Tech Talk - Cost Savings with microfiber

by Candi Bezte, Norwex Science & Technical Advisor

North Americans may finally be catching on!

We've all known about the amazing benefits of microfiber cleaning for awhile - hospitals in Sweden and Finland have been using our products, or products very similar to ours for over a decade, yet, North Americans always seem to feel the need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to many environmental innovations.

This spring, the following article appeared in the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society Journal (volume 29, Issue 3, author Shelagh Damas) "Fighting Costs and Bacteria with Microfibre Cleaning." The article discussed how in the past "couple" of years a number of hospital facilities have switched to microfiber cleaning methods with the following results: The University of California Davis Medical Centre found a 60% decrease in lifetime cost savings for mops, a 95% reduction in chemical costs associated with mopping, and a 20% decrease in labour costs when they switched to a microfiber mopping system; Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC found significant savings in energy; The University of Massachusetts Sustainable Hospital Project noted decreased water, sewer, and chemical costs and found that the microfiber mops lasted 10 times longer than their traditional loop mops; and even more importantly, St. Jerome Hospital in Quebec was able to control their previously high levels of Clostridium difficile. Eight weeks after changing to microfiber cleaning methods, the number of infections dropped from 39 to 6, and over a year there was a 76% decrease in C. difficile infections in this facility.

The problem with C. difficile is that it forms resistant spores and so is difficult to kill - of course - WE know that removing is always the way to go ... and the microfiber was simply able to remove the spores from the surface, thereby dramatically reducing infection rates

Tech Talk - Biofilms Are Everywhere

 

by Candi Bezte, Norwex Science & Technical Advisor

BIOFILMS ARE EVERYWHERE

Bacteria are often thought of as solitary organisms, but in nature, the majority of microorganisms actually live together in larger numbers attached to a surface that is referred to as a “biofilm”.

A mature biofilm can be quite complex - have layers, clumps and ridges or microcolonies can be arranged into stalks or mushroom-like formations. The organisms in a biofilm may be a single species or there may be a diverse group of microbes distributed in various regions of the biofilm. Surrounding them is a matrix made up of sugars, DNA, and proteins, which are often (scientifically) referred to as slime – this helps them adhere to the surface and also offers protection from environmental stressors.

Dental plaque is a biofilm on our teeth (Norwex has the Silvercare Toothbrush). Biofilm on our fruits and vegetables can be effectively removed with Norwex Fresh Wash. Simply soak in a dilution of 5 sprays/cup for a couple of minutes, and for maximum benefit, follow with a wipe of a microfiber cloth (TIP - choose one colour from the Antibac Kitchen Pack for this purpose).