Disinfection is a vital step in ensuring the cleanliness and safety of animal care facilities, especially in regard to floors and surfaces. The majority of the time, animal care professionals use incorrect chemicals and inadequate procedures for proper facility sanitation. It is essential to have proper programs in place designed to protect pets under your care, to protect your facility from damage, and to care for the safety of your employees. So, how do you properly clean and sanitize animal care facilities?
Go Over Your Procedure
Start by giving your facility’s cleaning and disinfection procedures a fresh look. Do they exist in writing? If so, are they hidden in a drawer or posted where personnel may see them? Consider more frequent assessments of the techniques used if personnel only receive initial training on cleaning and disinfection.
Proper Use of Supplies and Equipment
It’s important to remember that cleaning is 90% of the battle of disease control. Therefore you must use products proven to be exceptional cleaners. This one single step alone is the most important aspect of a healthy sanitation program. Next, when using cleaning and disinfecting products, carefully read the labels to verify proper dilutions are being used for adequate disinfection. Many professionals get confused between “sanitation dilutions” and “disinfection dilutions.” Sanitation kills 99.9% of microbes (a 3-log kill), whereas disinfection kills up to 99.9999% of microbes (a 6-log kill). In the world of disease control, that’s a significant difference. You want to be sure you are using products at proper “disinfection dilutions.” Also, be wary of products outside of neutral pH ranges. Low and high pH products can be damaging to your facility and harmful to employees and pets under their care. Try to use products as close to pH neutral as possible (pH near 7.0). And always adhere to labeling guidelines - i.e., don’t use more product than is necessary either for the intended job - more isn’t better, it’s just wasteful!
Clean out buckets and mops after using liquid cleaners. Wipes should be discarded as soon as you are finished with them. Make sure the lids on all of your facility garbage cans and bags are always fastened. Close and lock the doors to the cabinets, closets, and rooms where you keep your cleaning supplies, tools, and medications (if you are a veterinary facility).
What Products To Use
Alpha Tech Pet products are made to assist as you clean and sanitize your facility's surfaces and rooms. We offer a wide variety of products, including KennelSol® Disinfectant, Stericide Liquid Surface Sterilizer, OdorPet® stain & odor remover (to make cleaning easier), Alpha Bio-Drain (to help maintain your drains), ozone generators, electrostatic sprayers, and portable cleaning systems and washers. With our extensive knowledge of cleaning supplies and protocols (and over 30-years of industry experience), your facility will be able to continue doing what it does best: maintaining the health and safety of the cherished pets under your care. Visit our Veterinary Disinfectants and Sanitizers page to see a list of the best products to keep your facility clean and safe!
For more information on your facility sanitation, you can take our Alpha Tech Pet Sanitation Assessment at https://www.alphatechpet.com/sanitationassessmenttool.aspx or call our knowledgable staff at (800) 222-5537