The surprising way one university drastically upped their infection control game.
Sometimes in cleaning, the smallest details make the biggest difference. UC Riverside employs roughly 150 custodians who are responsible for cleaning around 6 million square feet of space on a daily basis. Understandably, they are constantly looking to improve practices and overall efficiency.
With that in mind, last year, they switched to using a color coded system in which they use different colored cleaning cloths for specific cleaning tasks and areas. Aaron Uresti, UC Riverside’s Assistant Director of Custodial & Housekeeping Services, explained it like this in Facility Cleaning Decisions Magazine:
"Red indicated high risk. These cloths would be exclusively used to clean sanitary areas in restrooms, such as toilets and urinals.
Yellow meant medium risk. Also for use in restrooms, these cloths are used on surfaces such as sinks, showers, counters, dispensers and fixtures.
Green tools indicate low risk and are used outside the restroom. They are the tool used for dusting and polishing in areas such as lounges, offices, workspaces and on ledges.
Finally, blue microfiber is used in medium-risk areas outside the restroom. These are normally high-touchpoints such as door handles, elevator buttons and railings, or impression points such as windows, glass doors and mirrors."
After coordination with their vendors and a series of training sessions with staff, the new system was put into place. Before implementation, the team was allowed to ask questions and was provided with color-coded charts to help further explain which products should be used in which scenarios.
The color-coded microfiber cloth program program at UC Riverside turned out to be a major success. As it turned out, this initiative:
- Helped eliminate accidental cross contamination
- Streamlined & standardized training efforts
- Improved inventory control (using fewer chemicals = cost savings and makes it easier to track expenses)
- Eliminated worker confusion
- “Upped their infection control game”
- Helped explain their rigorous cleaning program to all interested parties
At Aqua ChemPacs, we have long been proponents of using color coding in cleaning. Our cleaning supplies are color coded in terms of product packaging and bottle labels to help streamline the process. This makes it easier to train employees, easier to control and monitor inventory, and easier to avoid cross contamination. We also supply wall charts for easy reminders on how to use the products in each scenario.
Request samples of our Disinfectant Cleaner or our Hand Soap products --- or try out a custom dissolving cleaning kit designed just for you.
