline (1-800-200-6342); networking; an annual convention and trade show, including several educational sessions; and a monthly trade publication, Executive Housekeeping Today. Please contact IEHA’s Association office at (800) 200-6342 for more details, or go to www.ieha.org. For a free copy (plus $4.50 s&h) of Clean and Healthy Schools for Dummies, visithttp://www.ieha.org/showcatproducts.php?cid=1.
About HC
The Housekeeping Channel (www.housekeepingchannel.com) strives to be the Web's most comprehensive storehouse of factual information for consumers and media on achieving a clean, organized and healthy indoor environment.
