Helping healthcare workers see what cleaning really achieves

When nurse educator Kareen Dunlop travelled to Cambodia to deliver infection control and operating theatre training, she needed a simple way to demonstrate one of the hardest concepts in decontamination: cleaning must happen before disinfection.

For many healthcare workers, it can be difficult to understand why wiping a surface with alcohol is not enough if visible or invisible contamination has not first been physically removed. Glow 2 Show gave Kareen a practical way to make that lesson visible.

The challenge

Kareen was training medical staff in Cambodia, including staff working in hospital environments where infection control practices can have a direct impact on surgical outcomes.

One of the key teaching points was the difference between cleaning and disinfection. In particular, staff needed to understand that applying alcohol or disinfectant over contamination does not necessarily remove the contamination.

As Kareen explained:

“Cleaning prior to decontamination is the hardest concept to grasp. So I was able to show them that putting alcohol on top of it didn’t get rid of it, but cleaning did.”

The demonstration

Kareen used Glow 2 Show lotion to mark surfaces that should be cleaned frequently, including staff change room flush buttons, taps and light switches.

She then asked staff to clean the areas before checking the results under UV light. The exercise quickly showed which areas had been cleaned properly and which still had residue remaining.

In another training session at Kampong Speu Hospital, Kareen used the product on mattresses. Staff worked in pairs to clean the surfaces and then checked their work.

The demonstration created a practical, hands-on lesson. It also added a little friendly competition between staff groups, which helped keep the session engaging.

“The staff all had so much fun and were so surprised to see some still there,” Kareen said.

The result

The training helped staff see that cleaning is not just a routine task. It is a critical first step in infection control.

By making contamination visible, Glow 2 Show helped turn an abstract concept into something staff could immediately understand. It showed that a surface can look clean but still have areas that have been missed.

The same approach was also used for hand hygiene training, helping staff see how easily contamination can remain on the hands after poor washing technique.

Why it worked

Glow 2 Show is useful in healthcare training because it gives instant visual feedback. Staff can clean a surface, check the result, and immediately understand what has been missed.

This makes it particularly helpful for teaching:

• cleaning before disinfection
• high-touch surface cleaning
• mattress and equipment cleaning
• hand hygiene technique
• the importance of thoroughness and consistency

For healthcare workers, that visual feedback can be more memorable than a poster, lecture or checklist.

A practical tool for volunteer training

Kareen originally contacted us while preparing to return to Cambodia as a volunteer nurse educator. She had previously used GlitterBug and was looking for an affordable alternative for teaching infection control principles.

Glow 2 Show was able to support her work by providing a cost-effective way to demonstrate hygiene and cleaning principles in a practical, memorable way.

As Kareen wrote after the training:

“Thank you once again so much. Very generous and such an excellent tool to teach this subject.”

About Kareen

Kareen Dunlop is a nurse educator with experience in infection control, operating theatre education and healthcare training.

Kareen’s qualifications include:

RN, ND, Dip Herbal Med, Grad Dip Acupuncture, Grad Cert Nursing Education, Cert Infection Control.