by Jim Harris, Sr.

While budget crunches prompt many cleaning managers to shortcut maintenance and cleaning to save money, this measure may undermine the health of building occupants and raise long-term costs.

According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE):

"Maintenance cutbacks can lead to indoor air quality (IAQ) problems (ALA 1997; Siebel et al. 1996). The costs of the associated health effects, discomfort and loss of productivity may be far greater than the presumed savings from the avoided maintenance (Fisk and Rosenfeld 1997)."

While cutting corners and reducing attention to detail and the invisible "small" contaminants is common with tight budgets, just the opposite approach may be needed to save money in the long term.

According to Fisk and Rosenfeld: "... calculations indicate that the potential financial benefits of improving indoor environments exceed costs by a factor of eight to 17."

Taking the steps to fight the "small" soil will help ensure your facility not only looks clean but also stays healthy.

Cleaning deep for results

While unhealthy buildings lower productivity, raise operating costs, and increase absenteeism, healthy buildings resulting from thinking small can yield big benefits.

For example: Dr. Leonard Krilov implemented a deep cleaning/disinfecting regimen at a day care center in Bellmore, NY, and then assessed the affect on children in the facility.

By monitoring health indicators and attendance, Dr. Krilov demonstrated that deep cleaning, including disinfecting toys after use, reduced illnesses by 24 percent; doctor visits by 34 percent; antibiotic usage by 24 percent; and absenteeism by 46 percent, noted the Journal of Infection Control.

Jim Harris, Sr. is the CEO of Concepts IV, Albany, NY and a consultant, trainer, corporate executive, businessman and entrepreneur.

(http://www.cmmonline.com/HowTo.asp?H_ID=1123)