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Going back to the office post Covid? – Are You Even Ready?

281 days… since March 17, 2020. When we were told of Covid-19 and our lives changed.

We started working from home, while managing kids and cramped office spaces with partners trying to do their jobs at the same time. AND with Limited Wi-Fi signals and school zoom lessons taking all the bandwidth.  We were scared to go to the store, scared to visit family and friends, and disinfecting everything in sight.

Clorox, Lysol, hand sanitizers – TOILET PAPER and PAPER TOWELS – where did it all go? Will it save us?

(side note)
Was I the only one side-eyeing my coworkers wondering why `all of a sudden’ everyone was obsessed with washing their hands…? “why weren’t you doing that all along?!?!” And now here we are, 281 days later – going into yet another lockdown and wondering how on earth we get back into the office and back into our lives.

Are you even ready to go back into the office?

Multiple factors can take place to ensure a safer work environment, including screening for symptoms and exposures, and measures that can increase social distancing and reduce crowding, such as changes to shifts, start times and breaks. Additionally, employers can take additional steps such as providing hand sanitizer, signage across the workplace, establish policies and procedures related to cleaning and disinfecting. It is also important that employees who can telework should be encouraged to do so, and most importantly, policies should be in place that encourage sick employees to stay home.

 

First Things First – Get it Clean!

How to clean:

-Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.

-Clean surfaces using soap and water, then use disinfectant. (Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface. Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces.)

-Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.

 

More frequent cleaning and disinfection may be required based on level of use.

Surfaces and objects in public places, such as shopping carts and point of sale keypads should be cleaned and disinfected before each use.

High touch surfaces include:

Tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.

How to disinfect:

Disinfect with a household disinfectant on List N: Disinfectants for use against SARs-CoV-2external icon, the virus that causes COVID 19.

Follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product.
Many products recommend: Keeping surface wet for a period of time (see product label) & precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.

Cleaning Soft surfaces

For soft surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes

  • Clean the surface using soap and water or with cleaners appropriate for use on these surfaces.
  • Launder items (if possible) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely.

OR

Electronics: should be cleaned and disinfected before each use.

For electronics, such as tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines

-Consider putting a wipeable cover on electronics for easy wipe down.

-Follow manufacturer’s instruction for cleaning and disinfecting.

-If no guidance, use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol. Dry surface thoroughly.

 

And of course, since nothing is guaranteed, there are going to be infections. When that happens, know that your friendly neighborhood janitorial company is here to help. ( Click HERE to be connected ) After a thorough cleaning and disinfection; we have a backpack sprayer that mists a CDC-approved chemical disinfectant over all surfaces. We leave it to dry and 30 minutes later, you are back in business.

Best of luck to you. Get back out there and here’s looking forward to a much-improved 2021!

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Protect yourself and your employees from Covid-19

The corona virus, first identified in China in December 2019, rapidly spread and caused high alarm among people across the world. People are now wondering how to keep their homes and workplaces safe from the virus going forward.

What Are the Symptoms of the Corona virus?

First things First – if you have a temp of over 99* STAY HOME. You probably work too hard anyway and need a rest.

It is challenging to confirm the corona virus infection as its symptoms strongly resemble the symptoms of the common flu. The main symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing.

How Is the Corona virus Transmitted?

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that corona viruses are transmitted through the air when the patient sneezes or coughs. The virus can also spread if you keep close personal contact with anyone infected. The good news is that using disinfectants to clean your home and office can kill these viruses.

How Can You Keep Yourself and Your Office Safe from the Corona virus?

There is no vaccine developed against the corona virus yet, as it has been identified only recently. Therefore, the best way to prevent corona virus infection is to avoid its exposure. CDC recommends these measures to safeguard against the corona virus.

  • Frequently wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.
  • Avoid close contact with infected people.
  • Stay at home if you are sick!!!!!
  • Use a tissue to cover your mouth while you sneeze or cough and safely throw them away.
  • Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.
  • Wear a cloth face covering in public settings
  • Maintain at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others

If you are an employer, you should follow these measures to contain the spread of viruses in your office.

Limit Surfaces That Employees Need to Touch with Their Hands

  • Ask your employees to use their foot or shoulder to push open the door, as many office doors don’t need a handle to push open and can swing open both ways.
  • Install motion sensors in all the doors of your office, including bathroom faucets. It will help your employees in washing their hands without touching the faucet.

Embrace Technology

  • Invest in designing an office space that embraces collaboration technology and remote work. Employees working from home can help reduce the chances of cross-infection among employees.
  • Provide personal phones, tablets, and laptops to your employees. Giving every employee their own devices will help them avoid sharing keyboards, computers, or phones, which can help in reducing the spread of the virus.

Keep the Sanitizer Handy

  • Keep sanitizer in the reception area, shared spaces, and conference room of your office.
  • You can also use signs to encourage your employees to sanitize their hands regularly.

Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

  • If any of your employees have symptoms of acute respiratory illness, recommend them to stay at home.
  • Make sure that they do not come to the office until they are free from signs of fever and other symptoms for at least 24 hours without using any medicine.

