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The CM Guide to Cleaning Restrooms

A before (left) and after (right) photos of a cleaned bathroom!

If you have poor restroom management in your facility, studies have shown that you are losing out on recurring in person sales by more than 50%!

    People connect the idea that poor restroom management means poor cleanliness standards in the facility as a whole. So, if you rely on a recurring customer base, like most businesses do, you are leaving money on the table if you don’t have proper restroom management.

Prepare first by ensuring you have all of the supplies needed for the job. We need all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, disinfectant, trash bags, refills for all paper and soaps, and finally the tools for each part of the job.

     At CM Cleaning we have a primary focus on Avoiding Cross Contamination. We do this by color coordinating our equipment to the area they are assigned to.This way we are not using the same microfiber cloth on a toilet and an office desk.

     Pre-cleaning starts with dusting the entire area from top to bottom. From the air vents, to the wall partitions, light fixtures, dispensers and all corners.

    Then spray all surfaces with disinfectant. We want to allow for the necessary dwell time. So while that is doing it’s job, we will move onto the next step.

    We take off all large debris from the bathroom, especially around the urinals and toilets. Then we scrub all interiors of toilets, urinals, bowls, seats and drains. Replacing any urinal screens. Then wipe down all toilets and urinals including the seats and undersides.

Next, we apply the cleaner to all high touch point areas such as toilets, shower walls, urinals, sinks, dispensers, and door handles. For any tough stains that we find, or mineral deposits, we will use an acid bowl cleaner.

Then we clean the mirrors with glass cleaner and paper towel. Make sure to take your time so that you do not leave streaks behind.

Refill all dispensers, and remove all paper debris as well. Empty the trash cans, napkin holders, and sharps. Then disinfect all receptacles inside and out, and allow to air dry before adding the collective material.

For the walls, and the dividers in the stalls, our team first spot cleans any easily noticeable stains or marks. Then we apply cleaning solution from bottom to top with allowing for dwell time, and then wiping with a cloth.

Then for the mirrors or any glass areas we spray the glass cleaner and use the squeegee and/or paper towels to get a nice sparkling finish!

Then dry mop the entire floor surface, and toss the debris into the trash. Then remove all trash from any containers. Wipe down the inside of the receptacles as well!

Finally, we wet mop using the mop that is solely for restrooms to avoid cross contamination.

When it comes to the floor drains, we have to be incredibly careful. We do not recommend using any Sulfuric Acid based cleaner – especially if the building has a septic tank. But we do use an enzyme based drain opener in order to dissolve most of the gunk stuck in there.

Time for the final disinfectant. Remember how we sprayed everything but allowed for the dwell time? Now it is time to wipe it all down! Use a microfiber cloth to wipe all high touch areas first. Use different cloths for different areas to avoid cross contamination! Make sure to remove ALL chemicals from the high touch areas to avoid chemical burns! Now you have a pleasant restroom!

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The Right Guide to Hard Floor Care

At CM Cleaning, we know that floors get dirty over time. Your hard surface floors get scratched and dull through constant, consistent foot traffic and can cause your incredible professional space to lack the luster it deserves. To properly clean your hard surface floors follow this guide for periodic maintenance:

Practice Daily Floor care. This consists of daily vacuuming, dust mopping, and wet mopping with a proper ph cleaning solution. Doing this will keep your floors shiny between deep restorative cleanings.

Then we have Restorative Floor Care that is only done when your floor is noticeably dull, has scratches, or even dirt embedded in it. On a typical floor, with high traffic, this can take place every three to four months. On low traffic areas, you can get by with having this done just once a year. If the issues you see aren’t fixed with your daily cleaning routine, then it’s time to follow this procedure.

First, you dust mop the floor. Then you apply the stripping solution, and begin removing the top coat of the sealer. This will get rid of the embedded dirt and even out the finish. Finally, you will apply  light top coats to the area with a flat or string mop depending on the percentage of solids in the finish being used.

For Periodic Floor Care to maintain a glossy finish between daily and restorative cleanings, we recommend using a floor buffer to burnish the finish to renew the top coat of finish. After, make sure to clean any left over dust left by the burnisher, unless your machine has dust control. In which case, you can skip this last step.

You are done! Doing this once or twice a year as needed will keep your hard floors looking brand new!

