Deep Cleaning And Disinfecting During A Facility Closure

Deep Cleaning And Disinfecting During A Facility Closure

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to the closure of numerous schools and businesses throughout California, leaving many facility managers and business owners weighing their options on how to ensure a safe working and learning environment once the shelter-in-place order is lifted.

Deep Cleaning And Disinfecting During A Facility Closure - Palmdale, Lancaster, Bakersfield, Fresno, Valencia

Facility Deep Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines

During the forced facility closure it is highly recommended that school administrators and business owners take the opportunity to deep clean and disinfect their buildings, offices, and classrooms to ensure the health and safety of all occupants once social distancing orders are rescinded and business can return to some sense of normality.

Official guidelines follow standard best practices for facility sanitation during influenza and norovirus outbreaks, including a caveat for facilities where a case of infection has been confirmed--consisting of:

  • Deep cleaning recommendations.
  • Disinfection and approved disinfectant guidelines, and;
  • Recommended procedures for cordoning off and sanitizing space where a confirmed COVID-19 case was present.

 

COVID-19 Deep Cleaning Recommendations

Deep cleaning for COVID-19 does not require any kind of specialized equipment outside of the recommended Person Protective Equipment, which will vary based on the potential for exposure to the virus.

If the potential for exposure is high, gloves, goggles, and mopp gear are highly advisable.

COVID-19 is an enveloped virus, which makes it the easiest of virus types to kill and highly susceptible to inactivation by cleaning detergents and common household disinfectants, such as bleach.

When deep cleaning, it is imperative that you clean every surface from top to bottom using a detergent and method that is appropriate for the surface to avoid damaging your facility and its equipment.

  • Start by removing all clutter, pulling equipment away from the walls, and safely disposing of the garbage.
  • Use color-coded microfiber towels and the two-bucket method and start high with ceiling and light fixtures, moving down the walls to the horizontal work surfaces, and then the floor.
  • In difficult to clean, high-traffic hotspot areas like restrooms, we advise using a no-touch pressure washing and vacuum floor scrubber to get down into the grout and cracks and ensure a high level of sanitation.
  • Make sure to perform a full three-dimensional clean of tables, cabinets, refrigerators, microwaves, and other office equipment and work surfaces.
  • Allow everything to air dry completely before moving onto the disinfection process.

 

COVID-19 Facility Disinfection Recommendations

Before moving forward with the disinfection process, make sure that all visible soil has been thoroughly cleaned and wiped down to ensure the efficacy of the disinfectant.

Additionally, make sure that you are using a disinfectant approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is appropriate for your facility type and the surface you are disinfecting.

According to Infection Control Today;

The efficacy criteria are based on the ease with which the three types of viruses—enveloped, large non-enveloped and small non-enveloped viruses—are inactivated by disinfectants.

The general idea of the EPA’s policy is that in order for a disinfectant to be considered effective against an emerging pathogen, it must demonstrate efficacy – that is, have an EPA-approved claim – against viruses that are harder to kill than the emerging pathogen.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak, is an enveloped virus and therefore the easiest to kill of the three types of viruses. This means the efficacy criteria for a disinfectant is as follows:

A disinfectant must be EPA-approved as a hospital/healthcare or broad-spectrum disinfectant

The disinfectant must carry an EPA-approved claim for at least one small or one large non-enveloped virus

Lastly, the EPA-approved master label must contain emerging pathogen “terms of registration” language describing what emerging pathogen claims the manufacturer can make.

Select Effective Disinfectants for Use Against the Coronavirus That Causes COVID-19

The EPA maintains a veritable laundry list of approved products on its website.

For More Information:

The general path or route of disinfection should follow the same pattern used when cleaning and should focus heavily on cross-contamination prevention.

  • Start high and work your way down and back out of the room.
  • Assign individual teams and microfiber colors to specific areas, if possible.
  • Move from the cleanest areas to the dirtiest--typically the restroom.
  • Use no-touch electrostatic disinfection appliances where possible.
  • Observe the EPA guidelines for product laytime before re-entering the area.

 

COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfection Procedures for Confirmed Cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains updated guidelines on additional measures that should be undertaken in the event a facility confirms the presence of a case of coronavirus.

In general, the guidelines follow the procedures listed above with two caveats:

  • Quarantine off the area where the suspected or confirmed case visited for at least 24 hours, if possible, and;
  • Ventilate the space as much as possible during the closure.

 

References & Resources

 

Takeaway

The COVID-19 outbreak has destroyed lives and businesses, and many are justifiably left wondering if their life will ever return to the previous concept of normal ever again.

A proven method for fast-tracking that reality into being is to provide a clean, safe, and healthy facility for them to use while they get their lives back on track.

Keep in mind that, while the virus does appear to adversely affect certain demographics far more than others, deep cleaning and disinfection should only be undertaken by professionals with the training, experience, protective equipment, tools, and products to ensure the highest standards of clean are adhered to.

If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059

In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Palmdale CA, or Lancaster CA, call (661) 371-4756


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley