After a long year of remote learning, many schools are starting the slow, careful journey to reopening. But somethings we’ve learned during COVID-19 are here to stay. Increased cleanliness standards, including frequent handwashing and/or sanitizer use, keep teachers and students safe. But not all sanitizing products are equal. Locally, Washington’s Briotech is helping schools spread knowledge, not germs.
Research from the CDC and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine shows how many cleaning products use harsh chemicals like bleach, alcohol and ammonia, which can cause damage to the lungs, chemical burns or other health problems (source). Instead, Briotech uses hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-based materials that are natural, contain only three organic ingredients, and are both pure and eco-friendly.
HOCl has been around since the late 1800s and has been used for infection control since before World War I. Their formula kills bacteria and viruses, is non-corrosive, deodorizes, is non-flammable, and is easy to store, use and dispose of. Briotech’s HOCl product is on the EPA List N of Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“We are in Woodinville, Washington, family-founded in 2013, and are a part of a greater movement to get safer ingredients into the products we use in health, disinfection and hygiene,” says Jennifer Wiens, Commercial Director and mother to a daughter in the Seattle Public School System. “We are eager to get our HOCl solutions into the hands of teachers and students to help their peace of mind in the new normal. Since the pandemic, we have been expanding a great deal into a global company and shipping around the world. But we want to ensure we are also acting locally as well so we are ramping up our donation and community outreach efforts.”
One local teacher, Kryss Brown, has been using Briotech’s products in the classroom. Working at a private school that remained open longer than most through the coronavirus, they understand the importance of safety precautions. “I am a high school teacher at Cedar Park Christian in Bothell,” says Brown. “I am completing my 26th year of teaching, 6th year at Cedar Park. I teach high school Spanish 7 periods a day with approximately 125 students rotating in and out of my room each school day. Our entire campus and district of 1,250 students use Briotech.”
While large, sharable bottles of sanitizer are present in nearly every room, Brown takes things a step further. “I am the only classroom that has individual bottles Velcroed to each individual desk,” she shares. “Students squirt their own desk when they leave the classroom. Some students choose to squirt their desk when they enter the classroom.”
One unexpected benefit, as anyone who’s spent time surrounded by students knows, is the smell. Instead of having students each bring sanitizer from home—meaning 125 different smelling bottles—this is both unscented and deodorizing. “Students comment that the room smells good,” Brown admits.
The year, Brown admits, has been a strange one. “This year definitely looks different than past years,” she shares. “We lost some continuity with spring 2020 so some students are retaking work they missed due to varying circumstances at home. We added a health check program at home and school, six-foot apart social distancing, face coverings, and disinfecting and sanitizing with Briotech products.”
And even after nearly a year of extra cleanliness, students sometimes need a friendly reminder. Brown finds herself reminding them to sanitize after touching anything outside their mask like a water bottle or tissue. The school has also provided lanyards printed with the state-approved health checklist. This addresses symptoms, body temperature and more.
“The school has added additional air filtration, required face coverings, sat students six-feet apart and consistently uses the food safe electrolyzed spray with the Briotech multi-surface sanitizer and disinfectant,” says Brown.
To help schools stay safe, Briotech is currently offering school specials on some of their most helpful items. A pallet of spray bottles is 75% off and a 55-gallon drum of refill product is 50% off. Others can be found at upwards of 85% discount on other products for all schools that order from us in bulk, says Wiens. To learn more about these, simply call 425.488.4300 or email a representative at sales@briotechusa.com.
The name Briotech isn’t an accident. In fact, it’s part of their purpose. Brio means strength, spirit, life, action, passion and energy and that’s what they hope to bring to the community. They’ve donated to organizations nationwide that echo their generous heart, including Autism Speaks, Seattle Humane, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and many more.
Book learning is one thing, but school also teaches us how to work with others, set and accomplish goals, and find our unique strengths. From day one, educators have worked hard to forge a path during these unprecedented times. As classroom doors reopen, keeping students, teachers and faculty healthy goes a long way towards returning to normal. Thankfully, local companies like Briotech are here to help.
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