Please keep your office or any other type of work environment clean to help prevent the further spread of infections, including the corona virus. If you want office cleaning services, call us today for high quality customized commercial cleaning services at an affordable rate.

 

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6 Surfaces Swarming With Germs

  1. Money

It’s cringe-inducing to wonder who last handled your cash or coins. A sick drugstore customer buying medicine? A child sticking the quarter in his mouth? A person traveling straight from the bathroom stall to the vending machine without stopping at the sink? New York University researchers found in 2014 that a dollar bill carries about 3,000 different types of bacteria, so wash your hands after shopping.

  1. Towels

Washing your hands is a great step in preventing illness, but where you dry them must be clean, too. University of Arizona researchers found in 2014 that 89% of kitchen towels contained coliform bacteria, and 25% contained E. coli, which gets introduced to kitchens by uncooked meat. After each use, machine wash towels using warm water for colored towels and hot water for white ones.

  1. Door Knobs/Door Handles

Doors get us from point A to point B, and they open our microwaves, ovens and refrigerators. But in 2014, University of Arizona researchers found that one germ-infested doorknob could spread a virus to 40-60% of a workplace staff within two to four hours. Microbiology professor Charles Gerba said people can stop the spread anywhere with a simple item: Disinfecting wipes. In the studies, the wipes alone reduced occurrences of the virus by 80%.

  1. Electronic Devices

Phones, tablets, TV remotes and gaming controllers all spend hours in our hands, and they’re germy. We pass around TV remotes and video game controllers while stuffing our mouths with food. And our cell phones, which follow us everywhere, contain 18 times more than the amount of germs you’ll find on a toilet handle. Debate continues on how to clean a phone or tablet without harming the screen, but the New York Times offers ideas you may try at your own risk.

  1. Light Switches

We finish touching our light switches after a quick flick, but nonetheless, they’re communal locations that everyone lays hands upon. Studies show light switches can have as many germs as a trash can. Run a disinfecting wipe across the light switch to eliminate the germs living there.

  1. Washing Machines

We’ll save you the stomach-turning specifics, but just know that underwear introduces bacteria to the washing machine. And when wet laundry sits in there after the cycle, the bacteria invades, according to ABC News. Use hot water (140-150°F) or bleach to wash your clothing when possible. When it’s not laundry day, run a wash cycle with bleach and no clothing to rinse your washer. Always wash your hands after handling laundry.

 

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Cleaning Up Your Co-Workers Mess?

Janitorial Service – It’s not the most glamorous topic of conversation.  It’s also not something someone thinks about unless it goes wrong and you need to make a change.

What happens when you walk into the restroom at work and see that no, there aren’t secret fairies that come clean up your mess in the middle of the night? Most employees take it for granted that the garbage will be emptied, the carpets vacuumed, and the restrooms clean and stocked with soap and paper.

No one likes cleaning their own bathrooms at home, let alone having to clean the ones at work. In my personal experience, you learn WAY too much about your fellow coworkers. Some things are better left to the professionals.

Your boss may say that there is no room in the budget for something ‘so frivolous’. While that may be the case, a professional cleaning service doesn’t have to break the bank. Townsend & Styer Maintenance will work within your budget (or lack thereof) to find a solution that works; whether that is once per week, or once per month. Regular disinfection of touch surfaces greatly reduces the spread of germs and bacteria thereby keeping your employees healthier and at work, not sniffling away at home. Your employees will be happy and the workplace will be healthier.

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Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Go Hand in Hand

When you think about a deep cleaning of your office, what do you consider?  Dusting, strip & waxing of floors, machine scrubbing of restroom floors, shampooing and cleaning carpets?  However, upholstery cleaning may not be top of mind.  Have you ever stopped to consider those other germ-filled upholstery items, like cubicle walls, partition dividers or (gasp) your chair?

In the average office, you have sugars, starches, proteins, skin, perspiration, and germs circulating throughout the entire facility and collecting on furniture.  Cubicle walls often hide dust and stains by design, but are among the most neglected areas in an office building.   They are one of the biggest filtering medias that you have in the building.   Cubicles are commonly covered with a layer of woven polyester fabric that can become a collector of dust and other airborne debris.  They also collect stains associated with workers eating and drinking at their desk, from coffee spills to soup splatters.  Each person sheds about a gram and a half of dead skin cells every day.  However, the real concern lies with dust mites, who allergic droppings threaten indoor air quality.

Upholstery cleaning is a must in any building where indoor air quality is a priority (and it should be).  It’s also important to remove invisible stains or damage from foods, beverages, sweat, skin oils and more.

Talk to your janitorial provider about whether they offer upholstery cleaning in addition to the standard carpet extraction.  Hot water extraction provides a thorough, deeper cleaning.  A damp or dry shampoo can be brushed on, agitating the fibers and allowed to dry before being vacuumed away.

It is recommended to most commercial office customer that the cleaning of cubicles, partitions and upholstered furniture should be performed once every 12 to 24 months.  One rule of thumb to remember: “If you can see the soil, you’ve waited too long to get it clean”