Sustainable business practices and building solutions, which necessarily include cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance services, are the future of business in the U.S.
COVID-19 and why the Future of Clean is Green
The COVID-19 pandemic increased consumer demand for commercial and household cleaning and disinfection products.
People spend most of their time indoors, and adults spend much of that in offices where the cleanliness -- or lack thereof -- can have a profound psychological impact on a person's wellness, creativity, and productivity.
The Psychology Behind a Clean Workplace
Clean, well-organized offices:
Increase occupant health.
High-performance cleaning reduces the presence of allergens, pests, and particles that contribute to seasonal asthma symptoms and attacks that contributed to the death of thousands of people in the U.S. each year.
Combatting Seasonal Asthma With Enhanced Cleaning for Health
Asthma-related mortality accounts for roughly 3000-3500 deaths in the U.S. per year, with an average of 9.3 deaths per million residents in California, and primarily impacts those aged 5-34 years, June through August.
Roughly half of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccination, and more than 41% are fully vaccinated, marking the real beginning for the long march back to pre-pandemic work environments--a prospect that is creating a great deal of stress for many workers.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for more effective cleaning processes inside safer and healthier buildings that utilize sustainable methods that place the long-term wellbeing of occupants and the environment above appearance and short-term profits.
Handwashing is a critical component for preventing the transmission of illness in public spaces and crucial to any effective cleaning for health plan.
American Hand Hygiene Habits Post-COVID-19
COVID-19 appears to spread primarily via droplets expelled from contagious persons after coughing or sneezing.
Sick building syndrome--the unseen killer of workplace health and productivity--is rapidly being thrust to center stage as efforts to combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have both improved and simultaneously eroded indoor air quality.
Sick Building Syndrome and SARS-CoV-2
Sick building syndrome is a disorder typically traced to the indoor environment and air quality of a particular facility that afflicts occupants while present in the building with a wide range of symptoms commonly observed in cold and flu infections, but where the symptoms almost always abate shortly after exiting the building.
Mental health concerns among US office workers have increased exponentially recently, due in large part to the global COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need for businesses that wish to remain competitive to implement and maintain high-quality facility health and hygiene practices.
COVID-19 has forever changed the face and function of the janitorial industry--certainly for the better--with greater emphasis being placed on effective cleaning for health measures and occupant wellness and safety.
COVID-19 has Forever Changed the Janitorial Industry
The pandemic has completely changed the janitorial industry in many ways, including:
How often cleaning is performed.
A hypothetical scenario regarding a potentially devastating 2021-22 influenza season starting this fall is gaining some steam as health officials worry that a diminished 2020-21 season has left many unexposed and vulnerable.
Dire Predictions Regarding the 2021-22 Influenza Season
The 2020-21 influenza season was a small boon to overtaxed healthcare systems already working at capacity to address the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.