Las Vegas Casinos Adopt New Weapon in Fight Against Norovirus; Disposable Wipers Meet County Health Department Recommendations

LAS VEGAS -- In the wake of recent outbreaks of the Norovirus in Las Vegas, casinos, hotels and other hospitality facilities are turning to new cleaning and sanitization methods outlined by the Clark County (Nevada) Health District (CCHD).  One of the CCHDs recommendations is the use of disposable cleaning cloths to replace laundered cloth towels for all cleaning activities.

Use of disposable cleaning cloths is thought to help break the chain of infection that can occur when the highly contagious Noroviruses are spread via contact with a surface contaminated with the virus.

With a reusable cloth towel, you may spread viruses and germs from one location to the next as you clean, says Andy Clement, category manager, Kimberly-Clark Professional.  But a disposable cleaning cloth like a WypAll® Wiper is designed to be tossed away after each use, lessening the chances for the spread of germs.

The CCHDs Norovirus Outbreak Prevention Guidelines for Hotels/Casinos calls for the use of disposable cleaning cloths instead of cloth towels that are laundered and then reused:

-- During basic cleanup and sanitization, including the use of separate colored cloths in toilet areas

-- In routine guest room cleaning, including the use of separate colored cloths in toilet areas and a new set of cloths to be used for each guest room.  Separate cloths are to be used for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces

-- For emesis and feces removal

-- For treatment of other contaminated materials

The line of WypAll® Wipers is available in different colors -- red, white and blue -- to help casinos and lodging properties with this color-coding recommendation, Clement adds, noting that shortly after the October/November Norovirus outbreak, Kimberly-Clark Professional received an order for 2,000 cases of the disposable towels from a Las Vegas casino eager to meet the new cleaning and sanitization recommendations.

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional