By now we all know that washing our hands is an important part of disease prevention. It has been all over the television, and yet there are still things that need to be understood about handwashing. As this clip points out, the Ethyl alcohol can be dangerous if consumed. Doesn’t this send a message about how Green we are when pushed a little.
Another note of interest is the bacterial soap is not any more effective than normal soap. 20 second of good handwashing is the best suggestion which is about the some length of time it takes to sing, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” There is further concern about bacterial soap and the very real ability of bacteria to morph and develop immunities to any threat. This is why doctors do not like to over-prescribe antibiotics. They know that bacteria have a very unnerving way to mutating to something that they continue to see as a threat.
So, let’s get down to the simple stuff. Wash your hands like your mother told you. Use normal soap and water, and don’t be hasty. If you want a really great kind of soap that comes from a very Green process, look into castile soap. It is most often made from natural olive oil, its good for the skin, and doesn’t pollute.
Here’s my pique with the H1N1 mania. Yes, it is a problem, and it could turn into a pandemic; but we do not have to the Green protocol in our daily operation. The best solution is a proactive cleaning program that does not include the dangerous products like bleach, ammonia, and alcohol. When school or business encounters a spreading infection, they call out the shock troops who come in a spray, slather, and scrub with some really awful chemicals. At that point, all Green consideration is thrown out the door. The problem is that there are reasonable and very Green ways to disinfect.
A massive cleaning project also misses the obvious. These diseases came in from the community and enter the school and business. The very next day after a major sanitizing project, the facility will be re-infected. One of the first areas to examine iw whether the cleaning service is Green Clean Certified. If not, they are playing at Green. Secondly, take a trip to the janitorial closet and prepare yourself for a shock of unGreen products that you will find. Most janitorial services are merely token Green at best, and need to step up their game.
During the infection cycle, increase the frequency of cleaning. This need not be a whole building cleaning, but the regular cleaning of the “High Touch” areas, like: doornobs, light switches, the copy machine panel, keyboards, and countertops. If the service isn’t able to do this, assign a person in your building to spot clean the prime contact areas with a Green product.
Be sure to use a microfiber cleaning cloth that is able to clean surfaces batter than any other cloth. Also, make sure that employees are told to stay home if they are sick. In this age of computer mobility, it seems reasonable that an employee can do some needful work right from home. Everyone has a cell phone and an Internet connection. If you have done the right thing and installed the paperless system in your business operation, the work at home idea is feasible and practical.
Inoculations and vaccines are helpful to break the cycle of disease as well. Most every virus spreads from person to person. Bacterial infections can spread by indirect contact. Therefore, if a segment of the society is immunized from the pending virus, it forms a kind of firebreak to the encroachment of the target disease. So, N1H1 is not an uncommon threat. 36,000 people die from the flu every year according to the CDC. H1N1 presents an aggressive and fast-moving disease that could be a literal pandemic. So, let’s get back to the basics and realize that the first line of defense is good sanitation processes.
When making the transition to a Green operation, do not neglect the cleaning aspect. In fact, the cleaning process is a big part of any Green building. To do this right, I’d like to explain the three components to insuring that you have a Green cleaning process in place. They are: 1) Green Products, 2) Green tools, and 3) Green training. So often, I hear of janitorial firms boasting of being Green just because they carry a few Green products. This is what we call “Proxy Green” where the janitorial service merely purchases a Green product as the only qualifier. This is a easy mistake to make, but this is not the way to Go Green.