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Are Your Cleaners Ready To Handle A Pandemic?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everyone scrambled to keep their families, customers, and community members safe and healthy. Very quickly, cleaning technicians became essential workers with some of the most important roles on the frontline of the deadly virus. But now with the ultimate responsibility, were cleaners in America ready? Since our inception, C.M. Cleaning Company has made continuous learning, training, and certification a priority. From building safety courses to cross contamination prevention, managers and cleaners at C.M. alike were confident and ready to do their part. After all, our client-focused cleaning programs have always been our primary focus in keeping our community safe and healthy. 

Classroom cleaning workers

Without proper training, one runs the risk of putting themselves or others in exposure to illness. This is why all our dedicated cleaning staff, full and part time, are trained in accordance with OSHA standard guidelines. This safety training is primarily done through quarterly interactive training courses which cover bloodborne pathogens, sexual harassment, personal protective equipment, and hazardous materials safety. Our comprehensive cleaning training program consists of both a customized presentation on C.M. Cleaning’s specific procedures relating to restroom cleaning, interior building cleaning, and equipment maintenance along with a 2-day hands on session with an Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) certified management staff or any of our special service technicians. 

Along with our baseline training program, the Global BioRisk Advisory Council (GBAC), provides C.M. Cleaning technicians certification and training on specifically how to handle disinfecting and sanitizing specific to COVID-19/Coronavirus. Through this training, all of our employees are professionals in properly cleaning and disinfecting areas that have been potentially exposed to COVID-19. Certifying our cleaners and technicians is crucial to maintaining a healthy workplace. Through this additional and COVID-specific training course, our clients will be able to trust the quality of C.M. Cleaning’s technicians, janitorial programs, and special services, bringing peace of mind to your facility and workforce. 

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Hand Sanitizer Damage To Hard Flooring

The ‘new normal’ that we have all adapted to amidst the fear of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic has shown the use of hand sanitizer at an all-time high. While hand sanitizer stations play a key role in workplace and school health safety, they do pose major problems to the appearance and protection of hard surface flooring!

Vinyl Composite Tile otherwise know as VCT, Faux Wood Flooring, and even some types of laminate flooring  have protective polymer finishes, often referred to as “wax”. This floor finish provides a glossy protective layer between the bare tile and everything that comes into contact with it. Hard flooring is porous in nature, so without proper finish dirt, bacteria, and allergens can seep in creating both a dirty appearance and a health risk.

So where does hand sanitizer come into play of the appearance of flooring? Alcohol based hand sanitizer can very easily fall or run off your hand landing onto the finish of the floor. This very quickly deteriorates the floors finish. While alcohol-based hand sanitizers are most effective, it is strongly recommended that you take precautions to avoid damage to flooring.

Dirty classroom floor

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

  • Sanitizer dispensers can be equipped with drip trays that catch any excess sanitizer coming out of the dispenser.
  • Switch from a liquid or gel sanitizer product to a foam style sanitizer which clings to hands and does not run off.
  • Setup all sanitizer stations over an area rug, mat, or carpet which will hide the sanitizer and not leave alcohol burn marks like what shows up on the floor finish.
Hand sanitizing station tips

By taking these 3 simple steps together we can all be healthier, prevent the spread of illness, and maintain the clean appearance of our facilities!

Tile floor mid cleaning

If your floor has already been damaged, give us a call to strip and re-apply 5 coats of 25% solids polymer finish to bring your floor back to new!

Call: (781) 828-2014 or visit: www.cmcleaning.com/contact to book today!

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Cleaning & Disinfection Requirements For Businesses To Reopen From COVID-19

At this time many businesses are beginning to reopen, and others are increasing staffing and personnel. C.M. Cleaning wants to help all businesses owners and directors with regard to some of the new workplace safety standards that the Department of Public Health mandates for all businesses moving forward. To make this easier for you we have developed our 3 step program to ensure the safety of your workplace.

We understand the requirements for the “new normal” of cleaning and disinfecting can be difficult to navigate. C.M. Cleaning has this aspect of the DPH’s mandates covered in 3 straight-forward steps.

Safe Workplace

If you’d like to learn more about our electrostatic disinfect spraying services, please follow the link below to our informative video:
https://youtu.be/6pJJjbcKCdo

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Complete Building Disinfect Spraying With Clorox Total 360 Disinfectant System

Wintertime brings snow sports, holidays, and plenty of family time. However it also brings with it elevated concern for the spread of illness during flu season.  It seems no matter which way you look, there is a friend, child, or coworker coming down with a cold, flu, strep throat, or even pneumonia. Beyond these “normal” seasonal illnesses, in 2020 we now on alert due to the spread of Corona Virus.

