Inside an anthill near you

March 27, 2017March 28, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

Several tasks accomplished by ants are similar to those of human professions such as farmer or breeder. Swiss researchers recently added a surprising task to this list: chemist!

Credit David Higgins, Unsplash

Community life

We all know that anthills are full of ants. A population of a colony can easily reach several millions. Although they may be insects, food supply, waste management and infection control are, believe it or not, a major concern for the queen of an anthill.

The chemist ant

By mixing coniferous resin with formic acid (a venom secreted by ants to combat their enemies), the mixture doubles the antifungal efficacy of the resin alone. These ants are capable of improving the resistance of the colony to pathogens. This is the first time that we have observed, apart from humans, a species mixing different compounds in order to improve their effects.

Hard surface Disinfection in the human world

At Lalema, conifer resin and formic acid are not used to make our disinfectants. On the other hand, our formulas are developed and validated by real chemists in addition to being registered with the appropriate governmental bodies.

Our exclusive Certiklör technology allows our sodium hypochlorite products such as Ali-Flex RTU to have the following advantages over the competitor’s products :

Hypochlorite stabilized in solution (vs. Bleach)
Low odor (vs. Bleach at the same concentration)
Low corrosive potential (vs. Bleach at the same concentration)

Discover our Certiklör product line now or call our customer service at 514.645.2753 for more information.

Source: http://ici.radio-canada.ca/news/1024037/fourmis-chimie-infection-bacterie-antibiotique-etude

Thanks to my cousin Thierry L-D for finding the article about the ants!

How to make cleaning safer in 7 steps

February 9, 2017February 2, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

According to ASSTSAS, falls and slips account for 18% of workers’ compensation costs in the province of Quebec. This is the third leading cause of workplace accidents in the health and social services sector and it includes all types of jobs.

Causes of workplace accidents

There are many other causes of workplace related accidents :

Fall and slide accidents
Muscle problems related to lift and flexion
Eye and skin lesions, often related to the handling of chemicals
Respiratory problems, often the result of working with chemicals and equipment
Accidental exposure to electrical hazards or biological hazards

Seven ways to make cleaning work safer

Ensure periodic review of working methods and procedures
Identify and evaluate “at risk” situations including load lifting, repetitive movements, exposure to chemicals, air quality, work organization
Determine tasks requiring personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, masks, protective sleeves, etc.
Wear non-slip shoes when stripping or laying floor finish
Install “wet floor” safety panels when washing floors. Remove the panels when the floors are dry.
Inspect the electrical wiring of your equipment regularly. Never pull the wire to disconnect a device.
Consider the presence of any body fluid or blood as a real biological hazard and clean up only if you have received the proper training.

Sources:

Click to access FT13_chutes_WEB.pdf

http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Seven-Ways-To-Make-Cleaning-Work-Safer–20393 (via Kim B., thanks!)

Invitation Free Webinar: Fighting Healthcare Associated Infection with Environmental Hygiene

December 1, 2016February 2, 2017Rémi Charlebois

webinar-top free-webinar-left2

I would like to invite you to a free webinar on

Fighting Healthcare Associated Infection with Environmental Hygiene.

I will present this webinar on December 15th, 2016 at 12:00 PM EST. (45 minutes long)

The main objective of this webinar will be to review the basics of cleaning and disinfection :

The updated burden of HAI’s in Canada
Why do we disinfect
Best practices in cleaning and disinfection
Using the right product
Validation technique

Practical information:

The webinar will take place on Thursday, December 15th, 2016 at 12:00 PM EST (Toronto Time)
Make sure you have a computer accessible with an internet connection
The webinar is 100% free without any engagement
We will take question after the webinar

SUBSCRIBE NOW

6 reasons why staff should be more involved

July 27, 2016June 20, 2016Gaétan Lanthier

When selecting or standardizing cleaning products, the involvement and participation of your staff is essential. It is important to set up a participatory structure (mandatory user committee) for the acquisition of products and equipment. This would not only lead to a greater accountability from the users, but it will also bring a higher degree of satisfaction.

