Purpose

The purpose of this project was to conduct a study on the long-term development of microbiological particles when you clean with microfiber the surfaces and areas that are in daily use in a hospital.

The study is done using daily regular sanitary and cleaning routines, using only microfiber cleaning products and water on floors and other surfaces at Feiringklinikken in Eidsvoll, Norway.

The measurements started on the 16th of September 2003 and was ended on the 20th or January 2004. The first 3 weeks of the project was used as a pilot study.

What is the Feiring Clinic?

The clinic is specializing in consulting, treating and rehabilitation of adult heart patients. With a capacity of 1100 open-heart surgeries per year, it conducts about 25 % of all open-heart surgeries in Norway. The total number of infections as a result of surgery at the hospital is only 50 % of the nations standard of 5.4 %

Today, there are 245 employees at the clinic, and of these, 140 are medical staff. The clinic was opened in 1989, by the Association for Heart and Lung Disease in Norway (LHL)

The project was kicked off with a general information session and training of the cleaning staff at the hospital. It was emphasized that the goal of the project was not to benchmark each individual employee, but rather to determine the long-term effect of using microfiber combined with water as the single method of cleaning and sanitation at the hospital.

Staff used products from a stock of dry microfiber cloths that was dampened and wringed using clean tap water. Each cloth is replaced once it is visibly dirty.

The Norwex mop is used to clean all floors. All other areas were cleaned with the microfiber cloths from Norwex.

All products were laundered at 90oC and then dried in a dryer, with no fabric softener.

CONCLUSIONS

The cleaning department has used microfiber cloths since 1993, and started using microfiber mops in 1998. There is a minimal use of chemicals in the daily cleaning routines, and the department is consciously trying to adhere to “Clean Without Chemicals” concept.

The Feiring Clinic has a very high cleaning standard based on commonly known adhered-to daily and periodical cleaning standards.

The use of microfiber cleaning products combined with only water was used to clean the cafeteria kitchen. The test data shows a good and satisfactory hygiene level that is just as good as traditional cleaning methods and products. The clinic has experienced that microfiber cleaning products are excellently suited for cleaning a cafeteria kitchen.

The use of microfiber cloths and mops in the operating room has a higher hygienical level. The results after cleaning is done are absolutely acceptable, even on the floor where there are very different conditions present in the operating room. In the operating room, conditions for ultra clean surgery (sterile) are met consistently and in every condition tested.

The final conclusion, both in the kitchen and in the surgery ward, is that the microfiber cleaning products and the cleaning routines is of excellent quality and continued reliability. This is comforting for the patients as well as for the staff at the clinic.

** Full test information and study can be viewed at request. All swab test and agar plates were examined independently at labs for aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms with a 99% removal on all smooth surfaces tested. The effectiveness of these cloths was not reduced even after 10 surfaces in succession as demonstrated by the absorption test data.

(For a copy of the full study, please contact me)

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