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The Germiest Building in America

Every weekday nearly 60 million Americans - one-fifth of the entire population - spend eight hours trapped inside what some experts consider the "Germiest" place in America. Trapped inside this building with them are millions of invisible enemies, seeking to make them ill or, sometimes, kill them. These denizens of the invisible world are all around us - on virtually every surface. We're talking about MRSA, E.coli, influenza, shigella, and molds.

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The Germiest Buildings Slide 1 Every weekday, nearly 60 million American�s � one-fifth of the entire population � spend eight hours trapped inside what some experts consider THE GERMIEST PLACE IN AMERICA Slide 2 Trapped inside this building with them are millions of invisible enemies seeking to make them ill or sometimes, even kill them. We�re talking about diseases such as staphe, E-Coli, shigella, influenza, MRSA, and mold. Slide 3 These denizens of the invisible world are all around us: on flat surfaces and chair backs, on computer keyboards and mice, door handles and sink handles. Slide 4 Where do you find all these hidden killers? Where is the germiest building in America? It�s a public school. And while the situation is bad enough when we consider middle schools and high schools, it�s an even bigger issue in elementary schools. Young children do not have fully developed immune systems. They are known in the medical industry as �immunocompromised�. Yet, every day, we expose them to bacteria and viruses and mold spores. Slide 5 What can be done about it? Typically, there are two responses. We can teach kids better hygiene practices like hand washing and bathing, so they don�t bring germs with them. Slide 6 And when they do get exposed, school nurses and doctors are there to help them deal with headaches and nausea. Slide 7 But, what can we do about the germs that do get into our schools and onto our surfaces, waiting patiently for days, weeks, even months for unsuspecting hands and pencils and backpacks? There is only one professional that can do anything about getting rid of the germs that have infected our buildings: Slide 8 The school custodian. Custodians should be the first line of defense against pathogens in the schools. Unfortunately, most janitors today are not trained or equipped to deal with this invisible world. They do not understand the spread of disease or how to break the infection cycle. Slide 9 And they are armed with antiquated tools � mops & buckets, rags and spray bottles � that don�t actually attack bacteria. In fact, they spread it around, becoming disseminates that carry disease from surface to surface, classroom to classroom. According Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona, �mops & rags give germs a free ride�You can actually make things worse �if you are not cleaning properly.� Slide 10 So the next time your visit your child�s school, or if you�re a teacher, the next time you walk into a class room, don�t just look around and ask if the room looks clean. Ask yourself: Is it Hygienically Clean? Most likely, the answer is no. Slide 11 Then you may want to ask the principal or superintendent or PTA if your custodial staff has received the tools and training they need to make this building safe for the children. Again, the answer is almost certainly no. And if this is the case in your school, you need to ask another question: Why isn�t the district doing something about this; doing what is necessary to protect our children, the teachers and the staff from THE GERMIEST PLACE IN AMERICA? Typically, there are two answers to this question: Slide 12 The first is budget. Most districts are struggling with budget reductions. They�re trying to figure out how to divide the dollars they have and rarely allocate enough money for the custodial staff and equipment that are necessary. In fact, many school districts have cut their cleaning budgets by 25% or more over the last 10 years. Why would they do this? That brings us to our second reason: Slide 13 Knowledge. If your administrators are like others in the country, they don�t have the knowledge they need regarding cleaning science. They don�t understand that school bathrooms are really �bioharzard waste transfer stations� that can breed disease. They don�t recognize that locker rooms & athletic mats are key sources for MRSA, or know what to do about it. They�re unaware that flat surfaces in classrooms and cafeterias become traps for dangerous pathogens. They don�t appreciate the importance of critical touch points like computer keyboards or mice, where norovirus or flu bugs can pass from student to student. Slide 14 And School administrators are unaware of how recent advancements in cleaning science have led to the introduction of hygienic cleaning, new processes that specifically address the invisible world. There are now no-touch cleaning systems that attack the biohazardous waste in restrooms and locker rooms. There are technologies specifically designed to clean flat surfaces, because research showed that properly cleaning desk tops can reduce student illness and absenteeism by 50%. And there are low-cost disposable wipes for cleaning critical touch points and minimizing disease transfer. And finally, one of the most important advancements is the new ATP meter, which accurately measures biopollution and makes the invisible world visible. Surprisingly, all of these hygienic cleaning solutions have come from one company, dedicated to using science to enhance life � Kaivac Cleaning Systems Slide 15 So, if you�re worried about your children�s health and want to make a difference in your school district regarding proper cleaning, now you can. Visit Kaivac.com to learn the name of your nearest Kaivac distributor. They can provide you with the information you need to approach your PTA, school board, and school administrators, to make them aware of the problem. And the distributor will consult with your school�s facility manager and custodial staff regarding hygienic green cleaning, that will keep your schools from being �the Germiest Buildings In America.� You can make it difference! Visit Kaivac.com today!

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