This structure would allow managers :

To listen to users and to promote their full autonomy;
To establish internal standards for any product. Such standards should truly reflect the needs of users;
To review product stock to ensure they remain relevant;
To specify, with users, technical specifications of products for purchasing according to the standards of the institution;
To educate stakeholders on the content of standards and their use;
To enhance internal resources in terms of products and equipment.

Participatory approach for the staff with the managers

Managers and users must be trained to properly select products and their many uses to avoid handling errors, improper dilution and to grab the security concepts associated. This is an essential prerequisite which is part of a participatory process that will generate a consensus from the janitors about the choice of cleaning products and initiate actions and training of new practices.

3 useful definitions in cleaning and disinfection

June 8, 2016November 6, 2018Gaétan Lanthier

When it comes to cleanliness, some people are mixing technical terms leading to ambiguity. It is like mixing chemicals together: That is not a good idea! To keep it simple, we’ll just give three useful definitions.

Deteriorated surfaces

A deteriorated surface shows wear off sign often caused by time or misuse.

Deterioration is one of three elements of impairment of property, the others being functional obsolescence (or obsolescence) and economic obsolescence.

Safe surfaces

Safe surface means that it is safe to health. Such surface is healthy or good for health often because of risk management. In the food industry, this is why we often refer to it as food safety.
Safe is also synonymous to hygienic !

Disinfected surfaces

Disinfection is a voluntary momentary removal operation of certain bacteria (if it comes to “all germs” we refer more to sterilization), so as to stop or prevent infection or the risk of infection or superinfection by pathogenic or undesirable microorganisms or viruses.

For example:

To sanitize a surface eliminates 99.9% of microorganisms (This is a 1,000 X reduction)
To disinfect a surface removes 99.999% of microorganisms (This is a 100,000 X reduction)
To sterilize a surface or instrument removes 99.9999% of microorganisms (This is a 1,000,000 X reduction)

Obviously, “momentarily” is a key fator because the surface will be contaminated again as soon a a contaminant will enter in contact with the it. That’s why some disinfectants have a residual effect that prolongs the action of disinfectant for a certain time.

Sources: Larousse, Wikipedia, Linternaute

An Objective Approach to Monitoring Hospital Cleanliness

April 20, 2016Rémi Charlebois

The days when visual room inspection used to be the gold standard for monitoring hospital cleanliness is long gone. Even though this practice is still useful, better and more objective ways have seen the light. One of the most scientific way is surface cultivation. However, surface cultivation is labor intensive and lacks on the spot results. Invisible UV markers and UV light are also a good way to validate if a place was cleaned. However, its application is limited and the data are not telling more then if a surface was cleaned or not at a given time. ATP testing is becoming more and more useful to verify cleanliness beyond visual inspection.

How does ATP monitoring works?

ATP monitoring is a simple and quick way for hospital to measure residual organic matter on a surface, device or piece of equipment. Adenosine triphosphate or ATP is an organic molecule found in every living or once-living organism. Essentially, the person conducting ATP monitoring swabs the surface of concern, and insert that swab into a handheld unit called a luminometer. Results are available within seconds. Good products will come with a free software that will permit to identify problematic areas, monitor trends and store results. It is a very tool to add to an audit system.

Fast, reliable and quality results

It is important to understand that ATP testing is not a microorganism detection method. ATP testing, is a cleaning verification test. It won’t tell you what’s on the surface, but it will tell you that there is something on the surface. A lot of healthcare professionals see the value that ATP monitoring offers. It empowers auditors, infection prevention staff and environmental services specialist to verify if cleaning was done properly in seconds. The speed at which the results are obtained is very appreciated in healthcare settings. If a result is out of specification, then corrective action can be taken immediately. Infection control staff often witness a direct correlation between low ATP levels and lower healthcare associated infection rates. Remember that environmental contamination is directly linked to up to 40% of healthcare associated infections.

Welcome to RamblingsAboutDisinfection.com

March 31, 2016November 6, 2018Gaétan Lanthier

It’s been a year and a half since we started www.ali-flex.com. From the beginning, the blog purpose was mainly to ramble about disinfection. Hence, the name of this new web site!

