Restroom: Feminine Hygiene Products as published in Housekeeping Solutions

Hat's off to Housekeeping Solutions and author Kassandra Kania to openly discuss FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS AND DISPOSAL in April's Digital Edition of Housekeepi​ng Solutions!

"Feminine hygiene products typically receive little attention in the industry. Embarrassment and lack of knowledge are often at the center of a male-dominated custodial staff's reluctance to discuss this category."

In regard to the section on Hazards of Handling there are significant problems with the commonly used waxed paper liner bags. OSHA expects the receptacles to be lined to protect the cleaning staff from coming in direct contact with soiled feminine care products. As cited in the article, these liners do not hold their form and discarded waste piles up outside of the bag. Thus, cleaning staff must reach their hands into the receptacle to remove the waste.

Thank you to Darrel Hicks with St Luke's Hospital for discussing an improved specially designed scented poly liner bag that provide housekeeping staff with features and benefits to make removal safe, efficient and hygienic.

www.cleanlink.com/hs/article.asp?id=13000&keywords=restroom,+feminine,+hygiene,+sanitary

THIS IS FROM JEN WITH A JANITORIAL SUPPLY COMPANY IN ONTARIO CANADA

As a woman, I know there is a need for a change because the status quo isn’t sanitary or effective – but it’s the way it’s always been done and no one wants to “rock the boat” and make a change.

Your products are what's needed, but it’s something that men don’t recognize unless they are the ones that actually change those nasty bags in the stalls.

There is so much misinformation about what those receptacles are supposed to do; many facilities will put one bag open in the receptacle and all the ladies that use that stall are supposed to use the same bag all day.

Other facilities put a stack of bags in the receptacle and ladies are supposed to take a bag out, wrap their napkin in it and toss it into the trash. This makes the most sense to me, but I have spoke with custodians that say that some women will stuff their napkin in the receptacle and contaminate all of the bags that are stored in there causing them to waste them to restock. This has the potential to be a huge expense to a business.

I feel that the general public has a lack of education on what the procedure should be for sanitary napkin disposal, and when you couple that with a resistance to change in the community (part of which is a fear of change in this economic climate) it is an uphill battle.

Now that being said, I think one way to educate women is to have some sort of signage that can be mounted with in the stall with the directions, features and benefits to the product.