Cleaning in a Time of Covid

7/29/2020 (Permalink)

Wearing mask, washing hands, or doing a full disinfecting clean. SERVPRO is here to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

SERVPRO and the Virus

            In the United States, we have been dealing with Covid-19 since the spring.  The spread of the virus and its affects look like they are going to leak into the fall and possibly even into next year.  What once turned our lives upside down has now become the new normal.  We all wear masks when out in public.  We stay home more.  There are no large gatherings of any type.  However, businesses have re-opened and people are trying to go out and about which means there is still risk of infection.  

            This outbreak is ever evolving and a continual process.  We as individuals try to do our part, and all of us here at SERVPRO of Golden/Wheat Ridge/Evergreen are doing our part to stop the spread as well.  As a cleaning and restoration team, we are trained to the highest standards of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.  We have specialized equipment, industrial strength products, and strict protocol.  As the situation has increased in severity, we have gone out to clean and sanitize schools, homes, and businesses.

             The following blog explains what SERVPRO of Golden/Wheat Ridge/Evergreen is doing to stop the spread of this virus and how you can utilize our services to keep you and your families healthy during this outbreak.  It talks about our safety measures, our 3 levels of cleaning, and some high touch surfaces to consider when cleaning and disinfecting.

A Quick Note About Covid-19

            According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and which has now (as of this publication) been detected in 60 locations internationally, including cases in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). The CDC has setup a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary page to provide updated information as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance.

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

            When SERVPRO arrives on the scene, the technicians will be decked out in personal protective equipment, or PPEs.  This will include ventilators, full-body suits, eye protection, and gloves.  They will look like ghostbusters, but you can call them Covid-19 busters.  The PPEs are worn to protect our employees from potential hazards during the job.  Likewise, they prevent any transfer of germs from the tech to the facility.  Proper disposal of the protective gear is also done with a sharp protocol.  

The 3 levels of clean: Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting

            After we arrive fully wrapped up in protective gear, we start cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.  When people think of a cleaning team, they don’t realize there are varying levels of “clean.”

1. Cleaning: Cleaning is defined by physically removing visible dirt, viruses, fungi, and bacteria. General surface cleaning is accomplished with water, detergent, and physical scrubbing of the surface itself.  The guiding principle is to remove microbes from the surface rather than killing them. Thoroughly cleaning a surface can drastically reduce the need to disinfect because without the nutrients and moisture needed to survive and multiply, most microbes cannot live on a clean and dry surface for very long.  This level of cleaning would take place in a normal spring clean around the house without the worry of serious virus infection.

2. Sanitizing: Reduces but does not necessarily eliminate all bacteria on a treated surface. Think of the phrase “kills 99.9% of germs”. Sanitizers do not actually have claims for viruses or fungi.  To be a registered sanitizer, the test results for the product must reduce each type of bacteria by at least the 99.9% on non-food-contact surfaces.  Examples of these would be carpet sanitizers, air sanitizers, laundry additives, and in-tank toilet bowl sanitizers.

3. Disinfecting: Works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs. Disinfecting destroys or irreversibly inactivates infectious or other undesirable microbes, but does not necessarily kill the spores of bacteria and fungi.

            During cleaning of facilities at this time, all three levels of cleaning will be diligently implemented by our technicians.

What Surfaces to consider Cleaning and Disinfecting

            At SERVPRO of Golden/Wheat Ridge/Evergreen, we have a list of areas and items to clean in a facility that are considered high touch. Whether the facility is a house, a restaurant, classroom, office, etc. here is a good reference list when doing your own cleaning and disinfecting.  The list may seem extensive, but it is all of the areas and items we would hit when servicing an area at minimum. 

Kitchen/Food Areas

• tables and chairs
• cabinets and pulls
• doorknobs
• floors-hard surfaces/wood
• mats
• food contact surfaces
• light switches
• paper towel/napkin dispensers
• push doors
• salt and pepper shakers
• sink hardware
• soap dispensers
• tabletops
• bathroom stalls
• countertops

Bathrooms

cabinets/vanities and pulls

• doorknobs
• floors-hard surfaces/wood
• handrails
• light switches
• paper towel/napkin dispenser
• sink hardware
• sinks
• soap dispensers
• toilets
• diaper changing station

Classrooms

• book covers and binders
• chairs
• computer equipment
• countertops
• doorknobs
• floors- hard surfaces/wood
• small hard surface items
• light switches
• mats
• carpet
• paper towel/napkin dispensers
• sink hardware
• sinks
• soap dispensers tabletops/desktop

Offices

• chairs
• telephones
• computer equipment
• countertops
• doorknobs
• floors- hard surfaces/wood
• light switches
• shared office equipment
• tabletops/desktops
• water fountains
• carpet
• rugs

Our Promise

            Our entire staff has been briefed on the new protocol when handling potential Covid-19 affected areas.  They are highly trained and professional.  Not only are we a cleaning business, but we are your friends and neighbors as well.  We too want to do all we can to stop the spread of this virus and be a bit of hope in this scary time.  We are still open 24/7 for the pubic.  Please call us with any questions you may have or to inquire on our services.  Stay healthy, stay positive, and know we are doing our best to aid the pandemic. 

            Please give us a call for any of your home restoration needs! (303) 279-8055

Or visit our website at http://SERVPROgoldenwheatridgeevergreen.com