Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
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New Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odour Remover safely deals with body fluids
Stains and odors are a distraction for people everywhere, but odours from bio accidents like faeces and vomit actually make them concerned for their health & safety, tarnishing the reputations of commercial facilities more easily than other common messes, according to a new survey from Clorox Professional Products.
To help facilities address these tough messes, the manufacturer has developed Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odour Remover, an innovative one-step product that cleans, disinfects and deodorises surfaces and can be used for accidents involving the toughest bio soils such as blood, faeces, vomit and urine on both hard and soft surfaces.
"In addition to leaving behind unsightly stains and odours, bio soils may also contain harmful microorganisms that cause illness and disease that can spread infections throughout a facility if they are not properly cleaned and disinfected," warns Lynda Lurie, the company's director of marketing. "We know cleaning professionals need to clean up such messes quickly, and rather than use multiple single-benefit products, Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odor Remover is a single EPA-registered product that reduces the number of products needed to just one."
The product is ideal for use in high-traffic locations such as schools, offices, athletic facilities, restaurants and bars, hotels, veterinary and pet care facilities, healthcare and long-term care facilities, and other public areas.
Almost 50% of cleaning professionals experience spills of blood or faeces every day. Bio messes like blood, faeces and vomit can contain a variety of pathogens, and as people move throughout the environment, they interact with different surfaces and move germs from surface to surface. The impact can be tremendous and not just on public health, but on reputation, as well.
It comes as no surprise that people are most offended by the odour and mess of bio soils like faeces (56% and 76%) and vomit (44% and 72%), more so than garbage (30% and 32%) and food odours and messes (3% and 5%). But the impact of odours and messes extends beyond dislike and can impact facility reputation, business results and drive complaints to management and facility maintenance. In fact, survey results indicate that:
When exposed to certain bad odours, consumers feel concerned for their health & safety. When entering a room that smells like faeces (31%) or vomit (32%), a third of consumers would be concerned for the health & safety of themselves and others. One-in-five (22%) would feel concerned for health & safety when entering a room that smells of urine.
To most, bad smells are stronger indicators of cleanliness than stains. Most consumers (62%) say they are very sensitive to smells, both good and bad, but are much more likely to notice a smell if it is bad (72%) than good (28%). In particular, if entering a space that smelled of feces or vomit, consumers would:
* Think the facility is unclean (38% and 37%)
* Have a negative view of the facility (36% and 28%)
* Think the facility does not value cleanliness (24% and 28%)
* Never return to the space or facility (20% and 15%)
The impact is even greater depending on the type of facility. Most consumers believe that odour is the strongest indicator of cleanliness in hotels (61%) and long-term care facilities (67%), while half believe it is the strongest indicator of cleanliness of schools (49%) and offices (54%).
Consumers generally have low tolerance for bad smells and messes in commercial facilities, are vocal about their concerns, and expect staff and management to address them immediately.
Three quarters of consumers (76%) think facilities should clean up smells and stains related to urine, faeces, vomit and blood immediately, and 17% would want them cleaned up within five minutes.
If confronted with a bad odour:
* In an office setting, almost three quarters (70%) would complain to management
* At their child's school, six-in-10 parents (60%) would complain to a teacher (61%), principal (59%) or facility manager (59%)
* In a hotel, 74% would complain to hotel staff
* In a long-term care facility, a majority would complain to administrative staff (78%) or a nurse (62%)
Clorox Disinfecting Bio Stain & Odour Remover delivers strong cleaning performance and broad surface compatibility. Its scientific formulation harnesses the stain-lifting power of surfactants to break down bio soils and eliminate stains and odours better than enzymes and kill pathogens in as little as 30 seconds. It is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered to kill 19 microorganisms commonly found in bio messes like blood, faeces and vomit, including HIV-1, herpes simplex virus, influenza A virus, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses, norovirus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and more.
The versatile, low-pH formula can be used on a wide variety of hard and soft surfaces and materials including floors, common plastics, tile, glazed porcelain, ceramic and enamel, grout, fabrics, upholstery, mattresses, carpet and more. It kills 99.9% of bacteria and is compliant with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens standard.
The product has been nominated for the 2018 ISSA Innovation Award, which recognises the year's most innovative products and services that drive the cleaning industry forward. Industry professionals can vote for the product in the 'Cleaning Agent' category online until 15th October and the winners will be announced at the ISSA Show North America 2018.
4th October 2018