Whether it is for a conference, a weekend getaway, Business trip or Family vacation, people visit hotels and resorts for a multitude of reasons. Be it for business or pleasure, coming back to a freshly made bed and ordering room service without having to worry about the clearing up afterwards is something we can all look forward to. The last thing someone wants to think about when booking into a hotel room is germs.
While most hotels are perfectly lovely, there's only so much that can be done in rooms where hundreds of people sleep, shower and eat. One study in 2012 presented at the general meeting of the American Society of Microbiology revealed that of all the surfaces sampled, 81% of them had traces of faecal bacteria on them. Research showed that light switches and TV remotes were actually among the most heavily contaminated with bacteria, while toilets and bathroom sinks also had high levels of microbial organisms.
This is not surprising since these hard surfaces are frequently touched by multiple people and provide an ideal environment for microbes to collect and multiply. Any time someone comes into contact with the light switch or remote, microbes from their hands transfer to the new surface, meaning that items like the hotel phone, keyboards and even drawer handle often have a multitude of germs and bacteria.
In a study by the American Journal of Infection Control, it was found that outside the above-mentioned areas, the carpeting and the bedspread are two soft surfaces to watch out for too. Hotels change sheets and towels between new guest arrivals, but many do not frequently wash the bedspread that is covering the fresh sheets, nor are carpets deep cleaned as often as most people would assume. Sinks are also an uncomfortably ideal location for bacterial and microbial growth, as the crevices around both taps and drains are inconvenient to clean and can provide the damp environment that allows these microbes to grow and multiply.
In another study published in the journal Food and Environmental Virology, a sample virus was planted in a hotel room bathroom, to find out how far it would spread. The Cleaning of the contaminated room resulted in the spread of viruses to other rooms by both the housekeeping staff as well as by hotel guests. This led to the virus being spread to the conference center, a communal kitchen area, as well as guest rooms nearby. From there, the attendees of the conference transferred the viruses from the conference center to their respective hotel rooms and communal kitchen areas. This study demonstrated how quickly and easily viruses can be spread throughout a hotel setting by both housekeepers and guests.
How can Zoono Help?
Zoono is an advanced residual antimicrobial technology that uses a water-based solution applied to surfaces by a misting or topical application. Once the water evaporates, a microscopic layer of ‘spikes’ is left behind. These spikes attract, pierce and rupture the cell walls of organisms that come into contact with the surface. Unlike Normal disinfectants, which last for up to 2 hours, Zoono Microbe Shield is able to continue working for up to 30-days, giving massive labour savings to keep areas free from harmful bacteria, viruses, mould and yeasts.
Zoono’s technology is able to attach itself to all surfaces including fabric, wood, glass, plastic, metals etc. giving an added layer of protection to even the most overlooked touch points mentioned above. On top of this, routine cleaning can continue and does not disrupt the Zoono molecule or its antimicrobial activity giving an overall additional layer of protection.
Zoono technology is not only food safe but safe for use within the critical hygiene areas within child care, aged care centers, kitchens, medical facilities and hospitals, making it ideal for Resorts and Hotels. In fact, it has a similar “toxicity” rating to Vitamin C and PH level of that of Orange Juice.
Finally, with Zoono there is no leaching, meaning that once it has dried, there is no transfer from surface to surface, containing risks of cross-contamination to a minimum.
Another useful product for the industry is our GermFree24 hand sanitizer. Whilst most alcohol-based hand sanitizers are more effective at killing germs than using soaps alone, they have the disadvantage of having short term effects.
With the Zoono Hand sanitizer, protection lasts longer than traditional hand sanitizers due to the layer that is formed over the skin, giving you a 24-hour protection that can only be removed by exfoliation. This would mean that one single application can be equated to 10+ applications of alcohol and other liquid-based sanitizers.