Antimicrobial vs Antibacterial

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If you haven’t heard of Veraco yet they produce hygiene safe wraps.  These UK manufactured touchpoint wraps reduce the transmission of bacteria and viruses on handles, buttons, handrails and turnstiles. The wraps use silver ion technology and tests show 99.97% efficacy against Human Coronavirus 229E.

 

An important question often asked by our clients is “What is the difference between Antimicrobial and Antibacterial? While the terms often appear to have the same meaning, it’s vital to understand that there is a clear difference between them.

 

What Does Antibacterial Mean?

An antibacterial substance inhibits the growth of bacteria cells or kills them. This prevents them from spreading illnesses caused by bacteria, like:

  • E. coli
  • Shigella
  • Salmonella

Antibacterial products can only prevent bacterial growth and spread, and are not effective against fungi and viruses. Antibacterial products contain active ingredients that create hostile environments that are inhospitable for bacteria.

 

 

 

What Does Antimicrobial Mean?

An antimicrobial agent is a substance that works to eliminate or inhibit the growth of a variety of microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi and viruses. They’re also effective against certain parasites and mites, such as house dust mites.

Antimicrobials protect against a variety of different illnesses and infections including:

  • Coronavirus
  • Influenza
  • Ebola
  • The common cold

Antimicrobials work by disrupting and stopping the growth of a variety of microorganisms at a cellular level. These microorganisms would ordinarily self-replicate, meaning that they can spread and cause infections. Antimicrobial products contain agents, like silver ions, that protect against microorganisms.

The silver ions in these products attach themselves to a cell’s proteins, interfere with its DNA and block its respiratory system. This stops the cell’s energy production and causes it to burst.

Why Choose Antimicrobial v Antibacterial?

First and foremost, where an antibacterial product won’t protect you from COVID-19, an antimicrobial will.

What is antimicrobial technology?

The technology uses antimicrobial substances in products to reduce or eliminate the presence of microbes like bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Antimicrobial Wraps….How do we use this technology?

The adhesive pads and wraps are designed to be used on frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles, shopping trolleys and handrails, to stop the spread of viruses.

Easy Fix

The adhesive wraps are quick to fix and simply require the chosen surface to be clean and dry.  You simply peel the adhesive backing and press to secure the hygiene wrap which will last for 12 months.  These wraps can be used inside or outside.

 

To learn more click here or to check out the range click here .

 

 

Business building

What is included in property maintenance services?

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Unless property maintenance is your core business, all those little maintenance jobs are likely to be put at the bottom of your ‘To Do’ list owing to the fact that they don’t directly bring money into the company. By outsourcing your property maintenance services, you’ll significantly reduce the amount of time you spend on maintenance, enabling you to take care of what you’re good at, knowing that your premises are being looked after by the experts and you are fully compliant. 

We offer a number of property management services that will help you maintain your property to a high standard, giving you the peace of mind that your premises are clean, safe and well maintained. We’ll also help to ease your workload because all you need to do is contact us and we’ll do the rest! 

Grounds Maintenance

Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM)

We will help you draw up a schedule of all the planned and compliance related jobs that you know you’ll need to do throughout the year. Our highly trained experts will make sure your equipment is working efficiently, identify any potential problems and schedule preventative repairs at a time that suits you. If you know there may be a problem but leave things until they go wrong, you run the risk of disrupting your work, reducing productivity or impacting business continuity, as well as incurring emergency call-out fees. An additional problem which many companies are experiencing as a result of the pandemic is that you can no longer rely on parts being available when you need them. With PPM, you can order spare parts in advance, so even if there’s a delay in delivery, you won’t experience disruption. 

A picture of work tools for minor repairs

Repairs 

Whether it’s a broken office chair, a cracked sink, a scratched table, chipped tiles, a leaking sink or a broken door, you need to repair it. With everyone recognising the need to work as sustainably as possible, our motto of ‘Repair Don’t Replace’ has never been more apt. Not only is repairing what you have the right thing to do for the planet, it’s also much more cost effective and less disruptive than buying and installing a brand-new replacement. 