We know from many comments that you liked our old posts, so we brought them to this new website.

Before I forget, www.ali-flex.com is more alive than ever, but will from now on be dedicated to the Ali-Flex, Chlorinated Disinfectant Cleaner. One of the main advantages of Ali-Flex RTU is to be a disinfectant as well as a cleaning product. Ali-Flex RTU is ready to use and does not require any dilution, which allows avoiding wrong manipulations or dilution while saving time. Ali-Flex uses exclusive Certiklör Technology.

The difference with our Certiklör stabilized hypochlorite?

The name says it all: stabilized hypochlorite!

Our multidisciplinary team of skilled scientists took 2 years to stabilize the hypochlorite solution. What is the secret? I’m afraid that’s like a little like the Caramilk’s secret! All I can say is that the ingredients that uses this technology have been carefully selected and expertly designed to give hypochlorite increased stability.
And who says stabilized hypochlorite, says better disinfection, less smell and increased cleaning!

If you wish to ramble about it, do not hesitate to share this website with your collegues.

Zika Virus, Where Does It Come From?

February 24, 2016April 1, 2016Rémi Charlebois

Source : NEWSCOM/SIPA

Everything started back in the 40s. A research team in Uganda, lead by Alexander Haddow, was studying the yellow fever virus near Entebbe. In April 1950, the team isolates a new virus from a monkey used as a test animal in the Ziika forest.

The first human clinical case was described in 1954 in Nigeria. Then, in 1956, an experiment was conducted on a volunteer who got infected with the Zika virus through bites of infected mosquitoes. The subject developed a weak fever with a mild skin rash. The symptoms disappeared within a week. No more doubt, the Zika virus can infect human being via a mosquito bite.

The Zika virus was isolated in numerous species of Aedes mosquitoes in Africa and Malaysia. In 2007, the virus was identified in Micronesia, in what was the first large scale epidemic. Since then, the Zika virus has been considered as an emerging virus.

Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

During 2013, an outbreak was raging in French Polynesia. The virus rapidly spread and was confirmed in the five archipelagos of French Polynesia which count roughly 270,000 inhabitants. Between October 2013 and March 2014, the number of infected persons is estimated at 28,000 individuals. 73 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome were described during this epidemic. The Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare affection that can cause muscle weakness and even paralysis. Sporadic cases of Zika virus disease were described throughout Oceania.

In Brazil, at the start of 2015, an increasing number of patients presenting symptoms similar to the Dengue virus disease were observed. This increase stroke the attention of Brazilian Public Health authorities. An infectious disease specialist evaluated some patients and laboratory results confirmed that the virus was not the Dengue nor the Chikunguya virus. In March 2015, the Zika virus was confirmed by the Carlos Chagas Institute. It was the first time that Zika virus disease was contracted in the Americas.

The virus strain isolated in Brazil is somewhat close to the Asian strains with similarities to the virus isolated in Oceania a few years ago. Some experts believe that the virus was imported into Brazil during the World Championship of pirogue (va’a) that was held in Brazil in August 2014. Four Oceanian countries where the virus is circulating were present at the Championship. To this day, it was estimated that about 1.5 million cases of Zika virus disease occurred in Brazil, which makes it the biggest Zika virus outbreak ever recorded. It is now spreading to other countries where the Aedes mosquitoes are present. The Zika virus is suspected to be linked to microcephaly touching the fœtus of infected mothers. According to the Brazil Health Minister, 4,783 suspects cases of microcephaly were described so far (February 2016). Active research is ongoing to find if and how can the Zika virus be related to birth defects.

Zika Virus is there a Risk for Surface Contamination?

January 29, 2016April 1, 2016Rémi Charlebois

Zika virus is an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It was discovered in 1947 in a monkey in Uganda. Zika virus is mainly present in Central America and South America but also in Africa and Oceania.

Zika virus, what is it?

