Why Hiring a Professional Office Cleaning Company Is Necessary During COVID-19?

More than a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and organizations are still struggling to meet the CDC’s cleaning and disinfecting standards. We’re learning new things about the virus and its variants every day, and public health guidance changes as we do. 

Keeping a company running is never easy, but it’s been particularly challenging given the economic uncertainties surrounding the pandemic. You don’t want to have to worry about whether your office is safe for you, your employees and any visitors on top of everything else. 

There are several reasons hiring a professional office cleaning company is necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most of them come down to the difference expert cleaning services can make in your workplace. 

The Difference between Cleaning and Disinfecting

Off the top of your head, do you know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? If you’ve been following our blog, you might. It’s something we’re passionate about, especially because the health and safety of our clients often depend on it. 

When you clean, you’re removing dirt, dust and germs from the surface in question. The germs might not be dead, but there will be fewer of them, which means the chances that they’ll get someone sick is lower. 

Disinfecting means you’re killing the germs on a surface. To disinfect something properly, you often have to leave the disinfectant on the surface for a certain amount of time. The germs will still be on the surface, but they’ll be dead and unable to get anyone sick. 

The most efficient products clean and disinfect at the same time, lowering the risk of spreading an infectious agent like the COVID-19 virus. 

Maintain a Safe Environment for Employees and Clients

The pandemic interrupted operations across industries, forcing them online or to shut down entirely. It has also been frightening, which is almost equally disruptive. To many people, nothing is worse than the unknown. In the early months, that’s all there was. Now, with new variants emerging, we’re moving back toward uncertainty. 

No one is at their best when they’re scared. Employees struggle to focus. Customers hesitate to go anywhere or spend money. When you can assure everyone involved in your organization that you’re doing your best to keep them safe and healthy, you’re assuaging some of that fear.

It’s been a challenging year for everyone. Showing customers and clients that you care about their safety and well-being can help build trust and relationships that last far beyond the pandemic.

Too often, employees have been left out of conversations about safety during the pandemic. In many cases where they haven’t, the burden of staying safe has fallen directly onto them. Investing in a professional cleaning service can help show that you value them. Turnover rates will reduce, and morale will improve. 

Keep Up With Routine Cleaning

Does your office get a lot of foot traffic? Maybe you have clients in and out all day, or multiple shifts share workstations. Keeping your building clean is a chore at the best of times. When the CDC recommends that you disinfect surfaces between every person that touches them, it’s exhausting. 

Offering disposable disinfecting wipes in and around areas where more than one person works can help offset the burden of keeping surfaces clean. However, people forget, or they get tired. It’s been a long year of taking every precaution possible, and many people are burnt out.

A few swipes with a disinfecting wipe are better than none. Still, the peace of mind that knowing someone trained in how to disinfect and clean is working to keep you safe is invaluable. 

Know How To Clean and Disinfect Different Surfaces

One of the hardest things about the beginning of the pandemic was trying to figure out how long the virus could live on different surfaces. Could you carry the virus home from the grocery store on a bag? Was your mail safe? What about library books?

Now, the CDC has released a new briefing on COVID-19 transmission via contact with surfaces. While possible, they estimate that the risk of catching the virus from a surface is low. You’re far more likely to get it from respiratory droplets that contain the virus. 

Low risk, unfortunately, doesn’t mean no risk. The EPA has released a helpful infographic on the best ways to clean and disinfect surfaces. In most cases, routine cleaning with soap and water is enough to decrease the risk of transmission. 

What To Do if Someone Gets Sick

Sometimes precautions are not enough to prevent someone from getting sick. COVID-19 is highly contagious, and most people aren’t in a financial or social situation where they can sit at home and wait out the pandemic.  

If someone at your office tests positive for COVID-19, here are the first steps you should take:

• Close the area in which they worked off if you’re able to.
• If they’re at work when they receive their test result, send them home immediately.
• If at all possible, wait several hours before cleaning and disinfecting their workspace. This lessens the chance that the virus will spread either through contact with an improperly attired cleaner or their supplies.

The CDC has strict and extensive recommendations when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting an area known to be contaminated with the COVID-19 virus, particularly if it’s been less than 24 hours since the last known exposure. A facemask and gloves are the least of it. 

You will also need to worry about air circulation while you clean. The more of it, the better, unless you’re vacuuming. If you’re vacuuming, you’ll want to temporarily turn off any decentralized air conditioning, heating or other circulation systems. Finally, you will need a product off of the EPA’s List N that is capable of killing the COVID-19 virus. 

If that sounds like a lot, you’re right. At the time this article was written, nearly three million people worldwide had died from COVID-19. It’s a potentially severe illness, and any steps you take to slow and prevent it from spreading can save lives.

If you have office spaces in the Dallas area, Allied Facility Care is here to help you, your clients and your employees stay safe and healthy by maintaining a clean working environment. Contact us today for a free quote.