With the COVID pandemic entering its second year, it’s easy to become complacent with our home or office cleaning routine. Sadly though, COVID sanitising is still very much a necessity and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
We’ve all learned a lot since the outbreak of this virus in 2020 and have been diligent about following protocols, especially in commercial spaces. We’d like to offer some further reminders and tips on simple and effective ways to keep your home or office clean and virus-free.
COVID Sanitising Sense
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work that maintaining a clean environment entails. However, these processes should help.
Prioritise
Whether in the home or the work environment, make a note of high traffic areas and surfaces which are likely to be repeatedly touched. For example, door handles, elevator buttons, escalator rails, reception desks, and intercom buttons are a good place to start. These should be frequently cleaned and disinfected as a priority.
On the other hand, areas that have been unoccupied for more than seven days will only require routine cleaning and not disinfecting.
Clean First
Disinfectants are not as effective as we need them to be if they are being used on existing dirt. Be sure to wipe down all surfaces with visible dust or dirt with warm water and soap before using your sanitiser.
Read the label
Make sure that the product you’re trusting to keep your family or colleagues safe does what it’s supposed to. Read the label carefully to establish whether this disinfectant has the necessary ingredients to be effective against COVID.
Personal Safety
Make use of the PPE issued in the workplace. If you’re sanitising at home, then be sure to use gloves and if necessary, a mask to protect yourself from strong chemicals. Keep windows and doors open for proper ventilation while cleaning.
Hand washing is still one of the most effective defences against viruses and bacteria, so keep it up. If you can, carry with you sanitising wipes and be sure to wipe down ATM buttons, pens, and shopping carts before you touch them.
Porous Items
In the home it’s easy to throw towels, sheets, blankets, or sofa covers in the laundry. In the workplace, however, it may be a little trickier. For example, office furniture with fabric covers, carpeting, blinds, and curtains are going to be a challenge to keep clean – especially as they have been shown to provide a haven for COVID.
It may be wise to arrange a deep clean and thoroughly sanitise the office space regularly by calling in a professional company. This will need to be done out of hours and the products need time to settle before your team return.
What Else Can You Do?
Besides maintaining a good cleaning and sanitising schedule the CDC has offered further information which all add up to a layered approach to combatting this virus.
Increase ventilation
Wherever possible, throw open your doors and windows and let the outside air in. A fresh breeze will dilute the inside air and reduce the number of COVID particles if they are present. A fan in front of an open window is a great way to get rid of indoor air and draw in fresh air from outside.
Make sure that your HVAC system is well-maintained, and the filters are clean which is essential in keeping the air healthy for occupants. Avoid using the recirculation feature if possible.
Transport
We have very little control over the cleanliness of any public transport that we may use, but we can control the hygiene levels in our own vehicles.
Keeping the inside of your vehicle as clean as you would your home or office, especially if you’re sharing the space with others, is a must. The same sanitising protocols can be followed, with particular attention given to the door handles, steering wheel, gear stick, radio buttons, and dashboard.
We know that the virus can survive longer on plastics and metals, so it’s a good idea to carry a sanitiser with you in your car and spray down high-touch areas frequently.
If the weather permits, keep your windows open, otherwise keep your air-conditioner on and set to draw in outside air and not to recirculate.
In Summary
We are all tired of the additional work that we’ve had to put in to keep our family and work colleagues safe, and it’s easy to let our cleaning schedules slip. We’d like to encourage you to keep up the good work that you’ve been doing, and to call on our team if you need assistance with deep cleaning or sanitising. We are fully trained, completely equipped, and ready to help.
Call us on 0118 380 1544.