With the Zika virus, it is reporteded that nearly 3 out of 4 infections do not present any symptoms. When symptoms occur, it looks like the flu: fever, headache, body aches with rashes, beginning 3-12 days after being bitten by mosquitoes. Zika virus can also manifest as conjunctivitis or pain behind the eyes, as well as swelling of the hands or feet. The disease is not directly fatal.

Why are pregnant women particularly at risk?

If a pregnant woman is infected, she can pass the virus to her baby through the placenta or during birth.

It is suspected that pregnant women infected with the virus could give birth to babies with microcephaly. Babies are born with a head circumference below 33 cm and irreversible mental retardation.

However, there is no fully proven causal link between Zika and microcephaly and because some mothers do not believe they had the virus.

What precautions should you take?

There is no vaccine against the Zika virus. It is recommended to protect yourself against bites by wearing long clothing and using insect repellent and mosquito nets.
According to the official website of the Government of Canada (canadaensante.gc.ca)

No local transmission of Zika virus have been reported in Canada. At present, the mosquitoes that transmit Zika virus are not found in Canada because of the climate. So the likelihood of transmission is very low in the country.

Lassa fever could become a topic of much more serious concern

The media focus on the Zika virus is currently brings shadow on the epidemic of Lassa fever now raging in Nigeria and Benin. Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic fever often compared to the Ebola virus.

Low potential for contamination of surfaces

Zika virus is mainly transmitted through mosquito bites. However, hygiene and safety should follow their normal procedures including disinfection of high potential contamination of surfaces and hand washing.

Press release of the MSSS

On 29 January 2016, the national public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, also issued a statement to inform the public about Zika. You can read the detail here

How to obtain a more effective disinfection with Certiklör?

November 4, 2015November 17, 2017Kim Beauregard

How to obtain a more effective disinfection with Certiklör?

What is Certiklör? The name of a new chemical? A new government certification?

None of the above! Simply put, Certiklör technology is the insurance for you, your patients and all Canadians to achieve a better, more efficient and high quality disinfection. Certiklör is a proprietary technology developed by Lalema for you. This technology ensures that you have in the bottle, an effective stabilized hypochlorite, and here to stay!

Stabilized hypochlorite?

Yes, yes! Let me explain. The hypochlorite that is found in bleach for example, flies away usually at a fast rate of more than 1% per month. This means that after 12 months, there will remain only small amounts of the active ingredient: the hypochlorite found in bleach! Imagine how fast this bleach goes away when it’s on the surface to be disinfected in the open air when it does so quickly when, in a closed container!

The difference with our Certiklör stabilized hypochlorite?

The name says it all: stabilized hypochlorite!

How to know if a product uses Certiklör stabilized hypochloritetechnology?

Now, how can you determine which Lalema products use this technology ? Easy! Look at the product label! For now, look at Ali-Flex RTU and Ali-Flex LF.
So if you care about your health, life quality and efficiency at work, think Certiklör stabilized hypochlorite!

Happy Global Handwashing Day

October 15, 2015November 17, 2017Rémi Charlebois

October 15th is a day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing.

Handwashing is easy

Only a small amount of water and soap are necessary to accomplish a small action that provides great benefits. It takes 30 seconds and a bit of hand rubbing.

Handwashing works

Washing hands after using the toilet and before handling food can dramatically reduce the risk of infections such as foodborne infection. This year, handwashing was critical in the prevention of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

Handwashing is for everyone

We always ask children to wash their hands before eating, when they are back from school or after playing in the yard. From toddlers to elderly, handwashing never loses its importance. Infections can be transmitted by anyone to everyone. In order to protect children or elderly, everyone should wash their hands. After all, it is the most cost-effective public health intervention.

For more information see : globalhandwashing.org

How to reduce fatigue and nosocomial infection at the same time

September 17, 2015November 17, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

Working long hours in an upright position rings a bell to you? Back pain, stress and fatigue are your daily meals? There may be a solution for you.

First: Reduce fatigue with an anti-fatigue mat

One of the features found in this type of carpet is the presence of an absorbent foam. Has it been developed by NASA? In fact, we only need to know if it works. If fatigue is reduced and comfort is improved, then risk of injury and error is reduced.

