ATP and fluorescent cleaning monitoring
CleanZ keeps fluorescent marker and ATP results in the same record as the cleaning steps they check, and records UV-C cycles as a checklist step. The person who runs spot checks, infection prevention in a hospital, logs each test with its method, device model and threshold, so a result can still be read correctly months later.
Three methods, three different questions
Each method measures something different. None of them is the whole answer, so CleanZ stores what each one shows rather than treating them as interchangeable.
- Fluorescent marker
What it shows: Whether a marked surface was wiped. Marks are placed before the clean and checked after it under UV light.
What the record keeps: Surfaces marked, marks removed, who checked, and a photo.
- ATP
What it shows: Organic residue on one surface, as a reading in relative light units (RLU) on one meter.
What the record keeps: The reading, a photo of the meter, the meter model, the facility's threshold for that model, and who tested.
- UV-C
What it shows: That a disinfection cycle ran, where your protocol includes one.
What the record keeps: Recorded as a step in your protocol, like any other: done, by whom and when.
Why the method is stored with every result
76% versus 45%
Fluorescent markers rated 76% of surfaces clean and ATP rated 45%, across the same surfaces in 100 terminal-cleaned rooms. The two methods measure different things.
A result means little without the method that produced it. Every result in CleanZ names its method, so nobody compares a marker check with an ATP reading by mistake.
Why an ATP reading needs its meter
ATP readings in relative light units are not comparable across meter brands.
Different brands produce widely different log10 RLU values for the same fixed quantity of ATP, so an acceptance threshold belongs to one device model and cannot be carried across to another. Repeatability is also poor near the commonly quoted 100 RLU mark, and published cutoffs in the literature range from 100 to 500 RLU.
So the meter model and the threshold your facility set for that model sit beside every reading. CleanZ doesn't recommend thresholds. If you change meters, the old readings keep the threshold that applied when they were taken.
Who runs the spot test
CDC encourages objective monitoring of terminal cleaning, with results reported to facility leadership.
Guidance rather than a requirement. The toolkit sets out a tiered programme and a thoroughness-of-disinfection score, and suggests the monitoring be carried out by someone outside environmental services.
In CleanZ, spot tests belong to a role outside the cleaning team, infection prevention in a hospital, and every result shows who tested. The cleaning team never records a test of its own work.
Results show how an area's cleaning is going, and they feed coaching, not discipline. CleanZ has no screens for scoring or ranking individual workers.
In the pilot, and planned
During pilots, results are entered by hand with a photo. Imports and direct device connections come later, when a design partner needs them.
Fluorescent results Pilot
Marker audit results entered with a photo, stored with the method.
ATP results Pilot
An RLU reading entered with a photo, its meter model and that model's threshold.
ATP file import Planned
Planned: load a meter's exported result file instead of typing readings.
Meter photo reading Planned
Planned: read the RLU value from a photo of the meter display.
Hygiena connection Planned
Planned: a direct connection to Hygiena meters.
Xenex connection Planned
Planned: a direct connection to Xenex UV-C devices.
Trends Planned
Planned: results over time by area, shift and surface.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need particular monitoring brands?
No. Any fluorescent gel and any ATP meter work.
Who enters the results?
In a pilot, the person who runs spot checks enters the results for sampled rooms and areas; in a hospital, that is infection prevention. The cleaning team never records a test of its own work.
Can CleanZ read our meter's export file?
Not yet. During pilots, readings are typed in with a photo of the meter. File import and direct connections are planned.
Does CleanZ set our pass and fail thresholds?
No. Your facility sets a threshold for each meter model, and CleanZ stores it with every reading.
See how one clean becomes one record.
A person replies within one business day.