Sessions at this year’s ISSA cleaning trade show had a common theme: the importance of cleaning for health rather than cleaning for appearance.
Before the coronavirus pandemic changed the world, the act of cleaning was usually done behind the scenes or after hours and often focused on cleaning for appearance by emptying waste bins, making sure surfaces and floors were free from debris, and ensuring restroom mirrors and counters were clean and shiny. However, in 2020, cleaning to kill germs and maintain the health and safety of building users has been the focus, with surface disinfection and hand hygiene being paramount. The cleaning task is now being carried out with much more frequency, and as building users see cleaning and disinfecting happening, they are assured of a commitment to cleaning for health. In fact, cleaning professionals are very much front-line workers, helping to combat the spread of coronavirus, and are to be commended for doing more work, often with fewer resources.
A plethora of sessions at the ISSA show―held virtually last month―discussed disinfection, the importance of reading labels and allowing enough contact time with a surface to effectively kill germs, and the use of electrostatic sprayers and UV-C radiation lights for large–area disinfection. It is important to note that although the focus remains on keeping facilities free of SARS CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), many other bacteria and viruses remain threats to our health, and they have certainly not disappeared. Speakers also emphasized the increased attention being paid to restroom cleaning and disinfection and the importance of frequent and effective hand hygiene to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Kline has served the industrial and institutional cleaning industry for more than 40 years and has published several reports this past year focusing on market trends, growth, competition, and opportunities.
Kline’s Industrial and Institutional Hand Care: U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities study helps assess the impact of COVID-19 on professional hand care sales in 2020 and makes scenario forecasts for future sales. This comprehensive assessment of the U.S. away-from-home hand care market is based on structured research with more than 500 end users and focuses on spending, consumption, dispensing, and hand drying as well as general market trends and opportunities, and product preferences. This report was published in October 2020.
Later this month, Kline will also publish an update to our Janitorial Cleaning Products: Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Market, which provides assumptions and scenario forecasts for expected sales and consumption by end–use segment and product class. Our flagship study of the industry, Janitorial and Housekeeping Cleaning Products, which is based on over 1,100 end-user surveys, will be published in June 2020. For more details, contact us.
