If you are the owner or manager of either a daycare facility or a summer camp, read on to learn more about protecting your reputation and your little guests with our superior hygiene cleaning and disinfection services, or contact our team today! (412) 462-5525
The need to disinfect everything humans come in contact with (including sometimes feeling like this means other humans), is something we have all learned to live with over the rocky course of the last few years since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the ensuing pandemic that has pervaded all of lives.
As if that wasn’t enough to make everyone run for cover, a recent hepatitis outbreak in a Chicago day care center has ramped up fear, anxiety and the need for still better products and services to wage war against dangerous pathogens.
Bacteria have always been there since the world was young, as have humans.
But these days their presence, and the serious harm that some of them can cause to our children, have compelled battle lines to be drawn and a fierce battle to begin!
Those that win that fight are usually armed with the hygiene cleaning and disinfecting powers of Enviro-Master!
Cleaning vs Sanitizing And Disinfecting
A war cannot be fought without weapons.
In the case of harmful disease-bearing pathogens in day care centers and summer camps, understanding the difference between cleaning and disinfecting or sanitizing couldn’t be more important to ensure a positive outcome.
Many people use these words interchangeably, but these concepts have different definitions and can have diverse results that directly affect child care and summer camp cleaning regimens.
Cleaning refers to the physical process of removing dirt, germs and debris from a surface via scrubbing, washing and rinsing.
The most commonly used agents are soap or detergent and water.
Sanitizing is deeper and more specific, and involves the application of a product that kills 99.9% of germs, a claim which should be clearly stated on the label.
To disinfect is to go even further, as its meaning is that the product used will kill nearly 100% (if not exactly) of all pathogens it comes in contact with.
Again, this promise should be clearly stated on the label.
Enviro-Master History, Strategies And Solutions
Founded in 1983, our mission across the years is and always has been: Building a healthier world, one restroom at a time.
We are a world leader in hygiene services has satisfied clients all over the country and they address disease and odor prevention in ways that janitorial services for camps and daycare facilities are not equipped to handle on their own.
In addition to expert strategies and solutions, we also offer low cost soaps, paper and cleaning products that often offset the price of cleaning services
Our core values are driven by a commitment to quality customer service, protecting businesses, and serving the community as health and safety experts.
We are a leading purveyor of commercial restroom services is dedicated to the provision of superior hygienic options, and products that are always 100% sustainable.
Unlike most other Enviro-Master franchises, we stand out at Enviro-Master Pittsburgh due to our partnership with the ambient air-care masters at Air-Scent International, which enhances our offerings to include superior environmental odor control and air-freshening strategies to any and all types of industry settings, including daycare facilities and summer camps.
We provide an extensive array of hygiene products and services that include but are not limited to: deep fixture cleaning and electrostatic disinfecting applications, which target specific surfaces by placing a positive or negative charge on the disinfectant itself as it leaves the spray nozzle.
When it comes to cleaning and disinfection, we focus on going that extra mile, the importance of which can never be overestimated in light of the contagion currently spreading across the world.
The Need For Hygiene Within Pittsburgh Day Care Centers
Day care centers are virulent havens for dangerous germs and pathogens.
It is very difficult to prevent contagion from spreading among children who play so close together and with the same toys.
This scary fact can be clearly illustrated by the recent Illinois outbreak of hepatitis that was addressed by Enviro-Master’s Chicago branch.
The Illinois Department of Health recently reported nine potential cases of severe hepatitis. All of the children were hospitalized and under the age of ten.
Enviro-Master disinfected classrooms every week using their superior pathogen-demolishing products.
While now under control, a threat still looms because the origin of the outbreak has not yet been determined.
To date, more than one hundred children under the age of six have contracted acute hepatitis in the United States.
Five children have died and worldwide and there are 450 cases in 25 countries.
The fear of a potential hepatitis spread to Michigan has caused the Hands Christian Learning Center in Lansing to take some precautions that were advised by the Enviro Master chapter of Northern Michigan.
