It has been over a year since the Coronavirus pandemic first spread across the globe. Since then, businesses have taken steps to ensure that their facilities follow the standard practices of cleaning and disinfecting required and recommended by the CDC.

To learn more about how Total Maintenance Services ensure that we follow the protocols and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide safe business practices and services against COVID-19 please refer to our COVID-19 Policy for TMS.

According to the Mayo Clinic, COVID-19 is spread when those infected with COVID-19 are in close contact with others. It can also be spread when individuals who have COVID-19 have touched surfaces and objects that are then touched by others.  

To better protect the people, it is best to begin with the definitions of cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. According to the CDC, cleaning is “the removal of foreign material (e.g., soil, and organic material) from objects and is normally accomplished using water with detergents or enzymatic products,” disinfection is “a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores, on inanimate objects,” and a sanitizer is “a chemical that kills 99.999% of the specific test bacteria in 30 seconds under the conditions of the test.”

In addition to cleaning surfaces daily with soap or detergent, it is important to disinfect surfaces and objects at facilities. The CDC states, regarding cleaning and sanitizing, that it is also important to clean your hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when needed.

Disinfecting the office is one of the best ways to keep yourself and your employees safe from spreading the Coronavirus, especially since the virus that causes COVID-19 can stay on objects anywhere between a few hours to days. 

When disinfecting surfaces, always remember to follow the directions on the label and, if the disinfectant does not state whether it can be used as both a cleaner and a disinfectant, clean the surface first with soap or detergent.

When beginning office cleaning and disinfecting, place emphasis on cleaning and disinfecting populous or high- use surfaces. According to the CDC, these types of surfaces include counters, desks, doorknobs, elevator buttons, faucets, handles, keyboards, light switches, pens, phones, shopping carts, sinks, stair rails, tables, and toilets.

Disinfecting Tips

Important tips to remember when disinfecting surfaces or handling disinfectants include:

• Do not combine chemicals or products. Good Housekeeping has a list of certain products not to mix.
• Store disinfectants in a safe and secure area.
• Prior to and following the disinfection of an area, it is important to properly ventilate the area (for example, opening a window).
• In addition to following the directions on the label, use the recommended amount of disinfectant as well.

One of the best online resources to use when considering which disinfectant products to purchase and use for office disinfection is the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) List N Tool: COVID-19 Disinfectants. This online tool lists over 500 different disinfectants along with information about each product including but not limited to the EPA Registration Number, active ingredient(s), contact time, and surface type. 

The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant

Recently, a variant of the virus that results in COVID-19 has emerged and spread across the globe. According to the CDC, the Delta variant is contagious in indoor settings such as households and sports facilities.

To prevent the spread of the disease, individuals involved in indoor sports, and those that they get into contact with, should practice multicomponent prevention strategies as well as receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. In the face of the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, employers should continue to practice cleaning and disinfecting procedures for prevention. If an employee has an active case of the delta variant, then the employer should consider electrostatic spraying before employees come back to work.

Contact us to discuss your cleaning needs by calling —732-901-5337—or by clicking on our logo below. We will take care of it.