With Americans increasingly returning—at least partially—to life outside of lockdown, cleaning professionals and the jobs they do are once again coming into the public eye. People are once again looking to professional cleaners to lead the charge for public health, hoping that they can eliminate microbial threats with elbow grease and judicious use of disinfectants. And, in many ways, that hope has been met. Most professionals have adapted their routines to incorporate more extensive sanitary measures, although the evolving nature of our understanding of the coronavirus means that best practices are always changing.
Best Cleaning Practices
Since the initial outbreak of the pandemic in the US, we have learned that surface transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a mostly negligible threat. The frantic cleaning and disinfecting practices commonly employed in those early days, it now seems, were overkill. But that doesn’t mean that increased vigilance and more variable routines are unnecessary.
As a quick refresher, cleaning is defined as using a soap or detergent combined with scrubbing action—either machine- or muscle-powered—to remove dirt and contaminants from surfaces. The US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) currently recommend that rooms only be cleaned once per day if none of the individuals who inhabit the space are known or believed to be COVID-19 positive; communities with high transmission and/or low vaccination rates are exceptions to that rule of thumb, as are spaces routinely used by people who have an increased risk of becoming seriously ill.
Cleaning should be focused on high-touch points and otherwise heavily soiled areas, like entranceways in rooms with exterior doors. Directions for detergents should be followed precisely; do not deviate from manufacturer recommended dilution ratios or skip any applicable pre-washing or rinsing steps. It’s also important for cleaning professionals to either wash their hands or change their gloves frequently to prevent spreading contaminants from soiled to non-soiled surfaces.
Best Disinfecting Practices
Disinfecting is the use of sanitizing solutions to kill microbes on surfaces. As with cleaning, the CDC currently recommends disinfecting surfaces once per day—although the same list of exceptions apply. Disinfectants should always be allowed to dry on surfaces unless the directions explicitly specify otherwise (some only need a certain amount of contact time to reach full efficacy), and dilution ratios should be followed precisely where applicable.
At D.H. Bertenthal & Sons, we put our expertise to work for you. Our sales and service professionals have been advising clients about cleaning and disinfecting throughout the pandemic, and we’re excited to continue to do our part as America reopens for business. Contact us today to find out how we can make your world a little cleaner.