Are There Any Special Considerations For COVID-19 Cleaning Services?
Two years ago, around this same time of the year 2020, we all collectively thought that we were receiving a much-needed two weeks off until this thing was under control. But little did we know that two years later, we would still be stuck in the impending doom of COVID-19. Given the severity of the situation, the circumstances started to change over two years.
Hence it was only a matter of time before experts came up with a new set of standard operating procedures to exist in a world with COVID-19 – and there was no turning back. Therefore, it isn’t a shocker that from cleaning public places to disinfecting and sanitizing your own homes – there are some special considerations when it comes to COVID-19.
If you or someone in your home has contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus, then after their recovery, you would need to disinfect and sanitize your home. So it is important to note that your regular cleaning would not get the job done, and here are some special COVID-19 cleaning steps that you would have to follow:
- Wear Gloves & Face Masks
- Ventilate the Rooms
- Clean Before Disinfection
- Dispose of the Trash Separately
- Do the Laundry in Hot Water
- Contact Professional Disinfection & Sanitization Service Providers
First things first, you must have the right gear to get into disinfecting and sanitizing your home for COVID-19. Therefore, as per CDC guidelines, gloves and masks are a must. You should wear at least surgical masks. Otherwise, the Kn95 masks are the best foot forward. Similarly, rubber gloves are also a must.
It would be best if you didn’t handle anything without wearing gloves and masks. However, masks and gloves can be replaced entirely if you decide to get a full-body hazmat suit with an attached shield and helmet. It makes mobility functions easier and ensures complete safety against germs while cleaning the house.
Ventilation in your home is crucial if someone has just recovered from the coronavirus. The ventilation allows for the virus to be airborne and leave the premises of your household without any risk of infecting others. However, your ventilation unit will not be enough to do the trick of adequately ventilating the house.
Instead, you have to open all your doors windows and even turn on the fan to let the natural air blow and pass through. This way, you can ensure that the virus would become airborne, travel with the wind, and lose its ability to infect outside. You have to keep your house ventilated for at least 2 to 3 days before you get to cleaning.
While we may use the words cleaning and disinfecting interchangeably – the two mean two different things. Cleaning is not entirely disinfecting as it only cleans the visible impurities, dust, and mess while reducing the number of germs from the surface. Before disinfecting, it is a vital step to do because it removes allergens that may cause respiratory distress in patients.
On the other hand, disinfection means using Environmental Protection Agency-registered chemicals to kill germs on surfaces as per the dictated SOPs of the CDC. This step is crucial to ensure that none of the material things are infected and carry the risk of spreading the disease to other people.
One of the most important things that immediately need to be removed from the household premises after an outbreak of coronavirus is the trash. Accumulating trash while someone in your home was suffering from COVID-19 becomes the breeding ground for germs. However, disposing of it off mixed with other regular trash is ethically wrong.
Therefore, the best way to dispose of the trash is to pack it separately and double bad it. Moreover, put a label on it to notify the trash collectors. You can even run the bag through a spritz of a disinfection liquid you may have. Basically, the whole idea is to deal with the trash like it is radioactive.
Lastly, after self-cleaning is done, you are left with the patient’s laundry. So the best course of action to take is to do it separately from other laundry and in hot water. Although we would recommend going as warm as your clothes can handle. Extreme hot water will damage the fiber of the cloth, and it would be unwearable.
Therefore, soak your clothes two to three times in warm water and then wash them in warm water too. Instead of throwing them in the dryer, choose to air dry them the old-fashioned way outside. You can even give them another round of washing in a professional-grade disinfectant detergent to be on the safe side.
With the coronavirus leaving such a large impact worldwide, it’s clear more than ever how important it is to involve experienced professionals to get your homes disinfected and sanitized. No business or individual is unaffected as anybody can be a carrier and easily contract the coronavirus.
That’s why 911 Restoration of Carson City is ready to deliver sanitization services in addition to various disinfection solutions for both residential and commercial properties. Our technicians are trained to follow all current CDC and EPA protocols to maintain full compliance while delivering sanitization services. Call us at (775) 419-0122 to get started today!
