Commercial workplaces and offices are a haven for germs. In one study at the University of Arizona, environmental microbiologists “artificially inoculated” 10 out of 80 workers in an office space to see how quickly the sickness would spread.
These microbiologists sprayed water droplets on the hands of 10 employees. This water was infused with a virus that does not infect humans but mimics the spread of viruses that do make people ill.
Four hours later? The virus was present on 50 percent of all surfaces.
A virus can spread like wildfire in a commercial facility or office space. So when health and safety are of the utmost importance, how can you mitigate the spread of illness in your building?
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging on, you need commercial disinfecting services to keep the virus at bay.
The Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting
Your facility may be clean, but is it germ-free? Have you done everything you can to kill germs and mitigate the spread of infection?
Let’s break down the difference between “cleaning,” “sanitizing,” and “disinfecting.” Here’s what each term actually means:
- Cleaning refers to removing dust, debris, and dirt from your space, including all surfaces, by scrubbing, washing, and rinsing.
- Sanitizing reduces bacteria with cleaning products to lower the number of bacteria to a safe level. The only bacteria that are managed are the ones listed on the product label.
- Disinfecting means destroying or inactivating bacteria and viruses listed on a cleaning product label on hard, nonporous surfaces.
According to Health.com, the way you use and dilute a product can make all the difference between sanitizing and disinfecting your facility. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires sanitizers to kill at least 99.9 percent of germs on hard surfaces or 99.99 percent of germs on surfaces used for food preparation.
Disinfectants, on the other hand, are stronger. They need to kill 99.999 percent of germs on hard, non-porous surfaces.
Where can you run into an issue? Take bleach for instance. This chemical product can be both a sanitizer and a disinfectant. Bleach can be a disinfectant, but if it’s too diluted, it might be considered a sanitizer; it might not kill enough illness-causing bacteria or viruses for a space to really be considered disinfected.
When the health of your employees and the safety of your facility is at stake, disinfection cleaning services—rather than plain cleaning services—are the smartest, safest choice. You need a disinfection service that knows how to use cleaning products appropriately to eliminate the most germs.
Of course, no cleaning service can guarantee a 100-percent pathogen-free area, but disinfection services are the safest bet to protect your commercial space.
Disinfectants are the only products approved by the EPA to kill viruses on hard surfaces. Sanitizers will kill bacteria, but if you are concerned about the spread of a virus such as the COVID-19 coronavirus, only commercial disinfection services will do.
CDC-Recommended Disinfecting Practices to Combat COVID-19
To help facility managers and building owners fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released helpful guidelines to properly disinfect commercial spaces.
If you need commercial disinfecting services, the best option is working with a cleaning company that follows the CDC-recommended guidelines for the total disinfection of your commercial facility. Anything less potentially could put your building at additional risk for the spread of infection.
So what do these CDC guidelines entail for disinfecting commercial properties and killing the COVID-19 coronavirus?
- Wear disposable gloves while cleaning and disinfecting.
- Clean with soap and water to reduce germs, dirt, and impurities.
- Follow up cleaning with thorough disinfecting to kill germs on surfaces.
- Follow a regular disinfecting schedule to care for frequently touched spaces.
- Pay special attention to high-touch surfaces like tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, desks, handles, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, and kitchen areas.
- Clean surfaces and objects in public spaces (like grocery carts and card readers) frequently.
- Use an EPA-registered disinfectant for emerging pathogens.
- Follow all product labels to ensure appropriate contact time and safe usage.
S&G Cleaning Services: Adhering to CDC Guidelines
At S&G, we aim to help businesses stay in continuous operation while keeping employees and customers as safe as possible during the pandemic—especially when it comes to essential businesses.
To make this happen, we are following all CDC-recommended guidelines for disinfecting services. We’ll work quickly, efficiently, and with careful precision to best protect your business.
Our cleaning technicians come outfitted in head-to-toe environmental cleanup gear to protect you and prevent cross-contamination for each disinfecting service. We follow a three-step process to sanitize and disinfect your space. What does this entail?
- Hand-wiping all hard surfaces
- Disinfecting high-touch areas with a powerful disinfectant
- Using a food-safe, EPA-approved disinfecting fogger
For all of your commercial cleaning needs, S&G Cleaning Services can make a big impact on the cleanliness and safety of your facility, and when that means it’s time for sanitizing and disinfection cleaning services, we’re here for you. You should be able to trust that your commercial space is not only cleaned but sanitized and disinfected to mitigate the spread of illness too.
Take it from our happy clients. S&G is your one-stop-shop for professional janitorial and commercial cleaning. Whether it’s detailed carpet cleaning and floor care or unparalleled sanitizing and disinfecting cleaning services, we’re here for you.
When it comes to sanitizing and disinfection services, there’s no time to spare. Make the right choice to keep your employees, clients and customers as healthy as possible in these uncertain times.
Get a free estimate, and take the first step towards a disinfected, safer facility.
