Manual Cleaning & UVC Disinfection: How to Maximize Both

UVC Disinfection in Addition to Manual Cleaning

Disinfection in addition to traditional cleaning methods is the best way to help ensure a cleaner, safer environment. While manual cleaning is the predominant method, research published in the American Journal of Infection Control shows that as many as 50% of surfaces remain contaminated with pathogens, including MRSA, despite regular manual cleaning efforts. Ultraviolet-C (UVC) disinfection is one type of no-touch technology shown to be a successful addition to manual cleaning. According to the FDA, UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air and nonporous surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria and harmful pathogens.

UVC technology deploys UV light to penetrate the cell walls of spores, bacteria and viruses and render them unable to replicate. This renders harmful pathogens unable to reproduce and spread after treatment with UVC energy. The right UVC system can measure, record and report the required UVC dosage delivered to targeted areas of a room and help to prevent harmful pathogens from spreading. When bundled with manual cleaning and disinfection protocols, UVC technology significantly helps to reduce the presence of harmful pathogens.

How to Choose the Right UVC System

Select a UVC partner that will evaluate your hospital to recommend the solutions that will provide measurable efficacy. UVC disinfection should be a key component of your Infection Prevention (IP) plan which means your UVC provider should be your partner in ensuring efficacy. Instead of relying on staff to evaluate efficacy before and after cleaning, your UVC partner should offer actual proof of compliance back to your IP team. UVC devices should have the ability to let the operator know which targeted areas in a treatment space are receiving direct UVC light to effectively reduce harmful pathogens. The best UVC solution measures actual UVC dosage delivered using multiple sensors in targeted areas vs. estimated time-based systems that only rely on length of exposure and do not prove enough UVC energy was delivered to the targeted areas . This is a critical difference when trying to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens.