Diversey Europe Operations B.V recently published a study to demonstrate the importance of floor disinfection in reducing risks associated with floor hygiene.

The authors of the study suggest that commercial facilities wanting the best hygiene outcomes and using manual floor mopping as part of their facility hygiene program should consider the use of biocidal floor products with either launderable or disposable flat mops and avoid the use of cotton string mops and neutral cleaners.

Built on Diversey’s prior research into floor hygiene to study the differences in hygiene outcomes associated with the choice of mopping materials when manually cleaning, sanitising, or disinfecting a floor; the peer reviewed Li et. al study published in the InfectionControl.tips journal investigated the removal of Staphylococcus aureus from a floor when inoculated, and how the selection of floor cleaner or disinfectant and the choice of floor mop impacted the hygiene outcome, which resulted in statistically significant differences.

The study further found that mopping with a neutral cleaner was inferior to using a biocidal product and using a traditional string mop was inferior to using launderable or disposable flat mops.

The authors of the study found that the use of launderable and disposable flat mops significantly reduced the level of bacteria that were cross-contaminated when compared to the cotton string mop, regardless of product used, demonstrating that mopping substrate may also play some role in the level of cross-contamination that can occur through manual floor mopping.

Floors are the largest surface routinely cleaned in commercial facilities, and are typically contaminated with higher levels of bacteria than surfaces that receive routine hand contact. Studies in healthcare have shown the potential for bacteria on the floor to migrate to surfaces where hand contact frequently occurs, suggesting floor hygiene may play a role in infection risk.

When cleaning/disinfecting the floor in a commercial facility, the facility staff may choose between using a floor cleaning machine or manual mopping methods. When manually mopping a floor, the facility staff may choose between traditional cotton string mops or flat mops with either launderable or disposable pads. Additionally the facility would select either a cleaner or a cleaner/disinfectant to use with the floor mop.

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