5 Reasons to STOP Disinfecting Our Schools and Office Buildings
ACP Facility Services, www.acpfacility.com, is a full-service facility care provider. With over 2500 employees in 44 states, we bring a holistic approach to caring for our customer's janitorial needs. We seek to understand their environment and values to bring "right-fit" solutions that make sense for their employees and customers. With the onset of Covid-19, we couldn't do enough to help them disinfect their schools and office buildings. We searched endlessly for a better way to support them, and that meant we had to STOP continuous disinfection services. Here are the 5 reasons you should stop as well:
1. Cost: Keeping our buildings safe and clean has put an unprecedented financial burden on schools and businesses. The cost of labor and supplies to regularly disinfect surfaces that are regularly used and touched can range from $5,000 to $5,000,000 annually.
2. Staffing: There is currently a very real shortage of janitorial staff throughout the country. The extra demands placed on staff for disinfection needs is contributing to the problem. Without sufficient staff, overall health and cleanliness suffer. We need to look at alternatives.
3. Scheduling: Scheduling disinfecting around school facilities and corporate events can make an already stressful situation worse. This, coupled with a lack of staff to implement these needs, can create unnecessary "emergencies."
4. Fear: Demand for scientific studies on the long- term health effects of continuous disinfecting is on the rise. Employee complaints are escalating over allergic reactions and respiratory issues. Parents want assurances that all the disinfecting being applied in schools and universities isn't harming their children's health or immune systems.
5. Alternative solutions: There are several solutions available right now that are eliminating the need for disinfection. The first is air purification, which can be an independent room device, or a device put into HVAC systems to kill germs through the air. They are proven to work but it's hard to prove that all surfaces are protected, and the cost can be prohibitive. Next, there is a UV light solution that also shows promise and is being used in hospital environments for operating rooms and in the ICU. There are even UV robots being created to "shine their light." This solution is also effective, yet it is cost prohibitive for large square footage.
Perhaps the best solution currently available is a safe (EPA approved) product that was created by doctors and scientists from The University of Cambridge. This product requires a one-time application that takes the same amount of time to apply as electrostatic disinfecting, yet it provides proactive protection for up to 1 year. It is an anti-microbial that kills 99.9% of viruses, mold, and bacteria. It was tested for 1 year on double decker busses in the UK and, after 200,000 plus touches per surface, the test came back completely clean. The ROI on this solution is outstanding and it is solving problems listed above immediately after application.
For additional information on alternative solutions, please contact the sales team at ACP Facility Services sales@acpfacility.com. We can partner with you to assess which solution would be the 'best fit' for your current environment and help you create the highest ROI to encourage impactful change for your organization.
About ACP: www.acpfacility.com
ACP Facility Services is a minority owned, full-service facility care provider headquartered in Boston, MA with Regional offices throughout the country. Founded in 1986 to provide the highest quality of janitorial services to their 2000 plus clients.