Cleaning Tips If Someone at your Businesses had Coronavirus (COVID-19)
If someone at your business contracts coronavirus, it’ll be very important to sanitize anything they may have come in contact with. Here are some tips for cleaning after someone from your company has had COVID-19.
Of course, we may be biased here, but the best thing a business could do would be to hire a commercial cleaning company that has proper training and sanitizing and disinfecting offices.
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, maintaining a clean workplace is critical in fighting this disease.
The virus that causes SARS-CoV-2 can be spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. Transmission may also happen directly from one person to another but most likely only during close contact with contaminated surfaces (e.g., coughing) which is often followed by eye or mouth contact.With the coronavirus spreading quickly, it’s important to take steps now that will help contain this rapidly spreading virus. One of those is by using protective equipment and cleaning surfaces appropriately so they can be disinfected later on if necessary.
How to Clean and Reduce Covid-19 Contamination
We all know that there is a lot of information and even more opinions floating around about the current pandemic. Here’s some basic info to keep in mind as well as first steps for maintaining your cleanest safe environment possible.
Covid 101 – Explained
Knowing your enemy is half the battle. Let’s take a moment to make sure everyone knows what they dealing with.
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus is a group of viruses that can cause infection in people. There are seven different types, and the newest one was just discovered this year – it’s called “the new coronavirus” aka “the novel coronavirus”.
Is Coronavirus the same as Covid-19?
COVID-19 is a virus that causes SARS, commonly known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The coronavirus was discovered in 2019 by British researchers at University College London’s Health Protection Agency.
What is SARS-CoV-2?
SARS-CoV 2 is the latest coronavirus to be discovered, and it’s caused by a type of virus that humans haven’t seen before.
Disinfecting vs Cleaning
Disinfecting: The word “disinfect” means to kill germs, usually with chemicals like EPA-registered disinfectants. The surface may not necessarily look cleaner and the bacteria still exist on surfaces but they will be dead because of this process.
Cleaning: “Cleaning” can come with a wide variety of definitions, but it usually refers to the process of removing dirt and impurities from surfaces. cleaning will not kill germs on contact – rather than killing them outright or putting forth harmful chemicals – cleaning simply decreases how many bacteria there are in a given area which could lead you into infection territory.
To kill germs, it’s best to use a cleaning/disinfecting combination process. Clean surfaces and get rid of dirt/fluids/food before applying chemicals that will do the vast majority if not all job in getting your home or office clean for you.
Require Handwashing
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that employees wash their hands thoroughly, for a full 20 seconds. This will help reduce the risk of transferring germs to you and others in your workplace or home environment.
Hand sanitizers are great for when you need to wash your hands but don’t have access or time. Alcohol-based hand soap works best because it removes more bacteria than other types of cleansers, like nonchemical ones. Hand sanitizers made from everyday items like tea candles, cooking oil, and bleach can be effective against the flu. However they may not kill all types of bacteria and viruses, so make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol for the best results.
If Employees are Sick, Require Them to Stay Home
Sometimes employees may just have mild symptoms which may be nothing more than the common cold. However, it is a good practice to require all employees to stay home regardless of how severe the cold/flu symptoms are.
Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Procedures
Personal Protective Equipment is an important part of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. From face masks, gowns and disposable gloves; PPE helps to protect against any potential harm that could be coming from one person’s body fluids or dirtied hands touching another’s sensitive skin.
IMPORTANT!: Only Front-line workers should be wearing medical-grade PPE.
When you wear a mask, it’s important to make sure everyone around has done so as well. The more people who have protection against respiratory hazards in their lungs for longer periods of time the better.
Note: Coronavirus is extremely dangerous and has taken over 1 million lives in the United States. This article is for informational purposes only. In no way should you assume we are offering any form of medical advice.
Wearing gloves while preparing food is the best way to prevent contamination, but it’s important that they be changed out at appropriate intervals or after contact with contaminated surfaces. If an employee wears the same pair of gloves all day long it will not be effective. Gloves should continually be replaced with new ones.
One important part of staying safe from Covid is physical distancing. This was initially referred to as “social,” but an increasing number of experts prefer ‘physical’ because it sounds more like what people need – isolation through space.
Follow Health Department and CDC Guidelines
When it comes to preventing the spread of disease, do your research and be aware that some areas may have more stringent guidelines than others. Work with local health departments so they can better understand what preventative measures you should take while staying within CDC recommendations where applicable.
Using Protective Gear Correctly
Wear protective gear while cleaning to help fight the spread of the novel Coronavirus. It’s especially important when you have an open wound on your hands or face because it can easily get infected then.
Face masks should always be a part of any work environment that involves exposure to infectious fluids or matter. In addition, the additional gear may become necessary for individuals depending on the type of business you have and their level of interactions with customers as well other employees.
It’s important to know what equipment will best suit each person so they don’t end up getting sicker than necessary due to lack of protection.
Wearing rubber gloves while cleaning is the smart way to start. It’s a way to protect your skin from the harsh chemicals that many products contain and eye protection can also help keep you safe in case something splashes or spurts towards your face. It’s good practice for any professional cleaner, but especially so when working with particularly dangerous substances like bleach.
The importance of protective gear during COVID-19 cannot be overstated. The virus has already caused the deaths of many people and it may become increasingly difficult to protect yourself from infection as supplies run low or are altogether inaccessible in some areas where they’re needed most desperately, such as hospitals that have been mostly abandoned because their staffs refuse to work without adequate protection against this potentially devastating disease.
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