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Is Your Cleaning Program Ready for H1N1?
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it?s becoming clear that the best way to deal with disease is not to treat it but to prevent it through hygienic cleaning of environmental surfaces, especially those that come into direct contact with skin.
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Are You Ready for H1N1?\r\n\r\nIn June, 2009, the World Health Organization signaled a global pandemic of the H1N1 influenza was underway. Since then, the world has been preparing for a very difficult flu season. The potential for massive disruption, including hospitalizations and even death, is enormous and facilities are scrambling to prepare for the onslaught in order to minimize its impact. \r\n\r\nAn ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it?s becoming clear that the best way to deal with disease is not to treat it but to prevent it, and some strategies for reducing risk are rather simple. For example, public health experts report that proper hygiene, in particular, frequent hand washing, is critical to preventing the spread of disease. But, since touching infected surfaces also helps spread the virus, another critical component is hygienic cleaning of environmental surfaces, especially those that come into direct contact with skin. \r\n\r\n- especially considering that flu viruses can survive up to 12 hours on paper or cloth, 48 hours on nonporous surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, floors and desks, and up to 72 hours on moist surfaces. This means that in an improperly cleaned facility, the H1N1 virus can remain alive, potentially infecting others through cross contamination, for up to three days. It?s absolutely true that the more we understand about disease and its transmission, the more clear the importance of cleaning becomes. In fact it?s considered by many healthcare professionals and environmental scientists as our first line of defense against infectious disease.\r\n\r\nBut not all cleaning tools and methods are alike and not all are designed to achieve healthy results. It?s very important to understand the dangers of cross contamination and the tendency for many common tools and processes to actually spread the problem. As most environmental scientists agree, many traditional cleaning processes actually make things worse by disseminating the contaminants rather than removing them. Therefore, it?s important that facilities choose cleaning methods and products wisely.\r\n\r\nKaivac offers hygienic cleaning systems including disinfectant chemicals designed specifically to fight the spread of disease and minimize its impact.\r\n\r\nOur turnkey hygienic cleaning and measurement systems enable users to remove the maximum amount of harmful bio-pollution and then prove it through rapid�hygiene�measurement technology. One such technology is No-Touch Cleaning.\r\n\r\nNo-Touch Cleaning\r\nAlways risky, public restrooms are particularly hazardous environments during outbreaks, and traditional cleaning methods do very little to minimize risk. \r\n\r\nKaivac?s No-Touch Cleaning systems combine an indoor pressure washer, a powerful wet vacuum, and when needed, an automatic chemical metering and injection into an integrated system, that?s scientifically proven to be 30-60 times more effective in removing surface contamination than mops. In fact, they?re so effective that they?ve been confirmed as sanitizing devices by an independent EPA-certified lab when used as directed - without the use of chemicals.\r\n\r\nKaiFly\r\nDesktops and other flat surfaces are critical areas during an outbreak. Unfortunately, most cleaning programs don?t suitably address them. Traditional towels and rags have been proven to accumulate soils and germs and then distribute them across each surface they come into contact with.\r\n\r\nKaivac?s flat-surface cleaning system, KaiFly, combines microfiber and squeegee technologies to rapidly remove harmful bio-pollutants from desktops, tabletops, stalls, partitions, and many more flat surfaces. Studies show that it removes 80 times more bacteria than standard wipes and cloths, with no cross-contamination. \r\n\r\nIn fact, KaiFly is so effective that it?s also been certified as a sanitizing device, when used as directed with plain water.\r\n\r\nKaiWipes\r\nMany experts recommend switching to disposable wipes during an outbreak, and KaiWipes are a flexible solution for touch point cleaning. This low-cost, refillable disposable wipe system is adaptable to many cleaning needs. Unlike pre-soaked wipes, KaiWipes are packed dry in the canister, allowing users to either use them dry or add their own diluted cleaning solutions for maximum flexibility -- at a fraction of the cost of pre-treated wipes. The durable, commercial grade fibers accommodate green cleaning solutions as well as hospital grade disinfectants, and everything in between. \r\n\r\nSmartTowel\r\nAs previously stated, cleaning towels tend to collect and spread soils and bacteria. Though most users simply wad towels during cleaning, experts recommend folding them into four quadrants and then flipping to a fresh paned as they become soiled to keep the towel fresh. This flipping and folding helps, but it?s difficult to know where to start and which parts of the towel have already been used.\r\n\r\nKaivac?s SmartTowel takes the guesswork out of flipping and folding. This patent-pending microfiber towel is numbered in quadrants 1-4 on one side, and 5-8 on the other, allowing the user to fold the towel and use only one quadrant at a time. When a quadrant becomes soiled, the user simply flips to the next in sequence using the numbered system.\r\n\r\nIn addition to cleaning technologies, Kaivac offers two EPA-registered disinfectants, KaiBosh? and KaiSan�II?, which are effective against H1N1 along with seasonal influenza and other diseases, like MRSA, Norovirus, HIV and much more.\r\n\r\nThen, to ensure that your cleaning program is effective, Kaivac also offers an easy-to-use handheld ATP meter that detects the level of microbial contamination on surfaces in just seconds. \r\n\r\nSo, before an H1N1 outbreak disrupts your school or business, contact Kaivac for a free demonstration of our hygienic cleaning technologies in your own facility.
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Explore our educational videos focusing on the unseen world of germ and bacterial transmission, and the importance of cleaning as the first line of defense.
Kaivac offers a variety of hygienic cleaning products engineered with the focus on the health and safety of a building's occupants and workers.
For just about any cleaning task in a facility, Kaivac has a solution for you. See demonstrations of our products used in various settings in a facility.
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