Changes in Cleaning Protocols for Janitorial Teams During Covid-19 and the Future

COVID-19 has caused many changes in cleaning protocols for Janitorial Cleaning Companies. Janitorial Cleaning Teams have retrained staff, adapted to the new protocols, and become even more essential to our cities. The main focus for cleaning companies has shifted from regular cleaning services to high-touch point full disinfecting services. Here are a few tips that can help cleaning crews implement effective and efficient disinfecting protocols.

1.     Train your cleaning teams on the difference between cleaning and disinfecting

Cleaning refers to the removal of dirt and germs. Disinfecting is the process of using chemicals to kill germs. Before COVID-19, we wouldn’t hear much about the importance of disinfecting surfaces and high-touched areas. Clients would ask for daily trash removal and weekly dusting. Now, almost all of the services being requested are upgraded request to focus more on disinfecting all surfaces on every visit. Disinfecting surfaces helps eliminate COVID-19 and helps reduce the risk of spreading the virus, any virus. Janitorial Teams have to make sure they are focusing on both cleaning and disinfecting.

2.     The use of disinfecting products and training cleaning teams

You don’t need to buy a lot of different disinfecting products. Select an appropriate product that can be used throughout the facility. This makes training easier. You will not need to train your team on how to use a variety of products. This reduces risk of error and improper use.  We recommend using and an EPA registered disinfectant that is also a neutral cleaner making it safe on all surfaces, including floors.

3.     Add disinfecting as part of the cleaning process

When janitorial companies walk a facility to generate a cleaning proposal, they create a cleaning plan for the client. It’s important cleaning companies add disinfecting as part of the daily work scope, making sure to follow CDC Guidelines as well as using EPA approved and registered products.  Some businesses have added Electrostatic Fogging Disinfecting services in between shifts in addition to the high-touch point disinfecting services. This helps reduce the risk of multiple employees becoming sick at once.

We can’t predict when COVID-19 will be over, but for now, we can adapt quickly to the current situation and be more proactive in keeping our facilities safe. COVID-19 has caused a heightened cleaning standard and has changed the cleaning industry for the years to come. In preparation, Professional full service janitorial companies need to stay informed d to ensure all staff is trained properly accordingly to new protocols.

Disinfecting programs to stop the spread of Covid- 19

The pandemic has changed the way of life and the way all businesses now operate. March 2020 will be unforgettable for the entire world. It’s crazy to see entire office buildings closed for for now almost a full year. The streets are empty and a lot of people are staying home and trying to social distance as much as possible. What happens next? Slowly, businesses are starting to open back up but things have changed completely. Property Managers have had to find and implement solutions to keep their employees and tenants safe. What disinfecting programs is your landlord or you implementing to stop the spread of Covid-19? The following are useful and important items to keep in mind when you reopen your business to your staff and clients again.

Day Porter High Touch Point Disinfecting: Most offices used to only be cleaned at the end of the day. Keeping an office clean and disinfected throughout the day has become extremely important. Hiring a Day Porter to disinfect high-touched surfaces and make sure your consumables are fully stocked will help ease the mind of your employees that are back in the office. Make sure all door handles, keypads, printers, counters, tables and chairs are disinfected daily and multiple times.  It is very important you are using an EPA registered neutral disinfectant.

Making Sure you Have Enough Supplies: When the pandemic started, facilities saw a huge shortage in supplies like toilet paper and paper towels as well as disinfecting products. Luckily, things got better now, but as more offices start opening back up, we might see another shortage. Make sure you have a reliable wholesale provider or a janitorial company that works with one. Most well established commercial janitorial companies already have long-standing partnership with suppliers and can easily keep your supplies and disinfecting products fully stocked.

Stay Informed: While we have learned so much about Covid-19 there is still a lot more we need to discover. Facility managers need to make sure to stay fully informed especially if any health organization like The World Health Organization (WHO) or Center of Disease Control (CDC) update their cleaning and disinfecting guidance as we learn more about the virus.

What to Expect: Remember, there is always something good that comes out of a bad situation. Due to Covid-19, we have all adopted better cleaning protocols and they will become part of your daily life moving forward. This will help facility managers to be prepared and address other outbreaks like the seasonal flu or other challenges to come in the near future.  

Schedule Deep Cleaning Services

Many of us are still working from home and either not going into the office at all or going in only as needed.  While some of your facilities are still in shutdown mode, it’s important to continue to have regular cleaning services to maintain the space. Our recommendation is to have a deep cleaning service at least once monthly.

Regular cleaning services will help prevent bug and cobweb buildup and prevent stains from setting in on sinks and toilets that aren’t in use. As well, it will ensure your A/C intakes are kept clean from dust and debri buildup. Regular cleaning services will also help ensure your facility is in tip-top shape, so that when your team makes the decision to go back to work in the office, the space will be ready to go.

One more point, if your team has been primarily working remotely, you may not be aware of some additional services your commercial cleaning crew is now offering and that now is the best time to schedule since the facility is vacant.  Here are a few services that come to mind that you should consider to help your employees feel safe as you reopen your space:

1. Electrostatic Fogging Disinfecting Services – can be scheduled as a regular recurring service or as an emergency service if a COVID-19 case is suspected in the workspace
2. Regular Deep Cleaning Services
3. Day Porter Disinfecting Service during the hours of high employed traffic
4. Carpet Cleaning and Floor Care Services

Reach out and ask us how these services can benefit your workspace. And as always, we are here to help your office space stay clean so your team can stay healthy.

Emergency Disinfecting Services because of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19

Over the last several weeks, many businesses have requested emergency disinfecting services because of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case in the workplace. In the event you do have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your workplace, here are some next steps.

