Sanitizing vs Disinfecting- Do You Know The Difference?

 The desks in your office. The lunchroom tables.  The bathroom. 

What product is safe to use to get rid of the germs?!

To sanitize means to make clean and hygienic. You are reducing microorganisms to a safe level. Sanitizers work quickly- reducing contamination by up to 99.9% in 30 seconds. The food industry most often uses sanitizing procedures. After using sanitizers, surfaces are safe for food contact (after the surface has air dried.)

Disinfectants are different. Disinfectants destroy infectious fungi and bacteria on hard surfaces. This takes some time, treated areas must stay wet for 10 minutes.  AND disinfectants do not recognize the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria- It will destroy it all. That’s a problem for us- There are millions of good bacteria swimming inside us all that we need to stay healthy.  If you use a disinfectant in a ‘food contact’ area, the treated surface must be rinsed well before reuse. 

Disinfectants are best for public areas, locker rooms and restrooms.

As with any chemical- Always follow the manufacturer’s directions on the bottle and have the SDS handy in case of emergencies. 

Call AMS today with any questions! 815-547-7952

Do your hand cleaner dispensers kill bacteria? Ours do!

BioCote® silver ion technology has been incorporated into the new Deb Proline Curve foam hand soap dispensers. BioCote® reduces microbes, including bacteria, mold and fungi on the surface of the dispensers in as little as 2 hours!
BioCote technology maintains its antimicrobial performance for the lifetime of the dispenser; it will not wear off, wash off or leach out.
Fill your Deb Proline dispenser with Refresh™ Azure Foam Hand Wash from AMS! It has a fresh fragrance and contains skin conditioners to improve skin hydration and prevent drying.
Call AMS Advanced Maintenance Service today! 815-547-7952

The Ice Melt Residue Problem

You see it everywhere this time of year- that white residue tracked in at all entryways. It’s a nuisance on carpets and hard floors. This is essentially a hard water/scale residue brought on by ice melters- like what you would see in restrooms. This does not mean you would use a bowl cleaner on your floors- PLEASE do not do this. There are cleaners made specifically to handle this problem without ruining your floors!

A good neutral cleaner will be safe for floor finishes and can also remove the ice melt residue without streaks. We like Double DutyNeutral Floor Cleaner. It’s economical, and it does a great job cleaning everyday traffic on floors without removing the finish. 

If you have a major ice melt tracking problem and it also involves carpeting, we recommend Concept “915”. It easily wipes out the white crust on hard floors and on carpeted areas.

Preventative Measures:

1.       Although Ice melt is a must, you can minimize tracking by trying to keep walkways clear of ice and snow.

2.       Entrance matting. Entrance matting. Entrance matting- 10-15 feet is ideal. You want to get as much ice melt off feet before they hit your floors. This also minimizes slip and fall hazards!

To rent or not to rent, that is the question. Purchasing Mats vs. Renting Mats

You may think renting mats is cheaper and more convenient than owning High Performance mats. Think again.
The ‘one size fits all’ mentality. 

Most rental programs offer only 1 type of mat in a few different sizes. This often requires more mats to be used which can cause safety issues and incur more rental charges. When purchasing mats, you can choose the correct mat for the application (scrapers, anti-fatigue, anti-slip, etc). You also get to choose the exact size and color to enhance your building’s décor.

Keeping mats clean and looking their best.  Caring for your mats is easier than you think, especially if you have a cleaning company like AMS (sorry, had to plug). Most mats only need regular vacuuming and maybe the occasional spot cleaning. I guess you could pay a rental company to do that and just hope you don’t get mats that were used here:

Stop dirt and moisture in their tracks. Up to 70% of dust and dirt in an office building is tracked in on people's shoes. In 5 days, just 1 square yard of carpet can accumulate 1 POUND of dirt- even more in bad weather! The nylon fibers of a rental mat can crush and allow dirt and water to be tracked into your building. High Performance matting has a permanent bi-level face to help eliminate crushing. They also have a water dam border to contain the moisture.

Ending never-ending charges. Mats rented long term are very expensive. A good, High Performance mat will last you 5-10 years with little attention. At an average of $.20 per square foot per week, a single 3x5 mat will cost you $780 over a 5-year period. Purchasing a 3x5 High Performance mat costs you around $100…and could very well last longer than 5 years!

When you purchase your matting, you can color coordinate to compliment your building. You can also be sure to have the correct sizes and styles to best suit your traffic patterns. You’ll have improved safety and better performance… and no recurring rental costs! Call AMS for High Performance mats today!