How To Clean And Disinfect Your Business Or Property
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, with some businesses open, maintaining a clean workplace is critical to helping flight the spread of the disease.
Current data suggest that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. Transmission may occur directly or may occur by contact with contaminated surfaces followed by contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth.
The first step in helping to stop this new coronavirus is to try and reduce its spread through the use of appropriate protective equipment. This is followed by taking appropriate steps to clean and disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated. In this article, we will learn how to perform cleaning and disinfecting tips for business in COVID- 19 pandemic.
How to clean and disinfect your business or property
If you’re taking the time and effort to clean, do it right. Just like with washing hands, the procedures are there for a reason. If you skimp out or cut corners, you leave yourself at risk. Put together a cleaning plan to make sure you take care of everything you need to.
1. Sort the cleaning from the disinfecting
Identify what just needs to be cleaned, and what needs to be disinfected, as well. Many surfaces and objects may be fine with a regular cleaning. But things that get touched a lot over the course of the day need to be disinfected. Here are some good candidates for using covid spray to get disinfected
- Light switches
- Doorknobs
- Faucet handles
- Refrigerator door handles
- Handrails
- Tables
- Counters
- Shared computer keyboards or touch screens
- Any tools for work that may get shared from person to person
- Any surfaces that come into contact with customers, such as gym equipment, or furniture in a dining or waiting room
Elevator button disinfection
Your list may look different, depending on what type of business you have. You’ll need to be thorough and thoughtful about what gets touched enough to need disinfection. When in doubt, err on the side of thoroughness.
Outside spaces require normal cleaning so they do not need to be disinfected. It hasn’t been proven that disinfecting sidewalks, playground equipment, or wooden outdoor surfaces is effective. Save disinfectant for places where it will help. Grab bars and railings made of plastic or metal should be cleaned routinely.
Likewise, if absolutely nobody has been inside your place of business for 7 days, your normal cleaning routine will be fine upon returning. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has not been shown to survive on surfaces for longer than a week. However, once people return and begin to carry out day to day activities, regular disinfecting will be necessary.
2. Use the proper cleaning chemicals for covid spray
For cleaning, use a detergent or soap and water on every surface, starting with ones that are visibly dirty. Wash and wipe these surfaces thoroughly. Paying attention to high-touch areas is more important than the specific type of soap used. The type of product you use is more important when it comes to disinfecting than cleaning. Remember, the goal is to reduce the germs on a given surface, not to kill them.
For disinfecting hard, non-porous surfaces, choose a disinfectant that has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use against SARS-CoV-2. You can find the EPA’s list at their website. The list is searchable. You can click “Other Search Options” to search for cleaners by name. You may already have a disinfectant that is approved for SARS-CoV-2.
The EPA’s list will tell you the active ingredient, the product name, and the contact time in minutes to leave the disinfectant on the surface. It will also help you navigate the disinfectant’s directions. Some disinfectants have different instructions for combatting different viruses. The EPA’s list tells you which set of instructions you should follow for SARS-CoV-2 effectiveness.
For electronics—tablets, touch screens, keyboards, ATMs, remote controls, and more—use an alcohol-based wipe or spray with at least 70% alcohol.
For fabrics, wash them on the warmest water setting appropriate for the fabric in question. Dry them completely. (Sunlight and heat both reduce the time that SARS-CoV-2 survives on surfaces and objects.)
Be sure to also clean and disinfect any carts or hampers that carry laundry. It doesn’t do any good to wash a bunch of sheets and then put them right back into a contaminated hamper.
Cleaning & Disinfecting a facility with a suspected/confirmed COVID-19 case
One of the most important moments in containing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is when working spaces have been visited by someone who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. Taking appropriate steps to clean and disinfect after that visit is critical in keeping you, your employees, and your customers safe.
It is unknown how long the air inside a room carries the potential for infection after someone with COVID-19 has been there. Scientists know that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through respiratory droplets. (Respiratory droplets are the little bits of liquid that are exhaled when someone speaks.) But they’re not yet certain about infectious aerosols. (Aerosols are the smaller, much more numerous particles that people breathe out.) Research is indicating that there is at least a chance that these smaller particles of breath can carry the virus. If that’s the case, then it’s possible that the virus could travel further and linger in the air for longer than initially thought.
While researchers are still figuring the details out, there are actions you can take to protect yourself in any case.
- Close off any areas the ill person visited. You don’t want people to be there. However, you do want air circulation. Open outside doors and windows to increase ventilation, while still indicating that people should not enter the area.
- If you can, wait 24 hours before beginning cleaning and disinfection. If you can’t wait 24 hours, wait as long as you can.
- Cleaning staff should clean and disinfect every area visited by the ill person, as well as anything they may have touched. That includes all shared tools, common areas, or electronic equipment.
- PPE is always important, but that goes extra when you are cleaning in a place where there is a known risk of contamination. Use a disposable mask, gloves, and gown.
- Call for expert disinfection assistance if needed.
- Notify employees who may have been in contact with the person about the potential exposure, while maintaining the confidentiality of the carrier. Follow the CDC’s public health recommendations for community-related exposure.
- Use the covid sray service as soon as possible
Disinfecting a facility with a suspected/confirmed COVID-19 case
Help prevent the spread of viral infections in your business
One way to reduce risk is to leave the cleaning and disinfecting to the professionals. Janitorial services can take a giant task off your plate and a giant weight off of your mind. Services like QueenBee offer comprehensive levels of cleaning and disinfection for your facility, all with health-grade trained cleaning professionals. Whether you’re in retail, foodservice, an office environment, or even a hospital, professional cleaners have the training needed to keep you safe.
When you have reliable professionals handling your cleaning, you don’t have to wonder whether the products you’re using will work, or whether disinfectants are being left on surfaces long enough to kill viruses. You don’t have to wonder if the cleaners are using PPE or if they’re remembering to throw it away and wash their hands when they’re done.
When in need of disinfect and sanitize services, especially covid spray service in Canberra and Sydney, please contact QueenBee Cleaning according to the following information to enjoy the most useful and professional services.
QueenBee Cleaning Pty LTD
- Address:
- 42A Bougainville St Forrest ACT 2603
- 3/5 Daphne close Kingswood NSW 2747
- Hotline: 1800 1 CLEAN (25326)
- Email: info@queenbeecleaning.com.au