Office Cleaning Practices to Keep Coronavirus At Bay

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As the country continues to re-open and operate during the covid-19 pandemic, following the guidelines suggested to contain the virus is prudent. Many facility managers are faced with the dilemma of keeping their facility safe, clean and well kept. The coronavirus is still spreading across cities and towns throughout the US. It’s imperative that office cleaning policies are adopted in order to maintain a safe environment. 

The goal of every facility manager is to keep their facility safe, clean and well kept. This includes adopting a culture of sanitation and overall cleanliness in the office. Here are some effective guidelines and office cleaning practices to keep coronavirus at bay. 

Adopt an Office-Wide Plan for Safe Cleaning Practices

The CDC recommends that businesses and facilities come up with their own best practices to keep their staff and patrons as safe as possible. One of the ways to achieve this is by limiting the exposure and risk of spreading the virus.

Adopting safe cleaning practices is the best thing an employer can do to prevent the spread of germs that can cause viruses such as covid-19. The following should be included in office-wide plans to promote hygiene and sanitation in the workplace. 

  • Arrange work schedules in shifts and stagger them so that the office isn’t at full capacity. Consider alternating schedules between in person and online. 
  • Go virtual as much as possible. Hold meetings via zoom, over email. Avoid close contact as much as possible. 
  • Clean high-touch surfaces like phones, keyboards, staplers and touch screens frequently.
  • Keep door handles clean. If a door can remain open, leave it open in order to limit the need of many employees to touch the door handles.
  • Keep windows open to improve ventilation.
  • Adopt a strict work from home policy to any sick employees.

Consider Wearing Masks All Day. 

The CDC recommends that everyone should wear a face covering of some kind over their mouth and nose when they are around others. Some states have mandated this as well. Masks are used as a prevention as COVID-19 can spread even if infected people don’t feel sick. Masks are meant to protect others from an infected person. 

Adopting a mask-on policy in the office is an effective way to contain the spread of covid-19. For some offices this may be an inconvenience. A different option is to maintain social distancing, but adopt a mask-on policy in areas where social distancing is not possible, like lobbies and elevators. 

Provide Sanitizing Stations for Employees

Having sanitizing wipes readily available for employees and guests to wipe down public surfaces before and after they are touched is a good idea. Sanitizing wipes are safe for people and they eliminate some of the germs that can spread coronavirus. Antiseptic wipes are alcohol-free and hygienic and can be used to disinfect skin as well as hard surfaces.

Another solution to promoting sanitation in an office is to provide plenty of hand sanitizer. Nothing beats soap and water to stop the spread of germs, however, using hand sanitizer is an adequate solution. Making sure to have hand sanitizer always available encourages office employees to keep their hands sanitized at all times. 

Utilize Commercial Cleaning Services

Implementing all of these new procedures, such as staggering work schedules, wearing masks and wiping down high-touch surfaces can take a lot of time and effort .The question is, how do employees or facility managers still have time to sanitize the office with all the other workload?

One of the best ways to keep coronavirus at bay in an office is to hire a commercial cleaning service company. Commercial cleaning service companies have been cleaning and sanitizing commercial facilities and offices thoroughly for years. Their standards are high. A good commercial cleaning company creates a cleaning system using CDC and OSHA standards. They have the skills to clean and sanitize facilities that need more detailed levels of cleanliness.

Commercial cleaning companies also use the proper equipment to ensure covid-19 is kept contained. Equipment such as electrostatic and fogging as well as approved commercial grade disinfectants are proven to remove covid-19 from office spaces.

They also provide the top solutions to sanitize and detail work spaces. They can provide daily floor care as well as ensure all common areas are disinfected after every use. Oftentimes commercial cleaning companies provide porter services that allow for disinfection throughout the day as well as complete sanitation after hours. Instead of having a facility manager encouraging employees to take on extra cleaning, commercial cleaning companies will handle that kind of cleaning. Plus they provide the proper equipment and cleaning supplies needed to eliminate pathogens left behind that can contain the covid-19 virus. 

Commercial cleaning companies facilitate a wide range of cleaning services that may go unnoticed by facility managers and employees and can diligently care for an office space to mitigate the spread of infection. This is especially important in high-traffic areas. Common areas that carry enormous amount of bacteria and usually go unnoticed are:

  • Door handles
  • Elevator buttons
  • Stair rails
  • Copy machines
  • Keyboards
  • Phones 
  • Remote controls
  • Chairs
  • Staplers
  • File Cabinets 

The best way to keep coronavirus at bay in an office is to implement all of these solutions. A solid cleaning plan, along with promoting a culture of sanitation and hygiene in the office is the first step. Hiring a commercial cleaning company to disinfect and sanitize is the next level and the most effective way to contain covid-19 in any office space.

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