Issue Date: 8 May 2013
Ref: DIV13/07
ALL YEAR ROUND CLEANING FOR CARE HOMES
Dual-action cleaning and disinfection with Oxivir Plus
There is a tendency to associate many illnesses and infections with winter. While Influenza and Norovirus peak around Christmas they persist throughout the year. The risk is lower when the days are longer and the weather warmer because most people spend less time together indoors and that gives any infection fewer chances to spread. Other infections show very little seasonality which means year-round vigilance is required. In any case, many in society face a permanent risk because they are frail and susceptible to infections or spend more time indoors. Residents of care homes are among this most vulnerable group.
An outbreak at any time can have serious consequences for residents, guests and staff but can also adversely affect the business’s reputation and in some cases its long-term viability. High quality cleaning and infection prevention should therefore be an all-year process for any business providing care. First, it helps create an environment where infections have less chance to thrive and spread. Second, it removes specific sources of infection before they can do their worst. Third, it creates a pleasant experience that reassures residents and their loved ones. The ideal cleaning product to fulfil these requirements is a disinfectant and cleaner that can be used as often as needed without affecting occupants or the built environment.
Demand for this type of dual cleaning and disinfection performance helps explain why Diversey developed its innovative Oxivir Plus. This powerful and fast-acting cleaner-disinfectant can prevent and remove a wide range of infections and micro-organisms commonly found in care homes including Influenza and Norovirus as well as other viruses, bacteria, fungi and yeasts.
The secret to the “broad spectrum” performance of Oxivir Plus is the use of AHP (Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide) as the active ingredient. Unique to this product, AHP breaks down to water and oxygen alone during use. This helps make it gentler on the built environment and safer than traditional products for residents and bystanders even if they are present when cleaning is taking place. The formulation is fully compliant with the European Biocidal Product Directive (BPD).
One of the many advantages of AHP is that it eliminates infections without pathogens building up resistance. This alone makes it suitable for regular and frequent use. Another major benefit of the formulation for care homes and similar businesses is the absence of the quaternary ammonium or chlorine compounds routinely used in comparable products. These chemicals typically do not break down during use which means they leave unsightly residues or require additional effort to rinse them away. They can also attack, degrade and corrode sensitive surfaces and give off that “chlorine” smell so often associated with care homes.
Oxivir Plus on the other hand leaves no residue, stains or unpleasant smells. Nor does the formulation contain fragrances, dyes or any other potential respiratory irritants. These attributes and its non-corrosive formulation make it safer than traditional products for frequent and regular cleaning of a wide range of washable surfaces. It is Woolsafe approved and can be used on wool and other fabrics including carpets and upholstery.
This ability to clean and disinfect a wide range of surfaces reduces the need for multiple products which simplifies building care tasks and reduces the time and complexity of compliance and training procedures. Even without the infection prevention performance this makes it an excellent choice in many applications.
The way in which Oxivir Plus works and breaks down makes it suitable for operators concerned about the environmental impact of the products they use. It is available in ready-to-use 750ml trigger sprays that can be used for routine cleaning but are especially useful for removing body spillages and other emergency or spot cleaning.
It is also available in the Diversey J-Flex concentrate format that ensures product is diluted accurately and consistently at the point of use into spray bottles, buckets and cleaning machines during regular and daily cleaning. Each J-Flex pack contains enough product to prepare 57 ready-to-use trigger sprays. When used in this concentrated format Oxivir Plus provides additional sustainability advantages because the consistent dilution eliminates wastage. The smaller like-for-like pack size associated with concentrates also means less packaging is used and there are reduced handling and storage costs with fewer chemical miles during sourcing and delivery.
All-in-all Oxivir Plus represents an excellent choice for care homes that need to clean their premises regularly to maintain excellent appearance and introduce highly effective infection prevention into their daily, routine and emergency hygiene regimes.