No Dilution Control and Other Chemical Mishaps

Key Takeaways:
• Jan/san distributors should optimize chemical dilution control and disinfectant dwell time.
• Color-coded cleaning tools and microfiber management are effective cross-contamination prevention strategies.
• Compliance-driven cleaning programs occur through ongoing training and outcome verification.

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Dilution control is a bit of an art, and jan/san distributors would do well to help end-user customers perfect this practice. That’s why chemical dispensing systems are a great tool, as this equipment can remove the guesswork by providing the proper dilution each time.

“Closed-loop dispensing systems can improve consistency while reducing employee exposure and chemical waste,” Schneringer says.

Dale Franke, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Acme Paper & Supply Co, Inc., agrees that more is not better when it comes to cleaning chemicals. Too much chemical, for example, can leave behind a tacky residue that attracts dirt and creates more work for cleaning staff.

Correct dilution alone does not ensure a disinfectant will work. Customers should also know about proper dwell time because if that’s ignored, germs live to infect another person.

“Most disinfectants are designed to kill 99.9 percent of the germs when their dwell time is followed,” Gerba says. “If workers don’t leave the chemical on the surface long enough, they will not get the kill they think they’re getting. Viruses will survive fairly easily. And then, when they try to wipe them up, they’ll find that they’re spreading germs around because they haven’t been killed.”

When disinfectants are part of a cleaning program, jan/san distributors should make sure customers know that following the product label is a must, too. The label spells out what the product does, what it is intended to kill, and the conditions required for it to work.

“In the United States, all disinfectants must be registered with the EPA under FIFRA (Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act),” says Solomon. “The registration process ensures that all products are rigorously tested under uniform conditions to establish label claims and that product performance aligns with use directions of the product.”

Jan/san distributors play an important role in ensuring end-user customers understand those requirements, particularly when employees mix, dispense, or transfer chemicals.

Global Harmonized System (GHS) requirements add another layer of protection. Solomon says jan/san distributors can supply GHS pictograms, container labels, and safety data sheets (SDS), as well as recommend appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the chemicals being used.

Many tools that are associated with cleaning can actually cause more harm than good if not used correctly. Mop heads, microfiber cloths, gloves, and other equipment can pick up contaminants in one area and transfer them to the next. That’s why cleaning tools and equipment need to also be part of a facility’s contamination-control strategy.

“Distributors need to train frontline crews that you have to clean the cleaning tools,” Powitz says. “You have to properly store them.”

That includes considering what happens to a mop head or cloth after cleaning is complete. If frontline teams allow tools to remain soiled, wet, or improperly stored, Powitz cautions, they can become part of the contamination problem.

Gerba’s research reinforces the importance of keeping cleaning tools separated by area. He recalls finding E. coli on cleaning cloths and warns against carrying those items from one area to another. Again, this is a training opportunity for jan/san distributors to educate their end-user customers.

“They should have separate cloths, at least for the restroom, if they’re doing any wiping and disinfecting, and for the rest of the facility, because you don’t want to take anything out of the toilet area and spread it,” he says.

Color coding goes along with these efforts, so jan/san distributors should sell customers on the importance of this strategy.

“Color-coded tools can be provided by area or by task, and should be clearly defined when microfiber, mop heads, gloves, and other tools need to be changed,” Schneringer says. “Contaminated tools should never be moved from higher-risk areas, such as restrooms, into lower-risk spaces, such as offices.”

Jan/san distributors can help customers establish these systems by recommending appropriate tools and defining when microfiber, mop heads, and other cleaning materials require changing, laundering, or replacement.

Creating Compliance

Training should go hand in hand with recommending chemicals and equipment. When jan/san distributors train their customers in product usage, it’s best to start with the basics.

“When it comes to training a staff, simplicity and consistency are critical,” Franke says. “We can develop the best cleaning procedures in the world, but if it’s too complicated for an employee to follow during an everyday routine, it will not be consistent.”

Franke advises providing centralized and on-site training at least twice a year. He also recommends a train-the-trainer approach, where jan/san distributors provide supervisors or other designated employees with the knowledge needed to reinforce proper procedures.

Powitz periodically convenes facility leaders for a walkthrough to assess the cleaning program, which he calls “grand rounds." These rounds involve environmental services (EVS), maintenance, building occupants, administrators, and others who can identify problems from different perspectives. The process helps jan/san distributors evaluate cleaning outcomes, identify trouble spots, and adjust procedures as conditions change.

Schneringer sees a broader shift in how cleaning performance is evaluated.

“There is increasing emphasis on validating cleaning outcomes rather than simply measuring how often an area was cleaned,” he says.

This presents an opportunity to help end-user customers select verification tools, interpret the results, and determine whether changes to chemicals, equipment, or procedures could improve cleaning outcomes.

Solomon points to electronic cleaning scheduling and verification as an emerging tool. Automated systems can track when cleaning occurs, who performed it, how much time was spent, and sometimes which chemicals and tools were used.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) monitoring can add another layer of verification by giving cleaning teams rapid feedback about biological material remaining on a surface. However, Solomon cautions against treating the technology as definitive proof that a surface is free of pathogens.

“ATP is not perfect—it does not detect viruses, like norovirus—so ensuring proper cleaning and disinfection is still very important,” he says.

Preventing cross-contamination clearly requires chemicals, equipment, procedures, and training to work together. That means helping customers select products, standardize procedures, train employees, and evaluate results. Stopping cross-contamination demands a cleaning program built around how germs move, where risks occur, and how employees clean.

Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer and owner of In Good Company Communications in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

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Help Cleaning Professionals Interrupt the Spread of Germs