University of Tennessee Enhances Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols by Adopting Electrostatic Technology to Better Protect Students from Illness

This flu season has proven challenging, with 63 out of 95 counties in Tennessee having at least one confirmed influenza test this flu season.¹ Schools and universities are particularly sensitive, with surfaces being frequently touched and shared by countless individuals. In fact, our university consists of 286 buildings and 12 residence halls and 21,000 students travel through our student recreation center alone. With numerous large, frequently-shared areas, it can be nearly impossible for custodial staff to disinfect every surface by hand. In addition to hand washing and getting the flu vaccine, surface disinfection is a critical line of defense, as illness-causing germs and viruses can survive on surfaces for extended periods of time.

"Investing in the electrostatic technology was simple and a testament to our devotion to continually elevate our cleaning and disinfection protocols and our desire to change processes to be proactive versus reactive," said Gordon Nelson, assistant director of facilities at the University of Tennessee, "Across our administration and our student body, our community is passionate about health and preventing the spread of harmful illnesses. This technology allows us to better protect our community – it is easy to use, saves time and labor, and is effective," said Nelson. "During times of illness, it can put an immense amount of pressure and strain on our custodial staff but with the Clorox Professional systems, we now feel confident that we can handle anything that comes our way. Numerous public schools in our area have closed because of this year's flu season but there have been zero discussions of us shutting our doors."

The Clorox^® Total 360^® System works by charging the disinfecting or sanitizing solution. The charged solution is then attracted to surfaces with a force stronger than gravity, allowing it to wrap around and uniformly coat even the hardest-to-reach surfaces such as the undersides of desks, athletic facility gym mats, keyboards, and soft surfaces, that can be easily missed through manual cleaning. The six Clorox^® Total 360^® Systems on a weekly basis to sanitize and disinfect a wide range of areas on campus including student recreation centers, athletic facilities, administrative offices, libraries, computer stations, and restrooms.

"We are proud to partner with Clorox Professional in our mission to provide a healthy environment and keep professors teaching and students learning," said Nelson. "We have always had a strong relationship with Clorox Professional. A year ago, we standardized to improve our cleaning protocols and products and the Clorox^® Total 360^® System was the obvious choice to include in our bundle of products," said Nelson.

To learn more about the Clorox^® Total 360^® System, visit cloroxtotal360.com.

About University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is the state's flagship land grant university, with 11 colleges and 900+ programs of study. It hosts more than 28,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. The campus covers 910 acres and is housed in 285 buildings with 12 residence halls.

¹ "Sentinel Provider Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) Surveillance Summary for the Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 2018 (Week 5)," Tennessee Department of Health, Jan. 28, 2018. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep-weeklyreports/flu_summary/ILI_spnreport_2018_05c.pdf,

SOURCE University of Tennessee

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