With such a variety of illnesses, germs, and bacteria to worry about, what steps can be taken to ensure you stay healthy this winter? Besides the obvious handwashing, covering your cough or sneeze with your elbow and practicing good nutrition, there may be more you can be doing! In crowded environments such as schools, hospitals, gyms or your workplace, it is paramount that you talk with your janitorial service provider to see what additional services they offer as proactive measures to reduce the spread of germs and bacteria.

                C.M. Cleaning Company’s answer is the new state-of-the-art Clorox 360 Total Disinfectant System. This machine combines the disinfecting power of Clorox cleaning agents with electrostatic spraying technology making virtually any surface in your facility able to be disinfected. This machine emits an electrostatically charged mist, that immediately clings to any surface it is aimed at. This greatly reduces the amount of airborne chemical, and ensures that whatever surface is sprayed, is completely disinfected.

The Clorox 360 Treatment will:

– Kill 99.9% of all bacteria on these items

– Kill 44 potential organisms including cold and flu viruses, MRSA, Staph, Coronavirus, and norovirus

– Eliminate odors (especially in any bathrooms)

– Inhibit the growth of mold and mildew

The Clorox Total 360 disinfecting cleaning agent is NOT a bleach, so it is safe on colored materials and fabric and is EPA registered to kill 19 illness-causing organisms in 2 minutes or less. This one-step, “no-wipe” disinfectant is safe to spray on virtually any surface. From keyboards to telephones, door handles to cafeteria tables and countertops, Clorox Total 360 disinfects them all! This winter allow C.M. Cleaning to give you confidence and peace of mind!

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Ensuring Chemical Safety

In early November 2019 in Burlington, MA, a Buffalo Wild Wings employee accidentally mixed an acid-based cleaner with bleach when cleaning their kitchen floors. This caused for toxic fumes to generate and fill the air, resulting in one fatality and up to 13 injuries to other customers and workers. This tragic occurrence should be viewed by all members of the janitorial industry as an example as to why proper chemical use training is vitally important. Mixing unknown chemicals can be extremely dangerous and should always be avoided.

At C.M. Cleaning, we spend ample time educating our staff of the dangers of mixing unknown chemicals. Using chemicals with appropriate dilution, labeling, and instruction is key to a safe workplace. We work hard at being knowledgeable of our cleaning chemicals, ensuring our dispensing equipment is in working order, and that our bottles and storage our properly labeled. When it comes to chemical use, safety is top priority! For your own personal health and safety, please see the helpful tips below

  1. Never mix any cleaning products. Even if a chemical mixture does not give off fumes, it can still be dangerous. Once used, some cleaning products can leave behind residue or low quantities of liquid that may be harmful to the skin. Without the proper training, one may not know that combining seemingly harmless cleaning products can still be dangerous.
  • Bleach and mixed products. Mixing bleach with any product can lead to the generation of toxic chlorine gas which may result in a variety of respiratory illnesses or even death. It is crucial to take an incident where bleach is mixed with cleaning products very seriously.
  • If chemicals are mixed, here are the next steps to take.
  • At first sign of a gaseous substance or respiratory distress, immediately evacuate the area and move to a well-ventilated area, preferably the outdoors. Do not attempt to clean up the mixture yourself.
  • If you have inhaled any amount of gas or suspect that you have, call 911 and seek immediate medical attention. If you have not inhaled any gas, call poison control and have all relevant Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) ready and available.
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How To Keep Restrooms Graffiti Free

It’s not uncommon for custodial employees to walk into a restroom stall, clean the essentials, mop the floor and then move on to the next one. This type of cleaning covers the bare minimum but there is more that a cleaner with the right eye and training can do. One example of something that may be left behind is drawings on the stall doors and walls, known as graffiti. If you are training and pushing your staff to clean the right way, they should look at a stall from the user’s  perspective which would lead them to notice graffiti on the walls. This is done by going completely inside and closing the door behind them to get the view the customer or user sees.

Graffiti becomes a very common thing in the restrooms, especially at schools and accumulates quickly if not taken care of. Graffiti on the wall promotes more graffiti and most of it tends to be offensive. When the employees at C.M. Cleaning are trained (especially in school environments) we take careful measures to ensure that inspections of restrooms are done and the cleaners are being thorough to prevent graffiti from getting out of control. Taking these measures allows us to stay ahead of the graffiti and have the bathroom looking good.

