CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) promotes restroom cleanliness during the holidays to help keep shoppers healthy. Here are eight common misconceptions about restroom cleanliness and hygiene.
|
1. |
It doesn’t matter how long I wash my hands as long as I use soap – False |
|
|
Evidence suggests you should scrub your hands with soap for a minimum of 15-30 seconds to effectively remove germs. However, many other countries and global organizations have adopted recommendations to wash hands for 20 secondsi |
||
|
2. |
Hand sanitizers can replace washing your hands with soap and water – False |
|
|
Washing hands with soap and water is the best and most effective way to reduce the number of microbes and germs on hands. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, they are not as effective as soap and water when it comes to removing and inactivating gastrointestinal illness-causing germs such as Cryptosporidium, norovirus and Clostridium difficileii. |
||
|
3. |
The hotter the water used for handwashing, the better – False |
|
|
Studies show that water temperature does not affect microbe removal. In fact, there is no research to prove that higher temperatures improve handwashing at alliii. |
||
|
4. |
You don’t have to dry your hands after washing them – False |
|
|
Studies show that germs can be transferred more easily to and from wet handsiv. |
||
|
5. |
Hand dryers are more hygienic than paper towels – False |
|
|
Research shows that paper towels can help remove bacteria, unlike air dryers which can increase bacteria counts. Paper towels are also less likely to contaminate other restroom users as air dryers have also been shown to spread bacteria between three and six feet from the device, increasing the chances of cross contaminationv. |
||
|
6. |
Hand dryers work faster – False |
|
|
Studies indicate it takes approximately 10 seconds to dry hands using a paper towel while air dryers require 40 seconds to achieve similar drynessvi. |
||
|
7. |
I need to squat, hover or use a seat protector to stay safe from germs – False. |
|
| Contrary to popular belief, toilet seats are one of the most often cleaned parts of a restroom. | ||
|
8. |
The stall furthest from the restroom door is the least used and therefore the cleanest – False |
|
|
People tend to skip the first stall in favor of stalls farther back to have a little more privacy. Because the first stall is used least often, it’s most likely the cleanestvii. |
||
Even if customers practice proper hand hygiene, it’s important for facilities to plan for additional cleaning and disinfection during winter months to keep restrooms clean.
For more information about Cintas’ solutions for facilities, please visit http://www.cintas.com/facilityservices/.
About Cintas Corporation
Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get READY™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing a wide range of products and services that enhance our customers’ image and help keep their facilities and employees clean, safe and looking their best. With products and services including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguishers and testing, and safety and compliance training, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.
i https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-handwashing.html
ii
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
iii
http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/abs/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-370?journalCode=food&code=fopr-site
iv
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/
v
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/
vi
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/
vii
https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-society/which-bathroom-stall-typically-cleanest
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171215005113/en/