In the words of Rev. Dr. Jan Hite: ”There is no need to panic right now — but to make sure outbreaks don’t happen, we are being proactive…You have to clean everything on a daily basis, multiple times during the day, to make sure the children are safe because their little immune systems aren’t working like yours and mine, and therefore, we have to do it for them.”
Helping Hands was already familiar with Enviro-Master’s fine work because they had used their services and expertise to combat COVID-19 when it was at its peak two years ago.
The center felt comfortable consulting them again about the mysterious child hepatitis outbreak.
Hite said: “They don’t just kill COVID. They kill all of the germs that are out there, and therefore we knew that they would be the best company to use.”
During their weekly visits, Enviro-Master technicians eradicated pathogens and broke the lifecycle of anything that could have been left behind.
In the words of Nydia Rodriguez, owner of Enviro-Master Services of Northern Michigan:“We know that children put everything in their mouths.
So having a clean environment, not only the bathrooms ,but all the items everywhere, including the little toys, need this protection. It is crucial.”
Certain sections in child care facilities require additional cleaning simply because they receive a great deal of traffic.
These include: diaper-changing stations and play, food and bathroom areas.
Establishing regular hygiene and disinfecting schedules and adhering to a daily regimen that includes hand washing are the keys to maintaining a clean and healthy environment for everyone.
It is also important to instill healthy daily practices in the children attending the daycare facility.
Teaching them about how and when they should wash they hands, such as after touching one’s mouth or face, blowing one’s nose, coughing, sneezing or before eating, is a concept children can learn with gentle, repetitive guidance and patient instruction.
Vigilance must be taken with the toys that children play with because even though their outer surfaces may appear clean, they could still be havens for bacteria and dangerous pathogens.
In addition, when cleaning tables and chairs, which may be wiped down several times during the day, the germs gathering and partying underneath can easily and unknowingly be ignored.
While outdoor areas are exposed to the air and not as dangerous as indoor sections, there is still a pressing need to disinfect playgrounds, sports equipment, doorknobs and gates.
The focus here should be on metal or plastic surfaces.
Pittsburgh Summer Camps and the Need For Disinfection
This year, perhaps even more than any other that came before it, camp managers and owners will be strongly urged to invest in a comprehensive disinfection plan from our experts at Enviro-Master Pittsburgh, which will ensure that all spaces and surfaces inside the campgrounds remain consistently sanitized.
This trusted company will protect staff as well as campers, and their superior products align technology and ease of use with convenience.
Cleaning, disinfecting and other janitorial-related tasks for summer camps obviously do not have the same scope as other more traditional facilities such as offices, restaurants, stores etc.
Most of the time is spent outdoors, which thankfully limits the incidence of contagion.
Good personal hygiene is as important as a smart, well-structured cleaning routine.
Although the needs of each camp reopening should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, there are several standard approaches to disinfection that are recommended by the CDC for minimizing the risks of illness transmission.
They are listed below.
1. Camps should develop an effective plan that includes both personal and collective cleaning and disinfecting policies and schedules, as well as general information about all summer camp facilities, activities, shared supplies, and food service. A printed guide or booklet dispensed to every staff member and camper can help to maintain operations.
2. All shared facilities including restrooms and picnic areas, should be monitored and disinfected on a regularly scheduled basis.
3. Sports equipment, musical instruments and craft supplies should not be shared. If possible, campers should be encouraged to bring their own equipment and supplies.
4. When communal equipment is used, it should be disinfected only with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered disinfectants between uses (EPA List N).
5. No matter how often cleaning and disinfecting occurs, its frequency should be increased.
6. Encourage campers to prepare supplies ahead of time and travel without stopping directly to the campsite, avoiding particularly stops at grocery stores and gas stations.
In Conclusion
While ‘be prepared’ may be the motto of the Boy Scouts, it should also be the mantra of day care centers and summer camps entrusted with the care of our most precious commodities; namely, our children.
If you are the owner or manager of either a daycare facility or a summer camp, protect your reputation and your little guests with a company that shines above all others when it comes to cleaning and disinfection services.
Call Enviro-Master today. We’re here to help!