Hygiene has thrust itself from an expectation in society to being the very basis of nearly every movement in the accommodation industry. As a result, hotels have spared no expense in revolutionising their cleanliness regime with new products, protocols, technology and greater levels of visibility for guests.
The pandemic has also turned the spotlight onto cleaning products, whether these be liquid, vapour or any other form, with greater scrutiny being applied to both the chemical effectiveness but also the expedience between performing a thoroughly deep clean to being able to reopen and welcome guests once more.
While many claim to ‘kill’ or ‘stop’ COVID-19 dead in its tracks, there are some quick checks that can be carried out to ensure your disinfectant product can properly disinfect your guest-facing surfaces.
According to Callington, manufacturers of Netbiokem DSAM – a commercial grade disinfectant cleaner used widely for many years by airlines to disinfect aircraft cabins – there are a lot of disinfectants in the market claiming to be more than they actually are. Group Marketing Manager, Ivan Zrilic, says that while the cleaning and hygiene game in hotels and hospitality businesses is “a step up” compared to other industries, due diligence should be maintained to ensure their disinfectant agent of choice has been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This is especially important when many are making bold claims to parlay off the increasingly tense and stressful trading environment.
“The TGA is the governing body that determines [that] if you want to make a claim that [a disinfectant] kills COVID-19, you must undertake a rigorous process of testing. This is to ensure that your products meets their strict requirements. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
Another key consideration is local supply. Zrilic said many of the large hotel chains already have global agreements in place for chemical and disinfectant supply. However, all too frequently there are cases where these disinfectants are not available locally, nor do they meet the local regulatory requirements to make the bold COVID-19 claims. Netbiokem DSAM is 100% Australian owned and formulated.
The hotel industry would be well served, according to Zrilic, to follow the lead of the airline industry, which has invested heavily in public service campaigns and messaging to reassure passengers of the hygiene standards on board.
“Similarly, many of the large hotel chains are doing the same thing for their guests,” Zrilic added.
“I think it will end up being a standard across the board. This is not going to go away any time soon. It’s more about just showing the passenger or guest that the hotel is taking the necessary steps to ensure perfect hygiene and safety.
“We filmed this video with the view that hotels would show this on the screens when guests first enter their rooms, which can easily be branded to suit,” Zrilic added.
Looking more closely at Netbiokem DSAM Disinfectant cleaner, it is approved and suitable for use both in fogging machines and as a spray and wipe application. The product is specially formulated for the hospitality industry to deliver a deep clean in a timely fashion to allow the business to re-open faster.
Already widely in use by airlines flying Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the product doesn’t cause any discolouration and eliminates the need for a pre-clean process. Netbiokem DSAM can kill the COVID-19 virus in two minutes with its spray and wipe application, with no additional PPE beyond gloves needed, which Zrilic says hotel cleaning staff would be using already.
For a fogging treatment, 30 minutes is advised for an effective application before people can re-enter the room safely, with additional PPE required for this process.
“Hotel cleaning staff can use it safely, with a pair of gloves, which they’re using anyway. No other PPE is required. It’s water based, non-toxic, non-hazardous and safe to use,” Zrilic added.
For a hotel branded COVID-19 cleaning video and information on Netbiokem DSAM, contact Callington on (02) 9898 2700 or visit www.callington.com.