We also use red microfiber towels in all our bathrooms to clean away the graffiti because if you use abrasive materials it can damage the painted surfaces. By using these cloths and a general-purpose cleaner or graffiti remover which all employees have, it allows the removal of any graffiti to be near effortless.

At C.M. Cleaning we push our employees to go above and beyond to make sure everything, including the bathroom stalls, are cleaned to their fullest to leave the customer happy and the bathroom graffiti free.

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The Easy Difference Between Disinfect, Sanitize, and Sterilize!

The want and need for sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces has drastically increased in recent years in order to take proactive measures to keep yourself and your workforce healthy. However it is important to know the differences in the processes and chemicals for each procedure.

Not sure where to start? That’s where C.M. Cleaning and our trained staff can help! When thinking of preventing illness from a cleaning standpoint, often words that come to mind are “disinfect” and “sanitize”. The issue is that these words are often used interchangeably. While they do have similarities, they are used for different applications.

  • Sanitization: Significantly reduces the overall parthenogenic microbes and bacteria on a surface, thus reducing the chances of getting sick.
  • Disinfection: Almost completely reduces the parthenogenic microbes and bacteria on a surface. Disinfectants require dwell time to be effective against the microbes they advertise to eliminate and for this reason are more effective than sanitizers.
  • Sterilization: The process of decontamination by utilizing a combination of chemical application, heat, and/or pressure to eliminate any and all parthenogenic microbes and bacteria on a surface.

Disinfection, sanitization, and sterilization are all processes of decontamination, however, they differ in application and effect. Sanitizers reduce the overall number of parthenogenic microbes (the microorganisms that make us sick), on an inanimate or living surface. Sanitizers have a more broad and immediate use against a wide range of microbes to reduce the overall number of microbes on a surface, thus reducing the chances of illness.

A disinfectant has a stronger effect than a sanitizer on certain parthenogenic microbes. Disinfectants normally have a more focused and specific use against certain bacteria, viruses, and disease. Disinfectants also require a “dwell time” to be effective, meaning they must remain on an inanimate surface for a certain period of time to be effective against the advertised microbe(s). Additionally, Disinfectant are effective on inanimate surfaces. However, many disinfectants are weakened by organic matter such as living tissue, or feces. To summarize, disinfectants can be stronger than sanitizers, but require a more specific and meticulous application to be effective.

Steps to cleaning
Let’s separate Disinfecting, Sanitizing, and Sterilizing the easy way!

Finally, Sterilization utilizes chemical application to decontaminate, but additionally incorporates heat and/or pressure to completely eliminate any and all parthenogenic microbes. For example, here at C.M. Cleaning we offer “Roto-Vac” service for ceramic tile, a flooring product often used in bathrooms. This process sterilizes a restroom floor by using a combination of chemical (with dwell time), as well as water heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and dispensed onto the floor at 900 PSI. the water is then extracted from the floor simultaneously, leaving the floor completely clean and sanitized.

If your place of business is in need of proactive measures this cold & flu season, call the professionals at C.M. Cleaning Company to tailor a solution to your specific needs!

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Benefits of Ultrasonic Cleaning

C.M. Cleaning is excited to introduce Ultrasonic Cleaning to our wide variety of janitorial solutions! This cleaning process is a system with which sound waves are applied to a tub of water and mild cleaning solution. Ultrasonic cleaning machines are designed to clean a range of objects. From jewelry to window blinds, golf clubs and children’s toys, ultrasonic cleaning is equally effective on items both large and small. This machine uses Prowave digital generators to vibrate metal plates at a frequency of 25 to 40 kHz to create millions of tiny bubbles. This process is called cavitation. The machine then creates targeted pressure on dirty and

contaminated areas of an object to power clean with unique precision, breaking up soot, grime, grease, and dirt without tedious hand wiping or use of harsh chemicals. The ultrasonic process successfully cleans small spaces and crevices, meaning that some machine parts or objects that would normally have to be dissembled before being cleaned, may not have to! The sound waves that are created can penetrate even the smallest groove, crevice and detail of an object and gently lift away any contaminants. Studies on the ultrasonic cleaning process have even demonstrated that as few as three minutes of ultrasonic exposure removed more than 99.9% of blood on contaminated medical instruments. Ultrasonic cleaners aim increase cleaning efficiency, as they can access those hard to reach placed with ease. So, whether it is window blinds, ceiling vents, machinery parts, or toys from your daycare center, ultrasonic cleaning will bring it’s appearance back to new!

Ultrasonic cleaning service