As businesses begin to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, proper disinfecting will be key to the safety of employees and customers. Business owners should be prepared to keep up with many different cleaning tasks so as to reduce the likelihood of an outbreak. While it’s best to hire a professional cleaning service for this task, you can still develop an effective plan for how to disinfect coronavirus in-house.
The key to success is using the right cleaning products and paying attention to detail. In other words, you should take time to find out the most effective reagents against coronaviruses while focusing on high-risk surfaces such as doorknobs and light switches. Furthermore, you can take advantage of cleaning technologies such as Ultra Low Volume Foggers to kill viral particles and protect your air space. Here are tips that you can use to properly disinfect your business for coronavirus.
Start with using the right cleaning products
Disinfecting and sanitizing a commercial property is much more complicated than disinfecting your home. There are many different areas that you’ll need to focus on, including shared spaces, bathrooms, floors, and working areas. This is why using the right cleaning products will be key. You need a disinfectant that is tough on viral particles and pathogens, yet gentle on humans. To achieve this delicate balance, make sure you avoid harmful ingredients such as bleach, phosphates, and corrosive elements.
There are many cleaning solutions that are EPA-certified, environmentally friendly, and tough on biological pathogens. Such cleaners may contain ammonium chloride, alkyls, and a neutral pH that limits corrosive properties. You should also look for cleaners that can be applied on multiple surfaces, including floors, walls, chairs, and countertops. UV light and antimicrobial wipes are useful for many hard, non-porous surfaces. Finally, think about the most convenient and effective application process for how to disinfect coronavirus in your business. A convenient cleaning product can be used in spray bottles, mop buckets, wipes, and other relevant containers.
Pay attention to high traffic areas
Viral particles are most commonly transmitted via high traffic surfaces. Any area where many people will be using is at risk, and proper disinfecting will be necessary to reduce potential outbreaks. Business owners should develop a plan for routine cleaning so they can prevent the accumulation of viral particles and other pathogens. For example, desks, doorknobs, countertops, light switches, and bathroom surfaces should be disinfected multiple times a day.
Frequency of sanitation is one of the reasons why you need a safe yet effective cleaner for these areas of your business. Make sure to use disinfectants in the right amount and avoid mixing multiple cleaners against manufacturer recommendations. You should also consider the dwell times of your disinfecting solutions. The ideal case is to get a cleaning product that kills pathogens on contact and is able to remain active for a reasonable period (most often, 3-10 minutes). In this way, you’ll be able to keep doorknobs and light switches as free from pathogens as possible.
Take advantage of Ultra Low Volume Foggers
Thanks to technology, you can also disinfect large areas of your business by using a fogging machine. Ultra Low Volume (ULV) foggers are convenient, portable, yet powerful tools that spray a disinfectant fog into the air, after which droplets land on target surfaces to kill pathogens. You can also adjust the droplet size, flow rate, and spray distance for additional potency, depending on the area and pathogens that you’re looking to kill.
Ultra Low Volume Foggers use a special disinfecting solution that’s powerful against viral particles, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The droplets are also powerful against pests, fungus, and bacteria. Because you can adjust the droplet sizes (up to 50 microns) and flow rate (up to 0.5 L/min), you have more control over the application process and can implement more strategies for how to disinfect coronavirus. The disinfecting solution used is also EPA-certified as a bleach-free, phosphate-free, and non-corrosive material for your hard, non-porous surfaces.
Develop a cleaning schedule that fits your business needs
In addition to the actual cleaning process, you also need to consider when disinfecting tasks will be carried out. The key to keeping employees (and customers) safe is cleaning high traffic areas as regularly as possible. And depending on the type of disinfectant being used, potency and dwelling times will vary.
You should coordinate the cleaning schedule of your premises with the volume of people using high traffic areas. With routine cleaning, while keeping surfaces wet for a period of time, you can significantly reduce viral particles so as to prevent new infections.
