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Clean Buildings Conference
I once read that it took eight weeks of doing something for it to become a habit. Well, it's been over four months since the general media started heavily pushing for proper handwashing and cleaning and disinfecting to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Do you think it's a habit yet, or was the focus on the importance of cleaning a flash in the pan for the general public?
At the height of the pandemic, soaps, hand sanitizers and disinfecting products were depleted in stores across the country. Both at home and in offices, people acted as though nothing short of constant cleaning and disinfecting would protect them from the coronavirus.
But as Americans get antsy to return to "normal," they've been lax in their safety measures. We've seen people crowd beaches and forgo masks. One can only assume they've also relaxed their hand hygiene and cleaning measures. Now, an increasing number of facilities are opening back up, welcoming workers and customers, along with their germs.
Although there are reopening recommendations for proper cleaning and disinfecting, not all end users will follow them. Add to that, not all facility executives will pay for the increased product usage or the new recommended frequencies. This is a terrible combination as we still aren't out of the woods with coronavirus and are heading into flu season.
End users will likely be leaning on their distribution partners for a deal or two. But it's advice, guidance and training that will be what end users need the most from jan/san distributors.
New equipment, chemicals, cleaning procedures and frequencies should all be changing as occupants return to facilities. Not only will end users need guidance on product selection and staff training, they might also need your help convincing management that it's worth the added price.
Distributors ready to go that extra mile to show the return on investment for proper infection control will set themselves apart from the pack. If you're lucky, the building occupants created strong habits while safely working from home and their demands for cleaning mirror your recommendations.