Bells may not be ringing with their typical vigor, but this holiday season is still prompting an increase in hustle and bustle, and extra traffic among more places is making it increasingly difficult to keep surfaces disinfected. Now, longer-lasting defense is possible with cutting-edge technology like OpenWorks’ TotalWorksTM with Continuous Care antimicrobial surface protectant.
While most facilities are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for social distancing and basic disinfection, not everyone is effectively controlling the spread of microbes and pathogens that cause viruses. According to research by the North Carolina Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology, the best commercial disinfectants kill 99.9% of germs and viruses, while consumer-grade and natural products only eliminate 90% of the microbes.
OpenWorks’ TotalWorksTM with Continuous Care is a long-lasting antimicrobial surface protectant that is applied — after surfaces have been commercially cleaned and disinfected for maximum control — to provide continuous protection from bacteria and microorganisms for up to 90 days. Applying it with an electrostatic sprayer ensures 100% coverage that bonds to nearly any surface and inhibits the growth of bacteria and microorganisms.
“Once a surface has been disinfected, it may not stay that way,” said Liz Caracciolo, OpenWorks’ Chief Operating Officer. “Many businesses are choosing to add long-lasting antimicrobial surface protection to their cleaning and disinfecting routine for better infection control, peace of mind and continuous protection against bacteria and microorganisms.”
The Continuous Care treatment, which OpenWorks offers as an enhancement to its TotalWorksTM commercial cleaning and coronavirus disinfection service, provides a longer-lasting layer of protection to high-touch surfaces, restrooms, workspaces, common areas, hard to reach surfaces and areas that may not be disinfected as frequently, like walls and blinds. The surface protectant is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency and deemed safe for both food and people, certified by the FDA and approved by the USDA, making it safe to use in cafeterias, lunch areas and other high-touch food surfaces.
The antimicrobial surface protectant forms a covalent bond with the substrate creating a microbiostatic antimicrobial coating that forms a nano bed shield of spikes piercing the bacterial cells and rupturing the membranes. This inhibits the growth of bacteria and microorganisms. Antimicrobial surface protection then continues to inhibit the growth of bacteria and germs for up to 90 days to help with infection control.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how quickly harmful germs can spread without proactive infection control. In fact, in just four hours, bacteria can produce as many as 8,000 copies and can grow to 10-20 million within 24 hours. That’s one of the reasons viruses such as COVID-19 can be so deadly. When unchecked, they can multiply rapidly, whether within the body or on surfaces.
It is a service OpenWorks expects to see an increasing number of customers request in coming weeks, particularly while businesses experience lower staffing levels due to holiday breaks.
“With COVID cases on the rise, many of our customers are planning a deep clean when the majority of workers are on holiday leave,” Caracciolo said. “Applying Continuous Care at this stage is a smart way to give extra protection well into first quarter, through the worst of this extraordinary cold and flu season.”
OpenWorks is a national facility services and commercial cleaning and disinfecting service provider that helps businesses, healthcare facilities, schools and more make their worlds work better by making their facilities cleaner, safer, and healthier. Founded in 1983, and headquartered in Phoenix, the company is one of the fastest-growing facility services companies in the United States. Entrepreneur magazine ranks OpenWorks on its top list of franchises, and Inc. magazine recognized OpenWorks as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. in 2019 and 2020. Specialized in delivering high quality commercial cleaning, disinfection, and integrated facilities services, the company has more than 20 regional offices and a network of more than 1,700 elite service providers who service more than 5,500 facilities across the country.
