As the winter season approaches, influenza activity continues to increase. The CDC urges everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine to prevent the spread of the illness. However, influenza isn’t the only disease that spreads during the winter months. In addition to vaccination, it’s important that businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities continue to promote healthy hygiene habits to help protect employees, students, and patients.

Practicing Proper Hand Hygiene

Cleaning your hands is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect you from the spread of germs. Facilities that do their part to encourage healthy hand hygiene can reduce the spread of illness among staff and visitors.

Hand Washes and Hand Sanitizers

Finding products that don’t dry out hands and leave no sticky residue behind plays an important role in creating a culture of hand hygiene. Symmetry^® products are gentle on your skin because Symmetry understands the importance of providing products that people want to use.

Symmetry hand washes and hand sanitizers reduce common disease-causing bacteria. They are designed for repeated use and are formulated with ingredients like ethyl alcohol, allantoin, aloe, and vitamin E. 

Tools and Resources

Oftentimes a large barrier to reducing the spread of illness is education. Supporting your hand hygiene products with educational tools like posters and signs can help bring awareness to the importance of hand hygiene and educate facility visitors about proper hand hygiene practices.

Symmetry has a variety of tools including Education and Awareness posters and the Symmetry Behavior Modification System (SBMS). SBMS utilizes behavioral science to drive hand hygiene practices in the moment. With colorful dispensers, messaged or mirrored placards, floor decals, and flashing lights, Symmetry draws the eye to a hand hygiene opportunity to encourage the user to participate.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Appropriately 

Cleaning and disinfecting regularly is a year-round task that might need to be revisited during respiratory illness season. Frequently touched objects like doorknobs, light switches, and keyboards should be routinely cleaned and disinfected. Proper disinfection includes making sure your chemicals are diluted correctly so that they can kill the organisms on the label.

Products like Eco^® One-Step Disinfectant/Deodorizer/Cleaner E22 and Eco Neutral Disinfectant E23 combat many common disease-causing organisms, including Influenza A Virus and many other organisms. The Eco Proportioning Program includes proportioning systems that automatically dilute cleaners and disinfectants for any room in your facility. This takes the guess work out of product dilution and ensures your facility is cleaned with products that get the job done.

For more information on how Buckeye products and programs can help you combat the illness in your facility, contact one of our expert representatives.

Celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day with us! Infection Preventionists around the world are doing so much to reduce the spread of disease in healthcare facilities and beyond. We want to show our thanks by promoting healthy hand hygiene practices.

This year, the World Health Organization’s slogan for World Hand Hygiene Day is, “Accelerate action together. SAVE LIVES – Clean Your Hands.” Their aim is to improve hand hygiene at point of care by reminding healthcare workers to love the 5 Moments.

What are the 5 Moments? 

The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene are key moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene. This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical, and applicable in a wide range of settings.

1. Before Patient Contact
2. Before Aseptic Task
3. After Body Fluid Exposure Risk
4. After Patient Contact
5. After Contact with Patient Surroundings

Reducing the spread of HAIs begins with clean hands. Healthcare staff members, patients, and visitors can all benefit when hands are cleaned during the 5 moments.

Improving Hand Hygiene at Point of Care 

Point of Care refers to the moments when healthcare workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading infections. This includes most of the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. By increasing opportunities for hand hygiene at Point of Care, healthcare facilities can keep hand sanitizer and hand wash available at key times, including before and after patient contact. 

Due to the high risk of the spread of HAIs, the Joint Commission recognizes individual failure to follow hand hygiene procedures during point of care as a deficiency. This means that a complete hand hygiene program includes Point of Care tools that give healthcare workers easy access to hand hygiene opportunities while working directly with patients. 

Access to hand sanitizer at a W.O.W., tray table, anesthesia cart, or on your person makes hand hygiene more convenient for workers. Symmetry^® offers Point of Care options for all of these and more:

1. Tray Table/W.O.W. to ml
2. Suction Cup 550 ml
3. 50 ml Lanyard
4. Suction Cup 50 ml
5. Anesthesia Cart Bracket 550 ml

Hand hygiene is a year-round commitment for healthcare facilities. We thank our Infection Preventionists this World Hand Hygiene Day for the work they do all year long to keep us safe.

Contact your local representative to see how these tools can help improve compliance in your facility.

April 22^nd is Earth Day and this year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet.” As an environmentally conscious company, we’re proud to share the ways Buckeye has put sustainability first. Our commitment to sustainability has been foundational to our company and that commitment will continue in 2023 and beyond. 

Safer, Greener Products

Our products promote worker and environmental safety. We proactively eliminated hazardous ingredients like butyl, solvents, and alcohol bases and replaced them with our patented Liquescent® technology. This water-based technology strengthens the cleaning power of our products while making them safer for workers and the environment.