Second: a unique environment

Anti-fatigue mats are found in dry, wet or oily environement. It is however possible to have a dry environment where there is a risk of contamination.

Most ergonomic mats designed for a dry environment have no backing as shown by the following picture:

When the mat is placed in an environment where there is a risk of contamination, for example in a intensive care unit, a nurse workstation or an examination room, this can be a real problem. Indeed, how can one ensure the disinfection of such a foam pad, an absorbent material, is located under the carpet ?

A suitable carpet to reduce fatigue for the Healthcare Environment

The solution? Get a sealed carpet. This is exactly what was done with the Pure-Clean anti-fatigue mat.

Pure Clean carpets (also known previously under the name Pure Ergo-by Lalema) is an ergonomic mat designed specifically for critical areas in terms of infection control.

Non-porous carpet completely sealed sides
Resistant surface cuts and punctures
Very easy to clean and disinfect
Excellent anti-fatigue properties

Dilution is the solution

August 20, 2015November 17, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

The dilution of chemical products in housekeeping is certainly one of the aspects where the lack of knowledge is most evident.

Dilution is often misunderstood

Effectively, there are unfortunately too many housekeepers that have the habit of adding a too large quantity of chemicals to their washing solution. Therefore, if they would come to a stop for an instant, in order to realize up to which point this may be harmful to their work, this bad habit would be lost very quickly.

We must indeed remember that cleaning chemical products are conceived to reach their maximum potential with a very precise volume of water.

Consequently, we must use a dilution measuring system that should be standardized for the whole working team.

Effects of under-dilution

With respect to Health and Safety, under dilution can cause:

Dermatitis problems
Respiratory tract problems
Toxic fumes may cause cancer, difficult to prove and difficult to be recognized by the CSST.

With respect to work efficiency and surfaces, under dilution can:

Damage surfaces, since an under-diluted alkaline product will make a dull effect, by opening the pores of the floor coverings and thus allowing the deposit of alkalis. Acids, on the contrary, close the pores of the floor coverings and also burn the surface.
Leave a film on the surface that will give a continuous streaky appearance and this film being greasy will facilitate the adherence of dirt.
Cause enormous rinse problems because it will create foam in the solution container, which anyway has no cleaning effect.
Disturb disinfection efficiency.
Result in a loss of efficiency, since a well-diluted product reduces the physical demand to perform a task and favors the mechanical action.

Effects of over-dilution

Over dilution can cause:

Result in no disinfection.
Result in loss of efficiency since an over-diluted product will increase the physical workload at the expense of the mechanical action.

The right dilution is always the best solution

The use of a dilution system does not have to be complicated or costly. Portable system such as Optimixx Portable Dilution System can be used as so.

Biofilm: The Next Big Thing in Disinfection

July 7, 2015October 20, 2022Ewa Weclawik

The Next Big Thing in Disinfection: Biofilm

Have you ever wondered what are the main factors affecting the efficacy of disinfection and sterilization in the healthcare facility? U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists seven major causes of microbiological persistence on surfaces:

Number of microorganisms
Microbial resistance to biocides
Concentration and Potency of Disinfectants
Duration of Exposure
Chemical and Physical Factors
Presence of Organic or Inorganic Matter
Biofilms

For many experienced healthcare professionals, these factors are well known and often well dealt with. However, did you know the difference between soil (organic and inorganic matter) and biofilm? They both can significantly lower the efficacy of disinfection, but the biofilm is much harder to remove and control.

What is biofilm and how does it form?

Biofilm is an aggregation of microbial cells, surrounded by a protective layer of extracellular polymeric matrix, which attaches itself to any surface found in the hospital environment and becomes a source of contamination. Formation of complex, multicellular communities by microorganisms is a natural phenomenon which helps bacteria or fungi to survive environmental stress such as cleaning and disinfection.

Many pathogens require a presence of conditioning layer made from organic soil to settle and start extracellular matrix synthesis. But there are bacteria which don’t really need much help to start a biofilm community. When pathogens settle down and surround themselves in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), they are much harder to kill.

