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Cleaning Science & Integrated Cleaning and Measurement
Integrated Cleaning & Measurement Articles
Log Reduction: Quantifying the Removal of Germs Under ICM Using Less Toxic or Greener Methods
Given the growing public awareness of H1N1, E. coli and other 'invisible' contaminants, service providers striving to clean for a healthier environment should be able to control or remove these threats and prove it.
The Importance of Correct Sampling and Swabbing in ICM Programs
The swabs used for sampling surfaces for microbial contamination are examples of devices that are simple in design and construction, but are difficult to use without discipline and training.
Clean Restrooms - It's All About Respect and Measurement
How do we get more kids and custodians in public schools to respect each other? Unfortunately, too many students think custodians are hired to pick up after them.
How Clean is Clean? There is No Looking Back ...
We banter about the word 'clean', but we are hard-pressed to come up with a good definition that is not subjective.
ICM Commentary - The Best Thing to Have Happened ...
We in the public health industry have been agonizing over 'Clean to sight and touch' for decades. Subjective evaluations of cleaning outcomes have certainly not prevented disease transmission.
Measuring Devices: Minimize the Risk, Maximize the Reward
A lot of the evaluation of cleaning processes has been built around the concept of 'huffing and puffing': if we work and we sweat, that must mean the surface is clean.
University of Washington - ICM Spray-and-Vac Water Only Test
If there is any upside to managing a custodial department during a downside economy, it may be the way it forces innovation in the form of increasingly creative solutions to solve severe budgetary problems.
Integrated Cleaning and Measurement - Why Communication is Critical to its Success
'Nobody knows what we do until we don't do it' is a slogan often seen in custodial closets and on lunch room notice boards, and to a degree is typical of the way in which cleaning services have been perceived by both service providers and their clients.
Most experts agree that a multifaceted approach is the best way to help stem the tide of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs).
Integrated Cleaning and Measurement: A New Approach to Housekeeping and Sanitation
As a sanitarian, I always viewed my professional goals as those of ensuring food safety by constantly applying scientific principles through the application of cost-effective and cost-efficient ongoing preventive measures.
Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM) is an open source unified-systems approach to institutional and industrial cleaning that uses measurement as a product and process selection, enhancement and validation tool.
ICM: Integrated Cleaning & Measurement - An Open Source Protocol for Results-Based Cleaning
ICM is a systems-approach to cleaning that incorporates measurement as a cornerstone of the process. A key to any improvement initiative is the ability to measure.
Is cleaning an art? Or is it really a science? It's a question that is bound to get lots of responses from cleaning industry veterans with vigorous arguments being raised on both sides in favor of their respective points of view.
MRSA, C-difficile, VRSA, Norwalk disease, Hepatitis C, Asian flu; every day there are reports that our schools, health facilities, workplaces and public spaces are becoming serious health risks.
Are We Cleaning Properly? Is Our Failure to Update Our Cleaning Methods Harmful to Health?
Despite the wide use of sanitizers and disinfectants, it's becoming clear that conventional cleaning methods are not achieving the standards or results that are essential for our health and well-being.
Biowarfare: Mitigating Toilet Sneeze with ICM
'Aerosol: Particles, either liquid or solid, suspended in air.' – Definition from the Textbook of Military Medicine, Part I: Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare
Remove It, Prove It - Better Cleaning Through Scientific Validation
Cleaning is the removal of unwanted matter, including macro soil we can see: dirt, debris, and spills; and micro soil: harmful bacteria, viruses, spores, dust particles, and chemical substances below the threshold of human perception.
Professions of the Future: Indoor Environmental Experts
Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM) is changing the perception of the cleaning industry and generating interest from individuals who want to pursue cleaning as a career.
We are excited and proud to introduce to you the concept of Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM) - The Industry's First Open-Source Cleaning System.
Hygienic Green Cleaning - The Next Wave
In the past 10 years the concept of 'green' cleaning has progressed from fringe ideology to mainstream philosophy. Cleaning service providers, facilities maintenance managers, building service contractors and others who once dismissed environmentally friendly practices in favor of traditional methods are now embracing the approach, encouraging the next wave.
Clean Restrooms - It's All About Respect, and Measurement
How do we get more kids and custodians in public schools to respect each other? Unfortunately, too many students think custodians are hired to pick up after them.
Development of An Optimal Cleaning Process Through ICM
Cleaning processes consist of a number of manual and/or automatic steps involving the use of mechanical action, solvents, and/or detergents.
Sitting in class not too long ago, students sneezed, coughed, bled and touched their way through each day and didn't think twice about it.
A White Glove Inspection for the Invisible - Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM)
Many years ago while serving in the military I was exposed to a foreign concept, the "White Glove" inspection. The purpose of the inspection by our military instructors was to determine if our rooms were clean.
Cleaning Science Articles
Study: Cleaning Desktops and Other Classroom Surfaces Reduces Absenteeism
Abstract The presence of microorganisms on common classroom contact surfaces (fomites) was determined to identify the areas most likely to become contaminated.
Survival of Acinetobacter baumannii on Dry Surfaces
Acinetobacter spp. are important nosocomial pathogens reported with increasing frequency in outbreaks of cross-infection during the past 2 decades. The majority of such outbreaks are caused by Acinetobacter baumannii ...
Testing for Aerosolization Caused By Indoor Pressure Washing
One question has come up regarding the spray and vac process in hospitals: Does the indoor pressure washer aerosolize bacteria, exposing workers to potentially harmful disease, as well as propagating the spread of infectious disease to building occupants?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was predominantly a hospital-acquired organism; recently, however, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) has been causing outbreaks in otherwise healthy individuals involved in athletics.
Increasing quantitative evidence points to the conclusion that children are more susceptible to infection by microbial pathogens picked up from their environments than older persons exposed to the same pathogens [1].
Restroom Cleaning: Using Science in the Fight Against Design Flaws
A basic guiding principle in understanding restroom cleaning is that almost all public restrooms have used designs and been constructed with methods and materials that embody flaws that work against easy removal of microbial contamination.
The Science and Technology of ATP
ATP is the primary energy transfer molecule present in all living biological cells on Earth. ATP cannot be produced or maintained by anything but a living organism, and as such, its measurement is a direct indication of biological activity.
Improper Use of Disinfectant Wipes Can Spread MRSA
A study by Cardiff University's Welsh School of Pharmacy looked into the ability of antimicrobial-surface wipes to remove, kill and prevent the spread of such infections as MRSA.
'Clever Cleaning' the Way to Beat Hospital Superbugs
Just one extra cleaner on a hospital ward can save lives and money, according to new research sponsored by UNISON, the UK's largest public service union.
Norovirus infection outbreaks (NoVOs) occur frequently in closed populations, such as cruise ship passengers. Environmental contamination is believed to play an important role in NoVO propagation.