• Reach out to us as soon as possible to schedule a disinfecting service – covid-19@austincleaning.net
• Close off areas visited by the ill persons
• Open outside doors and windows and use ventilating fans to increase air circulation in the area
• After 12-24 hours, cleaning staff should clean and disinfect all areas
• In most cases, we will recommend a Fogging Disinfecting Service, which often can be done quickly

The service should be completed in the evening or at a time when there are no individuals in the facility. The EPA approved disinfectant we use has a 10 minute kill claim of the virus, so once completed, individuals can safely re-enter the facility within 2 hours.

We are working with our team so that we can be prepared to service you quickly in the event you need us. The best way to reach out is to email us at covid-19@austincleaning.net.

COVID-19 Disinfecting Services

Until just a few months ago, few businesses had considered regular disinfecting services for their facility. But let’s face it, we currently find ourselves in the midst of a virus which has proven more transmissible than previously suspected. For that reason, we want to share some disinfecting service detail with you.

What are Disinfecting Services?

Disinfecting services are cleaning procedures that utilize an antimicrobial pesticide used to destroy or inactivate microorganisms. There are two disinfectant categories – hospital grade and general use (household). Disinfecting services for commercial facilities should use hospital grade disinfectants that are EPA certified specifically to target coronaviruses.

The disinfecting cleaning procedures used can vary depending on the facility, tool, chemical, and cleaning company providing the service.

What are the differences in Disinfecting Services?

High-Touch Point Disinfecting Services – Utilizes a microfiber cloth to manually disinfect high-touch areas, like door-knobs, entry ways, elevator buttons, stair railings, kitchen appliances, telephones, etc. This type of service works well as a day porter service, as the day porter could ideally (depending on size of space and number of day porters) disinfect all high-touch points every hour, keeping your space disinfected continuously through-out the day.

Electrostatic-Sprayer Dispersal Disinfecting Service – Utilizes power-assisted spraying machinery to break down droplets into smaller micron droplets, allowing for more even coverage of a targeted area. Additionally the machine positively charges the chemical droplets as they are sprayed which allows the micron droplets to better adhere and essentially cling to the targeted area. Once the droplets are released, they seek objects and surfaces more readily, which ensures full coverage of the chemical disinfectant, even in hard to reach places. This type of service would need to be completed in the evening or at a time when no individuals are in the facility.

Fogging Disinfecting Services – Utilizes nearly the same technology as the electro-static sprayer without charging the cleaning molecules when they leave the machine. Additionally, fogging cleaning uses larger particle sizes compared to an electro-static service. In many instances, a fogging application can be used in the same situations and settings as an electrostatic service. This type of service would need to be completed in the evening or at a time when no individuals are in the facility

Should All Areas Be Cleaned Prior to Disinfecting?

Yes, thoroughly cleaning surfaces prior to disinfecting allows the disinfectant to work more effectively. A  layer of dust can create a barrier between the surface and the disinfectant which prohibits the disinfectant from inactivating the microorganisms on the surface face.

We are happy to answer questions regarding introducing these services to your facility. Reach out to us at COVID-19@austincleaning.net with questions and to request disinfecting services.

What Facility Managers Should Consider When Reopening Facilities due to COVID-19

Janitorial Companies are in high demand right now and we are being asked a good deal of questions by our clients and prospects in regards to COVID-19. Due to this, we would like to take a moment to offer some information as expectations and cleaning procedures in our field are ever changing with this new virus.

Should I consider additional services as I start to make plans to reopen my facility?
Short answer, it depends on what types of services you are already paying for. Now is a great time to start planning for the reopening of your facility. And as you’re planning for the reopen, be sure to include your janitorial company because if there are additional staffing needs or products needed, your janitorial company will need to know this information as agreements may need to be updated and potential staffing considerations will need to be assessed.

Add Additional Services – Regular weekly or biweekly services will not be enough to ward off this type of virus as it does tend to linger for up to 3-4 days on some surfaces. Depending on how much foot traffic you have in your office, you many want to consider adding additional services temporarily. Unless your staff is cleaning on the off days, we recommend M-F cleaning services at a minimum during this time.

Day Porter Services – For our larger clients, you might want to consider adding day porter services to disinfect conference rooms, restrooms, door handles and other frequently touched surfaces every hour.

Fogging Disinfection Services – We do have a fogging machine that is great for disinfecting large rooms and surface areas so if this is something you are interested in, let us know.

Disinfectant Stations – Another thing you might want to consider is to have disinfectant stations installed at all entry points if this is not something you already have.

What type of disinfectant does APCS use?
We use a neutral disinfectant that cleans, disinfects and deodorizes all hard surfaces such as plastic, Formica, chrome, toilets, sinks, countertops and floors. It is proven to be effective against corona viruses and meets CDC cleaning guidelines.

How hard is it to get hand sanitizer right now?
Currently Purell is back-ordered for 4-5 weeks as the brand is giving priority to hospitals and medical facilities. We do have access to other hand sanitizer brands, although this could change very quickly as all sanitizer products have been in high demand for the last month. If you currently order consumable products through us, let us know if you would like for us to place an order.

What’s the status of soap and paper products? How hard are they to get through the APCS vendor?
We do have access to soap and paper products and they are not yet in backorder. If you currently order consumable products through us, we shouldn’t have a problem continuing to supply these products for you.

Reach out if you have other questions that we can help you with as you are working through plans to reopen your facility. We know this is a challenging time and we want to provide as much assistance as we can. Over the last week, we have sat in on conference calls with our clients and their teams to talk through solutions and procedures so if this is something you would like to do, let us know.