It has been reported that bacteria found in biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to biocides than their planktonic counterparts.

How to outsmart and fight biofilm?

Despite biofilms’ rigid structure and resistance mechanisms, biofilm cells can still be outsmarted. Since EPS is the ultimate protective barrier and communication route for pathogens, the control of biofilm should start with disruption of the EPS itself, followed by an application of a biocide.

MERS-CoV: Practical Tips for Disinfection

June 25, 2015November 17, 2017Rémi Charlebois

MERS-CoV: Practical Tips for Disinfection

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is slowly spreading through the Middle East and Asia. Transmission, so far, seems to happen when a close contact with an infected individual occurs. This type of transmission has led to many healthcare associated infections to this day. As an example, a patient that waited for 2.5 days in a Seoul emergency department, end up transmitting the disease to 55 persons.

So far, the case-fatality rate is around 36 %, which is very high. However, this number may not be representative of a normal population and its kill rate is likely to be overestimated. A bias might exist when looking at the population who acquired the virus in Korea. Of the 171 cases, many had underlying medical conditions and have a median age of 55.

Official recommendations

CDC and Health Canada issued a few recommendations on infection control and prevention so far, and more is likely to be available soon. Regardless of their recommendations few data are available on environmental hygiene and disinfection practice regarding MERS-CoV in healthcare settings. Also, the transmission through the environment is not well known for this virus.

How to disinfect?

Regarding disinfection few information are available. Coronaviruses are non-enveloped virus which makes them more resistant to certain disinfectant. As an example, it is known that a 400 ppm solution of quaternary ammonium compounds is ineffective against those viruses. Sodium hypochlorite at a minimum of 1,000 ppm seems to be sufficient, however a higher concentration would be optimal in healthcare settings. Very few data exist regarding other disinfectant technology.

At this moment, isolation with contact-droplets precaution is advised. In spite of the fact that it was suggested during the SARS outbreak that this type isolation might not be sufficient. Even though these two viruses are similar, we must remember that many differences exist. Thus we must be careful with extrapolation of data.

IPAC Canada 2015 : Thank you

June 23, 2015November 17, 2017Rémi Charlebois

It was a pleasure to chat with some of you about current practice in environmental hygiene regarding infection control.

We hope you liked Ali-Flex RTU, our low odor, non-corrosive, broad spectrum and ready to use disinfectant cleaner. There is a great potential for improvement in the field of environmental hygiene and we are dedicated to it.

We look forward to hearing from you, but in the meantime, with best regards we remain.

The Ali-Flex Team (Manon, John and Remi)

PS If you want to know more about Ali-Flex RTU, visit our main web site.

IPAC Canada 2015 meeting, what to expect this year ?

May 15, 2015November 17, 2017Rémi Charlebois

Infection prevention and control Canada will hold its annual conference in just a month. This year it will take place in beautiful Victoria, BC. The theme surfing waves of change promise to bring a wind of new approaches and effective solutions to enhance the practice of ICPs. Key opinion leaders and other highly influential speakers will provide a tsunami of information through presentation and multiple discussions. With a special focus on compliance reporting on environmental hygiene and hand hygiene, this conference might inspire a real wave of change.

IPAC Canada 2015

IPAC is also an excellent opportunity to meet with the industry leader in the broad field of infection prevention. Whether you are looking for new environmental hygiene tools, a better software to monitor your antimicrobial stewardship program or hand hygiene audit solutions, key industries will be there. It will also be the perfect occasion to get familiar with the Ali-Flex brand.

Will you be on board to meet the rip tides of change ? We will! Meet us at booth 72!

#IPACCanada2015 #AliFlex

Expo Lalema 2015 : Its a rendezvous

April 9, 2015November 17, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

We are very proud to invite you to our 3rd edition of EXPO LALEMA. Last year was a frank success at that was because so many of you, dear clients, collaborators and friends showed up. Beware, we expect this year to be even better!