We also began manufacturing wood floor coatings for the Buckeye Reflections® Wood Floor Program. Both our oil and water-based wood floor coatings contain the lowest VOCs (volatile organic compounds) on the market.

Several Buckeye Eco®  and Symmetry Hand Hygiene products are Green Seal™ certified. Green Seal is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of environmentally responsible products and services. Our Green Seal certified products not only outperform other green products, they also outperform non-green, conventional chemistries.

Plastic Reduction

We package our products in environmentally friendly ways, ensuring plastic reduction where possible. Eco and Symmetry 1.25 L bags are manufactured with 83% less plastic than rigid containers.

More than 99% of trash can liners end up in landfills. That’s why Gateway® has focused on plastic reduction during the manufacturing process. In the trash liner industry, the best way to be green is to reduce the overall plastic sent to the landfill, also referred to as Source Reduction. Gateway Liners are stronger and thinner to reduce plastic usage while maintaining industry leading strength.

Sustainable Packaging 

Eco packaging is recyclable and made from recycled materials. The Eco outer box packaging is made from 41% recycled material and the Eco inner carton packaging is made from 35% post-consumer material. Because of this, over the past year, Buckeye has:

• Saved enough energy to power an average American home for 19 years
• Saved 125.4 cubic yards of landfill space
• Saved 266,000 gallons of water
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 38 tons of carbon equivalent

Buckeye continues to look forward, always searching for new ways to reduce our environmental impact and improve the lives of those who work with our products. Find out more about our sustainability initiatives by contacting your local sales representative.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the right hand hygiene products and dispensers has become a top priority. Users want products that work and dispensers they can rely on. The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program has always provided products people want to use and dispensers that are reliable and durable. Symmetry’s newest dispenser is hands-free providing touchless access to hand sanitizer.

Why Use Hands-Free?

Though no studies have proven that touchless dispensers can decrease the spread of infection, research has indicated that people may prefer touchless dispensers and, in some cases, it can increase healthy hand hygiene practices. A study on hand hygiene in healthcare facilities published by Larson et al, concluded that, “Although no evidence indicates that devices that must be manually pressed to dispense cleanser increase the risk of transferring microbes, healthcare staff may express concern about the safety of touching dispensers and may prefer dispensers that are more accessible and easier to use than manual ones are.” Providing a touchless dispenser option for those who are concerned about touching dispensers can increase peace of mind among employees and customers in any facility.

Why Choose Symmetry?

Many hands-free dispensers rely on sensors and batteries, they often malfunction and require maintenance. The Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand does not require batteries and has few moving parts to ensure it works perfectly every time. Because the Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser is pedal activated, there is no risk of dripping or sensor malfunction.

Other Important Features

The Hands-Free Dispenser Stand is made with UV protected HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) plastic and the spring, pedal pin, and screws are zinc coated for corrosion protection. This makes the dispenser stand perfect for outdoor use.

This dispenser also uses the same 1250 ml bags as standard Symmetry dispensers to simplify and standardize hand hygiene in your facility.

In addition to the Hands-Free Dispenser Stand, the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program includes a full line of effective hand hygiene products and dispensers, complete with education, awareness and behavior modification tools, and training for your needs. Contact your local Buckeye representative for more information about the Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand and the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program.  

On Dec 27, 2020, the COVID-19 Relief Package was signed into law, providing additional financial assistance to K-12 schools. This funding can be used towards cleaning supplies and programs, staff training, and other resources needed to address coronavirus in schools.

The new relief package allows for a broad range of uses and specifically mentions:

• Providing resources for principles to address coronavirus in their schools
• Training staff on the best ways to sanitize and schools and proper use of personal protective equipment
• Purchasing PPE and the supplies needed to clean and disinfect schools

Find more information on the COVID-19 relief package here.

How Can Buckeye Help? 

Buckeye’s maintenance programs provide door to floor protection for schools. Buckeye’s 4 levels of protection include hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, antimicrobial floor protection, and custodial training that follows CDC recommendations.

Level 1: Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program

The CDC states that hand washing is one of the best ways to help reduce the spread of germs. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program provides tools that promote education, awareness, and motivation to practice hand hygiene.

Level 2: Eco^® Proportioning Program

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved several Buckeye products for use against SARS-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [cause of COVID-19], including Buckeye Eco One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22.

Following CDC guidelines and label directions, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects with the help of the Eco Proportioning Program. Buckeye’s Eco Proportioning Program is fully integrated with effective, hermetically sealed products for any applications.

Level 3: Clarion^® 25 Microban^® Antimicrobial Floor Finish

Continually protect your facility with Clarion 25 Microban Antimicrobial Floor Finish and Arena^® 300 Microban Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating. While not a substitute for normal cleaning practices, Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, and makes floors easier to clean - keeping them cleaner, longer at no additional cost to you.