And when you’re so obviously taking good care of your company’s property, it encourages your staff to take more care of it too, reducing the chance of accidental damage happening in the future. 

Cleaning and Hygiene

Quills offers cleaning services to maintain hygiene throughout your premises, especially in high-traffic areas. Since the pandemic, it’s even more important to ensure that everything possible is done to protect staff and visitors from the risks of infection, and our anti-bacterial deep clean service has become a very popular addition to our regular cleaning services. 

Cleaning & Hygiene picture of Quills worker

Grounds Maintenance

Outdoor grounds and communal areas come with their own maintenance and cleaning needs, and a facilities management service will provide everything you need, from grass cutting and gardening to waste management and de-icing in the winter months. 

Legionella Testing

Preventing the occurrence of the legionella bacteria in your property’s water system is a fundamental part of your company’s health and safety requirements. Our specialists will be happy to carry out a risk assessment and organise any monitoring, water testing, disinfection and remedial works necessary. All our staff are fully trained and certified. 

Contact us to find out more about what’s included in our property maintenance services and how we can help you with your particular needs.

Facilities Management Office Space

Why Employ a Facilities Management Company?

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If you’re responsible for your company’s property maintenance – whether it’s taking care of one building or managing a portfolio of properties – you’ll know how much time and energy it takes to keep on top of things. There are many different aspects to property maintenance, and keeping on top of all the suppliers you’ll need to carry out repairs, maintenance and any necessary health and safety tests at your properties will take a lot of time, record keeping and energy. This is why going through a Facilities Management Company (FMC) that offers comprehensive facilities management services – such as Quills – makes good business sense. 

Planned Maintenance Jobs

Every workplace needs to employ cleaners, and if your premises has grounds outside you’ll need someone to take care of those on a regular basis too, whether it’s a gardener to look after lawns and flowerbeds, or someone to maintain your paths and car park. If you employ cleaners and maintenance staff directly, you’ll need to pay all the associated costs that come with that, such as recruiting every time someone leaves or finding replacements when employees are off sick or on holiday, as well as the costs of putting them on the payroll and associated HR time. 

We can take care of all your cleaning and maintenance staffing needs on your behalf, giving you and your own staff the time to concentrate on work rather than trying to find someone to cover unexpected staff shortages at the last minute. 

Facilities Management Maintenance

Reactive Repair works

Let’s say, for example, you’re in need of a plumber to fix a leak. It’s been some time since you last used a plumber, and the person you used to use has now retired, leaving you with the problem of sourcing a good and trustworthy tradesperson at short notice. You would need to spend time and energy searching for new plumbers, researching them and reading reviews before booking the work, usually, at a day and time that suits them. By booking through our facilities management reactive service, all works are guaranteed and our trusted tradesperson who will be booked in at a convenient time, day or night.  Emergency call outs can be logged on our 24/7 helpdesk portal or you can call the emergency line if it’s out of business hours. 

As an FMC, Quills has a number of in-house and trusted contractor staff available at all times, so all you’d need to do is get in touch and book the service you need – we’ll take care of the rest. If your tradesperson is unable to make a scheduled maintenance appointment, it is our responsibility to find a trusted replacement who can do the work so the appointment will go ahead without disrupting your day. 

Facilities Management - Planned Maintenance

Scheduled Maintenance

and checks that need to be carried out on a regular basis to ensure your company is up to date with servicing as well as Health & Safety certification, such as PAT testing, fire safety or legionella water testing. An FMC will help you schedule routine work to make sure your company is meeting all its safety requirements. Quills also offers facilities tracking software that allows you to diarise work, check the progress of maintenance work and keep copies of the certifications, photos and other documentation in one central place. Key reporting on works and assets is also available.

Whether you are responsible for a single site or multiple site location, our facilities management services can take care of the upkeep and repairs for your premises. By outsourcing these jobs, you’ll have more time to concentrate on your core business. Contact us to find out more.