We’ve all seen environmental cleaners at some point in our lives. Typically, we would’ve seen them in hospitals and clinics, either in real life or on TV. Aside from that, you may even see them at the scene of a crime or some kinds of accidents.
The most noticeable thing about those environmental cleaners is that they often wear personal protective equipment (PPE), typically in the form of disposable coveralls with a hood. But why do they need to do that? Is it vital to wear that much protection just to clean?
The simple answer to that is YES. Environmental cleaners must cover themselves from head to toe as they work, and the most efficient way to do that is with disposable coveralls with a hood.
In this article, we’re going to dive deeper to understand why environmental cleaners need disposable coveralls with hood.
What is Environmental Cleaning?
Suppose you want to learn why environmental cleaners dress with so much extra protection on the job. In that case, it will help first to understand the nature of their profession.
You see, environmental cleaning isn’t like any other regular kinds of cleaning. Sure, many of the tasks are similar like wiping, removing dust, and mopping floors.
But more important than that, environmental cleaners do all of these tasks in dangerous environments that pose a direct threat to their health.
In hospitals, for example, environmental cleaners face the daily risk of infection and disease.
Their responsibility is to ensure that surfaces and areas are clean so that other people don’t get infected either. To do this effectively, they have to use industrial-strength cleaning supplies like disinfectants, degreasers, and different types of chemical cleaners.
Because of all the health risks involved, environmental cleaners keep themselves covered from head to toe with disposable coveralls. With that gear on, there’s no risk of diseases or harsh cleaning chemicals touching the cleaner’s skin. The hood, on the other hand, offers the same protection to the wearer’s head and hair.
The Benefits Of Disposable Coveralls for Environmental Cleaning
Given the health risks that environmental cleaners face daily, it’s easy to understand why they must wear protective equipment at all times. But why do so many wear disposable coveralls instead of reusable ones?
Well, as it turns out, there is a long list of reasons why disposable ones are a more practical choice. Let’s explore some of the benefits of disposable coveralls when it comes to environmental cleaning.
Excellent Protective Properties
For starters, disposable coveralls offer excellent protective properties. Remember: environmental cleaners often work in environments surrounded by diseases and other unhealthy airborne particles, as well as harsh chemical cleaners.
Manufacturers these days can produce disposable coveralls using materials that resist even the smallest of airborne particles. That’s excellent news, as it means that less surface area of the wearer’s body is exposed to whatever is in the air around them.
On top of that, the materials that go into making disposable coveralls also protect wearers from other occupational hazards. Chief among them would be the exposure to harsh cleaning chemicals.
Even though such chemicals make the environmental cleaning process much more effective, they’re often unsafe for direct skin contact. So, cleaners can use them with more peace of mind if they do so while wearing disposable coveralls with hoods.
With that in mind, it’s clear that just because the overalls are disposable, it doesn’t mean that they are by any means inferior to reusable kinds.
As a result, environmental cleaners can continue working with better peace of mind.
Light Material For Maximum Flexibility
Typically, manufacturers produce disposable coveralls using lightweight materials. That is fantastic news for the environmental cleaners who wear them, especially if they do so for extended periods.
If you think about it, the job of any cleaner is already physically-demanding as it is. If someone were to wear any heavy protective gear, that person would get fatigued much quicker than usual. That would lead to more frequent breaks and a drop in overall efficiency.
Still, being lightweight isn’t the only factor that makes disposable coveralls ideal. Environmental cleaners also need to wear protective overalls that give them a maximum range of motion. That way, they can move and work without feeling restricted.
No Uncertainty About Cleanliness
When you work in a job that exposes you to health risks, you can’t afford to second-guess yourself. That goes double when the dangers are microscopic, like the microbes that environmental cleaners try to avoid.
In such situations, the problem with reusable outfits is that it can be hard to tell whether or not they’re clean enough. Even if you wash them yourself, there’s always the small chance that you missed something that increases your risk of infection.
But with disposable coveralls, there’s zero uncertainty about cleanliness. Each time you put one on, you can rest assured that no one else has worn it before. When you’re done, you can just dispose of it straight away.
In simpler terms, environmental cleaners need disposable coveralls with hoods so that they know that they’re the first and last person to wear that particular outfit.
Zero Washing Costs
Some people may assume that relying on disposable coveralls will cut into your company’s profits. After all, you’ll have to continually buy new supplies, right? Well, yes. However, doing that actually has the added benefit of reducing company overheads, not increasing them!
The reason for this is pretty straightforward. With reusable uniforms or protective gear, the company has to pay lots of money for washing and laundry costs. Even if the company washes those uniforms in-house, it’ll still drive up overheads through labour and other expenses.
With disposable coveralls, that’s not a problem at all. They’re much cheaper per unit, and continually ordering new ones is still worth it thanks to the lack of washing costs!
Bear in mind that this doesn’t just mean saving a few dollars and cents for the environmental cleaning company. By cutting down on washing costs, they can invest elsewhere in the business. This could mean better equipment, better supplies, or even higher salaries for cleaners themselves!
To put it simply, everyone wins!
Compact And Portable
Still, washing costs aren’t the only ways that companies can save with disposable coveralls. These kinds of protective gear are also much more compact and portable than reusable outfits or uniforms, reducing the need for storage space and weight capacity.
Improving efficiency in terms of space and weight goes a very long way towards making an environmental cleaner’s work much simpler. Thanks to their use of disposable coveralls, they won’t have to free up too much space in their lockers or work vehicles to store their coveralls.
Using less space means they can transport other essential items like supplies and equipment. Plus, hauling less weight in work vehicles also means better fuel efficiency overall.
On top of that, environmental cleaning companies can pack hundreds of disposable overalls in storerooms easily without having to pay for extra storage space.
Easy Disposal
Ask any environmental cleaner, and they’ll tell you that the best part of their day is taking off their disposable coveralls and disposing of them. That’s because they’re so easy to get rid of! Wearers simply have to take them off and put them in the designated bin for disposable protective gear.
Of course, companies will have to prepare that bin following their policies and any local laws related to the matter. But overall, the process is straightforward for both the environmental cleaner wearing those overalls and their employers as well.
Affordability
One of the most significant reasons why disposable coveralls have become a necessity for environmental cleaners is the price tag. Disposable coveralls with hoods are incredibly affordable, so much so that losing one or two won’t really bother anyone.
Low costs, plus all of the other benefits mentioned above combine to make disposable coveralls the best option for anyone in the environmental cleaning industry.
Zero Repairs and Maintenance
Not only is there no need to wash disposable coveralls, there are also no repair or maintenance costs involved! Reusable protective outfits suffer wear and tear after being on the job for a while, and money is needed to make them useful again.
With the low costs associated with disposable coveralls, any rips and tears are not a problem at all. The user simply needs to dispose of the damaged protective outfit and get a new one. As mentioned before, these outfits are so compact and portable that environmental cleaners can keep at least a few of them in their work vehicle.
With that in mind, cleaners will experience almost no downtime on account of a damaged protective outfit when they rely on disposable ones instead of reusable uniforms.
Final Thoughts
At this point, it should be apparent why environmental cleaners need disposable coveralls with hoods. There’s no question about it: disposable coveralls offer so much value at such an affordable price that no environmental cleaner can go without them. Their superior protective properties make reusable uniforms and protective gear almost obsolete entirely.
