Tips for Healthy Facilities: Hand Hygiene, FTOs, and Color Codes

Process Improvement, Now is the Time!

With the emergence of the vaccine we all certainly hope that herd immunity is on the way. But let's be real, throughout time, hygiene and cleanliness have been the key to healthy communities! To this end, it is very important that cleaning processes serve the purpose of both removing soils and preventing cross-contamination.

The Renu crew wants to give you a few tips on how to do that! Of course the number one rule is to promote handwashing in your facility and in the absence of soap and water provide hand sanitation options. These basic hygiene practices are something that need to be part of our culture and unfortunately in many cases they are not.

That’s why it is so important that the cleaning team Is trained to properly disinfect FTO’s or frequently touched objects. Depending on the type of facility you are cleaning these can vary greatly but your RENU crew has several lists that can help you if you are just putting together your process. Just email me at marketing@renusupplies.com for a list specific to your space.

Once you have an ideally documented cleaning process for each space, the next step is to contain potential germs. Using a color coding approach is one way to ensure your cleaning process is not adding to the problem. Guy and Gayle are onboard with this too! If you’re using a microfiber system you can borrow our approach (this could also be applied to mops, squeegees, scrub brushes, etc.). Use green microfiber cloths for restroom glass cleaning and yellow for restroom above floor surface and fixture disinfecting. Use blue for public area glass cleaning and red for public area FTO disinfecting. If you want to simplify color coding to just disinfecting, use paper towels for glass cleaning.

Be sure to use all sides of a microfiber cloth. This can vary based on the size of the cloth but a simple tip is to fold your cloth in fourths, then use each surface of the cloth as you progress through your cleaning tasks, giving you at least eight new surfaces to capture soils and germs. Check out our microfiber selection here.

P.S. For tips on sanitizer placement in your facility and more check out these Gojo resources!

P.S.S. For great disinfectant options, as well as other COVID prevention tools, check out this category.