When I start a blog I like to get the creative juices flowing by running a series of Google searches to see what pops up for the concept or key points I plan to talk about in my blog. Most are generally irrelevant to the concept of cleaning and disinfection, but you never know what you may learn that can take you down a path that may lead to an “Ah-Ha” moment. As the title alludes to the focus of this blog is our obsession of shiny surfaces and the unfortunate correlation that if it is shiny the surface or medical device must be clean and free of germs.
I’m a girl; I like shiny things…especially when they come wrapped in a Tiffany box. If I’m honest any box bearing the logo of a Jeweler will do! While “girls” are certainly known to love shiny things, a verifiable truth if I use one of my female colleagues as a case study, men are by no means impervious from the predilection towards shiny objects. In fact, as I learned in my Google search the fall of the Roman Empire can be attributed to Augustulus Romulus’ distraction on the battle field by something shiny. It is said his last words before being struck down were "Give me liberty or give me death! Ooh shiny!" (DISCLAIMER I did not verify accuracy…I am simply using the example found to illustrate my point)
In fact the term, Shiny Things comes from the Latin "Shinus Thintustus" meaning "thing that distracts the easily amused”. I kid you not – I found it on Google! Most of us are probably familiar with the term “Magpie Syndrome” which is defined as an irrational affinity for shiny objects. Most shiny things of course are smooth surfaces made of rock (gem stones, granite or marble), glass (including mirrors), silver, gold, or metal (think stainless steel or chrome) and of course we cannot forget flooring material such as terrazzo, marmoleum and good old highly waxed vinyl tile! When a highly shiny object is seen by the obsessed it often may induce a compulsive need to claim it (if it’s portable) or at the very least requires several minutes of staring at said object to bask in its shininess!
Now you may ask, how on earth does this relate to cleaning and disinfection? Well, in today’s world we are inundated with commercials that are all glimmer and sparkly after using the latest and greatest cleaning agent. As I wrote about in my SCUFF OFF BLOG as consumers when we enter a building the shinier the floor, the more confidence we have in the facility. We are a population that believes “If it’s shiny it must be clean (and free of germs)!” As introduced in our TOP 10 BLOG, my pet name for our housekeeping employees that are obsessed with shiny surfaces is THE SHINY SURFACE SYNDICATE. This obsession often leads them to abandon infection control principles in search of the product, Spic & Span and Windex are two of the most commonly used culprits, that leaves the surfaces all sparkly. The upside is that staff / patients / residents believe the environment is safe because it is so shiny. The downside is that Windex, Spic & Span or whatever product has been used puts these people at risk for transmitting and acquiring deadly germs.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that shiny is bad. Certainly, streaky mirrors, windows and stainless steel is aesthetically unappealing, and without a doubt there are areas such as the NICU where we need to ensure we can clearly see into the incubator in order to observe a critically ill baby. The key take home message is aesthetics be it the shine of a surface or passing the white glove test is not a quality indicator that should be used to determine a surface or device’s level of cleanliness when it comes to pathogens. Disinfectants are designed to kill not shine. There are surfaces where shine matters and there are surfaces where kill is the ultimate goal. If we need the surface to be both free of pathogens and shiny we have to be cognizant that this may take an added step such as a buffing with a dry cloth or wiping with a clean damp cloth. We need to instill in our housekeeping staff the importance of disinfection, the proper use of disinfectants to ensure we are achieving our infection prevention goals and reaffirm that we should not be swayed into thinking shiny is safe.
Magpie...I mean Melissa, this one’s for you!
Bugging Off!
Nicole
