The Importance of Hand Hygiene for Businesses
How to Prioritize Hand Hygiene for Customers
According to Worksafe Iowa, about 80% of infectious diseases are transmitted by unclean hands touching contaminated surfaces. In any establishment, it is essential to provide a clean and safe environment for customers, including maintaining clean and hygienic surfaces. In a post-Covid world, customers are warier than ever of unsanitized tables, door handles, and bathrooms. There is a strong preference to minimize contact with all surfaces in general. Thankfully, there are options for ensuring customers only interact with clean surfaces.
1. Installation of Antimicrobial Surfaces in Restrooms
Antimicrobial material can be installed on commonly used surfaces in restrooms. Antimicrobial surfaces, such as Sherwin Williams SuperPaint, can stop microorganisms such as Staph and E.Coli.
One such application is the toilet seat. New companies such as Cleana have developed commercial toilet seats with antimicrobial handles. The Cleana self-lifting toilet seat uses this technology on its commercial toilet seat handle, providing a sanitary and ergonomic way to lift the toilet seat.
2. Cleaned and Labeled Surfaces
First, signs can be attached to commonly used surfaces, such as tables and doors, reporting how often those surfaces are cleaned and sanitized. Letting customers know of your commitment to cleanliness improves your guest experience and builds your brand. Research conducted by Harrison Wipes, found that 75% of customers would “feel more comfortable and confident that COVID-19 prevention measures were being enforced if they could see visible evidence of cleaning happening.”
3. Fully Stocked Restrooms
Everybody has been in a dirty bathroom that has not been cleaned in a long time. Things such as empty paper towel dispensers, no soap, and grimy sinks that barely work, indicate a restroom that has been poorly kept. This kind of restroom signals to the customer that the business does not care about the guest experience, tarnishing the brand image and reducing the odds of repeat business. Worst of all, this increases the chances that a patron leaves the bathroom without washing their hands. Business owners can combat this by restocking the restroom regularly, frequently checking restrooms for cleanliness, and providing an easy feedback system for users. Some forward-thinking establishments have a QR code that guests can scan on their phones to report a lack of restroom supplies easily.
4. Easy Access to Hand Sanitizer
In this day and age, hand sanitizer is essential. It is expected by customers across all industries to have hand sanitizer regularly available throughout the establishment. This expectation has two effects. First, it prevents the spread of germs throughout the establishment. Second, it proves to the customer that the establishment cares about guest services and guest safety. Don’t be caught without hand sanitizer.
- May 23, 2022
- 1:10 pm