How Can I Best Follow the CDC’s Recommended Cleaning Protocol?

A healthy workplace is a happy workplace. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing robust cleaning protocols in order to prevent and reduce the transmission of infectious diseases and maintain healthy business operations in non-healthcare work environments.

The CDC recommends that businesses always follow standard practices and appropriate regulations specific to your type of facility to ensure that they meet the minimum standards for cleaning and disinfection. Here’s what you need to know about how your business can best follow the CDC’s recommended cleaning protocol. Please note that this guidance is not intended for healthcare settings or other facilities where specific regulations or practices for cleaning and disinfection may be applicable.

Cleaning vs Disinfection

Cleaning and disinfecting provide two different levels of cleanliness. While cleaning with soap or detergent-based products reduces the number of germs on surfaces by removing contaminants, disinfecting actually destroys remaining germs that may have been left behind by cleaning.

Generally, for workspaces where nobody is confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19, daily cleaning is enough to remove viruses on surfaces and maintain a healthy environment. However, you may wish to increase the frequency of cleaning (and follow-up disinfection) if:

• There is a high level of COVID-19 in your local community
   

• You have members of your workforce who are classed as having an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19
   

• Few people are wearing masks or the area is poorly ventilated
   

• It is a particularly high-traffic area
   

• People are displaying poor hand hygiene

Many workplaces choose to implement cleaning of high-touch surfaces multiple times per day, particularly in the case of shared equipment. Other examples of these touchpoints include light switches, doorknobs, handles, stair rails, elevator buttons, and faucets.

In-House Cleaning

If you implement cleaning yourselves during the course of the working day, it’s crucial to follow the guidelines for the use of each product. You should develop policies to train and protect workers before assigning them cleaning and disinfecting tasks, including providing information about what PPE should be used, how to use it, and how to dispose of it, as well as how to perform the actual cleaning itself. Workplaces should also take into account workers who may have respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD, which could be adversely affected by the use of cleaning products during the day. Businesses should comply with OSHA’s standard on the proper disposal of regulated waste and PPE.  

What if Someone in the Workspace Tests Positive for COVID-19 or Another Highly-Transmissible Disease?

If a worker tests positive for COVID-19 or another highly transmissible disease such as norovirus and they have been in the workspace during the last 24 hours, it is essential to clean and disinfect the entire space including all touchpoints, as soon as possible and ideally before you allow anyone back into the office.

While some businesses choose to take cleaning in-house, the best way of creating and maintaining a healthy working environment is to entrust the cleaning and disinfection of your workspace to a professional company. As specialists, they are able to quickly and methodically carry out the highest levels of cleaning and disinfection with little to no interruption of your working day.

For more information on cleaning protocols and how to meet them, please call True Office Cleaning in Pensacola, Florida at (850) 380-7318 today.