Level 4: Honors^® Custodial Training Program

The Buckeye Honors Program is a complete custodial program for schools and universities that presents the products, procedures, and training needed to meet a school or university’s highest standards. Honors features videos and tests on enhanced disinfecting and proper hand hygiene procedures during COVID-19.

For more information about all of Buckeye’s cleaning programs and how Buckeye can help your school combat COVID-19, contact your local Buckeye representative.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program is built around meeting and exceeding tough environmental regulations, and manufacturing products that are easier and safer for employees to use, while also meeting the stringent expectations of Facility Administrators.

Health Safety Features

Reflections wood floor coatings do not require crosslinkers, which contain polyfunctional aziridene. Other manufacturers use this raw material to crosslink their products for durability. Unfortunately, this crosslinker can have a negative impact on the health of employees and visitors, including respiratory and nervous system health implications.

All Reflections wood floor coatings meet the strict VOC regulations of each state and are single component, 100% urethane products. Using 100% urethane products significantly improves indoor air quality, worker and visitor health safety, and reduces mixing mistakes and overall costs. 

Urethane Wood Floor Coatings

Reflections offers both water-based and oil-based wood floor coatings. When a wood floor is first installed, it’s important to keep water away while the floor boards expand, contract and stretch. For the first few years of a wood floor’s life, oil-based wood floor coatings can help fill the grooves of the new wood floor and move with the floor as it settles. Reflections’ Coliseum^® Oil-Based Wood Floor Coatings are easy to apply and meet VOC compliancy in every state. They offer superior gloss, exceptional durability, and are scratch and scuff resistant.

For older wood floors, Reflections’ Arena^® Water-Based Wood Floor Coatings offer the lowest VOCs, allowing for wood floors to be recoated during normal business hours. Unlike oil-based wood floor coatings, Arena Water-Based Wood Floor Coatings allow for light sports play just 48 hours after the last coat is applied and fully cure 1 week after the last coat is applied.

In addition to mild scents, high gloss, and exceptional durability, Arena^® 300 with Microban^® Technology provides facilities with an extra level of protection. Microban protection is built-in to Arena 300 during the manufacturing process, and provides continual 24/7 antimicrobial protection for the life of the coating while it is on your floor. Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, making floors easier to clean and keeping them cleaner, longer.

Training

Our experts can help you become an expert. When you begin using the Reflections Wood Floor Program, you receive hands-on, personalized training from our expert Reflections representatives. We also provide MFMA (Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association) approved web-based and DVD training, to help guide you as you learn about recoating and maintaining your floors in-house.

Reflections is focused on providing a program that offers the best combination of appearance, application, durability, safety, VOC compliancy, and cost on the market. To learn more about wood floor care and Reflections, contact your local Buckeye representative. 

Preventing the spread of the flu begins with the flu shot. This year getting the flu shot means more than protecting yourself and others from the flu. It can reduce the strain on healthcare systems as they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC recommends getting your flu shot before the end of October, but the vaccine is usually available for most of the flu season.

In addition to getting the flu shot, implementing a hand hygiene program can keep germs from spreading in your facility. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program offers a complete line of hand hygiene products that are gentle on your hands while reducing common disease-causing bacteria.

Symmetry also offers tools to help encourage people in your facility to practice proper hand hygiene. These tools are key to reducing the spread of diseases like the flu and COVID-19. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System (SBMS) uses behavioral science to drive immediate hand hygiene practices with eye-catching customizable placards and signs. Symmetry also offers educational signs, posters, and videos to demonstrate the importance of hand hygiene.

Facilities can also fight the flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory infections with Buckeye’s disinfectants. Disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces is key in preventing the spread of germs. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved several Buckeye products for use against COVID-19. These products include Buckeye Terminator™, Eco^® One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22, Sanicare Disinfecting Wipes, and Sanicare TBX^™.

For more information about Buckeye programs and how to prevent the spread of the flu in your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Studies in behavioral science have shown that using colors, mirrors, floor decals, and other stimuli can influence human behavior. In grocery stores, manufacturers pay retailers to merchandise their products in strategic locations to increase the likelihood that those products will be purchased. Candy bars are strategically placed at the eye level of children to increase the likelihood of purchase. Some manufacturers will provide stores with floor decals that lead to their products.

Many manufacturers employ people with PhDs in Behavioral Science to identify the best way to stimulate a potential customer into making a purchase. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program worked with Behavioral Scientist, Dr. Adam Alter, to find out how to increase hand hygiene practices with behavioral science.

