Public spaces, even those we think should be the cleanest, like hotel rooms and care home resident rooms, can harbor unsafe bacteria and mold growth. Even with consistent housekeeping schedules, some surfaces just can’t be easily sanitized. The culprit; “un-washable” soft surfaces like upholstered furniture, curtains, mattresses, duvets, throw pillows, and rugs. Research has shown that nearly three-quarters of nursing homes have been cited for lapses in infection control, more than any other type of health violation^[1]. In addition, travel experts often warn against touching hotel carpets because the number of germs harbored there can be up to 200,000 bacteria per square inch, which is thousands of times more than what lives on the average toilet seat. 

That’s why P&G Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, developed its new Febreze® Professional Concentrated Sanitizing Fabric Refresher, the first formula to sanitize, prevent mold and mildew growth and remove odors from soft surfaces leaving nothing behind but the fresh scent of Febreze. It also kills 99.9 percent of bacteria, and when used as directed, is effective against 16 types of bacteria providing a sanitizing solution for high-touch, but little washed soft surfaces. 

“Soft surfaces have always presented a challenge for our customers, who want to eliminate germs to help protect their guests, but do not want to damage the surfaces or leave behind a harsh scent. Until now there has not been a soft surface solution that kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and provides odor eliminating technology with the freshness of Febreze,” said Paul Edmondson, Commercial Director, North America, P&G Professional. “Nearly half of Healthcare surfaces alone are soft surfaces, harboring harmful bacteria. Now, professionals can safely sanitize those surfaces while leaving behind the fresh scent of Febreze.”

The EPA-registered formula is ideal for healthcare, hospitality, educational, and even office settings that have public spaces and high concentrations of people and are filled with ‘un-washable’ soft surfaces like sofas and chairs, rugs, duvets, bedspreads, and decorative pillows - all of which can harbor harmful bacteria.

^[1] https://khn.org/news/infection-lapses-rampant-in-nursing-homes-but-punishment-is-rare/