Cleanlink News November 6 2009
Improved Cleaning Techniques Keep H1N1 At Bay
With thousands of Sarasota, Fla. students in area schools, districts have been taking preventative measures to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus.
No one is pushing the panic button yet. The Sarasota School District says the number of kids reporting flu-like symptoms is actually decreasing. But, they're still taking extra steps to clean and disinfect the facilities at night to keep the flu bug at bay.
"On a typical school day, students are rough on their environment." And no one knows that better than Jody Dumas, the Sarasota School District facilities director. After the students go home, cleaning crews sweep in hoping to wipe out the flu bug and anything else that gets in their way. "We typically clean a classroom from top to bottom."
The custodial staff says it's a big job cleaning 8 million square feet every night. But, with the help of some new tools, they're able to get the job done right. "We transitioned from the old mop and bucket to a microfiber system, which is cleaner."
"Everything at Riverview is focused at making it cleaner, faster, with a better product at hand." The cleaning and disinfecting is keeping the bug at bay. Riverview High School's nurse says fewer kids are calling in sick with flu-like symptoms.
In the past two years, every cleaning process has been streamlined — from the hallways with a riding vacuum, to the bathrooms, even the courtyard...the cleaning products themselves are even green.
And the students aren't the only ones being graded in the classrooms. The cleaning goes through an extensive inspection, too. "Once a month they inspect it for cleanness, they rate it on an actual sheet. We keep the information in a database that we track in facilities, that if we are having any issues we can have some re-training or bring in new equipment to do whatever we have to do to make sure we have clean schools."