Ali-Flex product lines will be displayed

The whole Ali-Flex product line will be displayed and you will be meeting with our environmental hygiene specialist. Furthermore, exclusive announcements will be made.

Dedicated Partners

We are lucky to have such dedicated partners and always there for our clients and ourself. This year some of our most respected partners will join us. Rubbermaid, 3M, Kimberly Clark, Cascades, Bobrick, Comac, Eco II, Nacecare et Atlas Graham will be there to answer your questions and presenting you the way they rethink hygiene.

Expo Lalema : Its a rendezvous

This year we will be receiving you in the Canada pavilon on the Notre-Dame island. Many surprises await you!

Don’t forget to save the date, you won’t regret it!

We will be waiting for you on April 30th 2015. Doors will open at 11h00 at 1, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Pavillon du Canada Toundra room.

You can subscribe via e-mail (mlandry@lalema.com) or directly on our website site at : www.lalema.com.

We look forward to seeing you there,

Why choose a Ready-to-use Bleach based Cleaner-Disinfectant?

March 31, 2015November 17, 2017Gaétan Lanthier

In the actual market, you can find many cleaner-disinfectants. When it comes to consumer products, you’ll find a lot of brand, most of them are ready to use. It means you do not have to dilute the product and use it as is to disinfect. For industrial and institutionnal use, most of cleaner-disinfectants are concentrated if not ultra-concentrated. In that case, why choose a ready-to-use Bleach based Cleaner-Disinfectant for institutionnal use?

Main benefit of a low-foam concentrated product

Let’s talk about a product like Ali-Flex LF, a product like this one offers a high concentration for general disinfection in hospitals. On a day to day basis, with the right dilution system, the surfactants contained in ALI-FLEX LF increase the wetting power of this chlorinated disinfectant and contribute to degrease and remove dirt from hard non porous surfaces such as countertops, walls, floors, toilets, commode chairs, etc.

Main benefit of a ready-to-use chlorinated disinfectant cleaner

When it comes to infection control, one important aspect is to reduce the risk. We know that dilution systems can sometimes be flawed and not consistant with delivery concentration. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain a consistant known concentration. That is exactly what Ali-Flex RTU can provide: a factory consistant concentration of 6000 PPM (when packaged) with a validated shelf-life.

Of course it may generate more plastic in the environnement. Recycling may then be on option to consider. At the same time, when patient’s lifes are at risk, all factors that can reduce the risk is of important value.

What are you using in your facility?

Tell us what kind of product you are using. Are you in control? Are you facing problems when it comes to stop eclosion? Surely we can help you! Let’s talk!

FIFO: First In, First Out also applies to disinfectant!

January 13, 2015November 17, 2017Rémi Charlebois

First In, First Out (FIFO): also applies to disinfectant!

Some of you may be familiar with the FIFO concept. FIFO is a method for organizing and manipulating goods such as food, it is also used in computer science to organize data. In the food industry, FIFO is essential in order to ensure freshness, preventing foodborne illness and controlling costs.

Can a cleaning product expire?

When it comes to disinfectant the same goes, a fresher or let’s say a newer product is better. I sometimes hear people saying that soap doesn’t expire. Even though the shelf life of soap is way greater than most food items, soaps and other cleaning products do expire. Same goes for disinfectant the active ingredient of a disinfectant whether it is quats, chlorine or peroxide will diminish over time. Hence to ensure a proper disinfection it is important to use product that are not expired. A good way to achieve this is by implementing a FIFO rotation system. By always using the oldest disinfectant that you have in inventory first, you make sure that you won’t get stuck with old and maybe expired stuff!

How to know if a cleaning product is expired?

This is a broad question… For disinfectant it is pretty easy, Health Canada and the EPA requires that all disinfectant have an expiration date on their label. Most cleaning product however does not have an expiration date and the shelf life varies greatly among them. But some signs won’t get you wrong. If the color, the odor, the consistency of the product is changed or if you see a deposit in the product it might be a good sign that the product is expired. In case of doubt, call the manufacturer, with the lot number every good manufacturer will be able to tell you if the product is expired.