When parents visit an Early Childhood Education facility (ECE), they are assessing many things that they see and hear there. Among them, level of care, education, and attention for their children but let’s not forget about cleanliness! Many ECE facilities and schools pride themselves on cleanliness but did you know that the products they typically use, to clean and sanitize, can expose children and staff to harmful chemicals? There are safer sanitizing products available and professional educators are researching these alternatives.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun to put stress on ECEs and school systems to find less harmful products to clean and sanitize with as they “have a reduced impact on human health and the environment, often because they have been re-formulated to eliminate the most potentially toxic ingredients.”
With new chemistries and technologies, chlorine bleach alternatives are being brought to market. They not only work better, but they don’t have the dangerous health effects of chlorine bleach. Have you ever read a bleach label? It says poison right on the label. Now, you don’t need to clean with poison! Research has shown that short-term exposure to toxic cleaning chemicals, like bleach, may cause headaches, nausea, irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and skin, allergic reactions and an increase in asthma flare ups.
Non-toxic products like the SaniDate line from BioSafe Systems are made with hydrogen peroxide and can be used on all hard surfaces, including food contact surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide works by destroying bacterial cells from the inside out and will kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses like E. coli, Salmonella, Staph and Klebsiella. It also removes molds, mildews and gross build-up.
There are many advantages to using hydrogen peroxide. As previously mentioned, it is a cleaner and sanitizer, meaning it is effective against bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew and more. It also has a wide variety of uses; you can use it everywhere—not just in the kitchen or bathroom, but on doorknobs and light switches, too. The most crucial benefit to using SaniDate is the fact that it does not require a rinse step after use on food contact surfaces, as most other conventional cleaners do. It is important to mention that SaniDate and other non-toxic chlorine bleach alternatives are safe to use indoors around children and adults, as well as pets, and have no harmful effects on the environment.
It is important to understand what is in the products we clean with, not only at ECEs and school systems, but also in our homes and workplaces. Being educated and utilizing less toxic alternatives when cleaning and sanitizing will not only lead to better personal health, but also a safer, less toxic environment for future generations. Be sure to always read labels and follow directions correctly on whichever products you choose to clean and sanitize with.
By: Stephanie Murphy, BioSafe Systems
