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Many experts have warned of a potential severe flu season now that children are back in school, employees have returned to the office and more people are traveling for the holidays. To help reduce the spread of germs, Cintas Corporation is offering tips for promoting healthy hand hygiene and maintaining a clean workplace during National Handwashing Awareness Week — currently underway from Dec. 5-11.

“Businesses must remain vigilant to promote healthy hand hygiene and keep their facilities clean to help prevent outbreaks,” says John Engel, Director of Marketing, Cintas. “Making hand hygiene product readily available and implementing a coordinated cleaning program can help reduce the spread of germs.”

Cintas offers the following tips:

• Promote Healthy Hand Hygiene: Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others. Place signage in restroom and kitchen areas regarding the importance of handwashing and encourage patrons to wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Offer hand sanitizer throughout the facility at entrances, restrooms, common areas and cafeterias. Choose hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol, and avoid sanitizers on the FDA’s “bad sanitizer” list.

• Keep Supplies Stocked: Ensure your facility is stocked with an ample amount of hand hygiene products, toilet tissue, trash bags, cleaning chemicals and microfiber cleaning tools to keep up with the increased amount of cleaning required. Provide disposable wipes and encourage employees to clean their workspaces and cell phones regularly.

• Clean and Disinfect High-Touchpoint Surfaces Often: Assign staff to clean common touchpoints such as door handles, elevator buttons, light switches, phones and stair rails at least once per day or as often as determined necessary[6]. Additionally, consider a disinfectant spray service where a professional technician applies a disinfectant that kills germs, bacteria and viruses on common surfaces and touchpoints.

• Deep Clean Restrooms: Professional deep cleaning on a routine basis using high-pressure removes build-up, soil and bacteria that daily cleaning can’t reach. It also helps prevent cross-contamination and odor-causing bacteria.

For more, check out these additional handwashing tips from the CDC.