Together, Dr. Alter and Symmetry came up with several behavior modification tools based on the six key tenets of benevolence, accountability, responsibility, variation, emotion, and direction. These include dispenser colors, placards, visual lighting cues, and floor decals that can be used in a variety of facilities. The Symmetry placards include messages or mirrors to encourage an immediate response. They are placed directly above a dispenser and can be rotated periodically. Symmetry dispensers can also be fitted with visual lighting cues. These flashing lights are designed to draw attention to dispensers. Floor decals offered by Symmetry can subtly direct individuals to dispensers.

All of these tools are designed to increase proper hand hygiene practices in your facility. They serve as reminders but are not intended to be used for all dispensers. The best way to implement Symmetry behavior modification system is to rotate the tools throughout the facility. This creates variation, changes sight-lines, and continues to capture attention.

The Symmetry Behavior Modification System is just one added benefit of the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program. Symmetry offers a complete line of hand hygiene products including hand sanitizers and hand washes. Symmetry dispensers are reliable with large sight windows for checking product levels. The program comes with education and awareness tools and everything your facility needs to improve hand hygiene practices.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to find out more about the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program and the Behavior Modification System.

This is a question that is, unfortunately, familiar to many people in the cleaning industry.

With floors, dirt is transported from a floor to a mop head, then to a wringer, a bucket, and then a drain. If what you use to pick up the dirt is not absorbent, your floors will look filmy.

Many times, the applicators used to clean a floor are wetted with a cleaner and that cleaner is rubbed around on the floor. This leaves a layer of water, plus detergents and dirt behind. To prevent this, thoroughly dry the microfiber or flat mop before using it so it transports dirt back to the bucket.

Here is one way to demonstrate the effectiveness of a cleaning tool, string mop or flat mop, to clean an area:

1. Allow the string mop or flat mop to dry.
2. Place a very white gym sock over one of your hands.
3. Moisten the gym sock with warm water and squeeze out as much water as you can.
4. Rub your hand on a section of the floor and inspect the sock.

A very sloppy wet mop head leaves so much solution behind that it takes a long time to dry, no doubt leaving dirt behind – this is the most common situation where a floor is left looking filmy.

Next, gently rub that area with a soft cloth. Then wipe up the water with a clean cloth, and reapply the quarter sized drop of water. This time, the water will bead up since there is no detergent present to help it wet out.

If your filmy floor issue still persists there could be a different problem. In some cases, the cleaning compound may attack the floor finish, leaving it dull. This can be caused by using aggressive cleaners like pH degreasers or floor strippers, or even from the use of moderate pH cleaners such as all-purpose cleaners.

Normally, Buckeye Blue diluted at 2 ounces per gallon and mopped on a floor does not attack floor finish. Buckeye Blue can attack a floor finish, however, when the floor is being mopped and solution is left behind on the floor heavy enough that it takes a long time to dry.

During that soak time, the pH of the solutions slowly rise as the water evaporates and, as the water evaporates, the concentration of the active ingredients become stronger and stronger until the last 30-40 seconds of dry time.

You can also use Straight-Up^® pH Neutral Cleaner to prevent filmy floors. The chemistry in the true pH neutral cleaner does not suffer a pH spike no matter how long it is diluted or how long the solution takes to dry. Just remember that even though filmy floors can be a nuisance to deal with, they can easily be fixed with simple changes. If you have questions about the chemicals you are using, contact your Buckeye representative.

Cleaning floor grout can be a challenging task. The first thing to remember is that cement-based grout, like a concrete floor, may not be uniform. After grout has been thoroughly cleaned, there may still be some darker spots next to lighter areas due to factors of installation. This is not something that can be changed with different methods of cleaning. When there are soils that need to be removed from grout, first wet the floor with a degreasing or general purpose cleaning solution. Next, let the solution sit for several minutes, and scrub the floor with a brush that can reach down into the grout. Then pick up the solution with a wet vacuum or mop, apply rinse water and scrub, and then pick up the rinse water.

Buckeye offers effective degreasers and general purpose cleaners that can be used for this purpose including Buckeye Maurader^® and Eco^® Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner E15. Both of these products contain hydrogen peroxide and have excellent detergency for wetting the surface and suspending soil. The hydrogen peroxide reacts with some soils to make them more soluble in water which can physically loosen soils. If your facility has grout that won’t come clean after using a good cleaning solution there may be a discolored coating covering it. You can remove it with a Buckeye floor stripper, and follow up with a Buckeye water-based cleaner to scrub the floor.

Another option you can try is to used an acid-based cleaner such as Buckeye Eco Acid Cleaner E16 and Buckeye Gel Scrub^™ Tub and Tile Cleaner. These products go after soils that are sensitive to acid chemistry and based on phosphoric acid. This allows them to attack the grout itself and loosen soils that can then be flushed loose from the floor. But do be careful to seal after the use of acid chemistry, since the use of acids is not meant to be a regular cleaning process. If you are unsure which solution is best use to clean your cement-based grout, try a small-scale test. This can reveal the winning solution without too much unnecessary work.