Cleaning removes obvious signs of dirt and debris. Of course, this process is important to keep surfaces and objects clean, however it doesn’t mean that this process on its own, is removing all traces of germs, bacteria and viruses. 

So how do you ensure that your cleaning procedures are also removing harmful particles? You need to sanitise and disinfect your surfaces and objects on a regular basis, to ensure that you are able to keep germs and viruses at bay.

When you sanitise surfaces, you are helping to reduce the number of germs and harmful bacteria to levels considered safe by public health standards. This can be done in a number of ways through cleaning, fogging, steam, heat, electric and chemicals. Disinfecting methods use specific chemicals in the cleaning process and is one of the safest ways that you can ensure you are killing harmful particles on your surfaces.

Viruses like the Flu, the Cold and Covid-19 can live on surfaces for up to 3 days, so it is important that in any workplace a good cleaning routine is in place to make sure that heavy use areas are cleanedand disinfected. Think about the number of people that are making a cup of tea every day, how many people are using the toilets, and touching the handrails. These are all common touch areas that need to be disinfected on a regular basis.  Studies have found that places such as fridges, drawer handles, sinks, doors and kettles have the highest concentrations of germs. “According to a study from the American Society for Microbiology. Researchers placed a sample of a harmless virus on a single doorknob or table-top in an office building. The first area that was contaminated was the staff room, within two to four hours, the virus could be detected on 40% to 60% of workers, visitors and commonly touched objects”.

We are not saying that you need a cleaner on standby to follow everyone around and disinfect the surfaces each time someone touches it, but it is important that particular attention is paid to these areas. Does your cleaning team know the importance of thorough disinfecting and how to maintain good hygiene standards? If you move the microwave or the toaster is the surface underneath clean? If not, it might be time to look at your cleaning regime and make improvements. 

To help internally you can download our cleaning checklist here, if you would like more tailored support, get in touch.