Daily Office Cleaning during the Coronavirus Outbreak
Personal Hygiene Advice to Minster Cleaners (and anyone in office setting)
- Anyone exhibiting the symptoms (new continuous cough and/or high temperature) must self-isolate – stay at home and do not leave home for 7-days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms.
- Wash hands with soap after being in public areas or after coughing, sneezing, blowing nose. Use a sanitising hand gel if handwashing is not possible.
- Reduce spread of germs when coughing, sneezing with a tissue or sleeve (not hands) and throw tissue away immediately. Then handwash.
- Clean & disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces using regular cleaning products.
Regular Cleaning Advice to Minster Cleaners
- Normal cleaning methods do kill the virus. Implement the regular cleaning specification & schedule.
- In particular clean & disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces using regular cleaning products and disinfectants.
- Use normal PPE especially gloves.
Cleaning Advice to Minster Cleaners (if self-isolation has occurred in premises to be cleaned)
- Cleaning an area with normal household disinfectant after someone with suspected coronavirus has left will reduce the risk of infection transfer.
- If an area can be kept closed and secure for 72 hours, wait until this time has passed for cleaning as virus will have reduced significantly by 72 hours.
- Wherever possible, wear disposable or washing up gloves and aprons for cleaning. (There is no evidence that face masks have any benefit.) Used PPE should be double bagged, stored for 72 hours, then thrown away in the regular rubbish after cleaning is finished.
- Using a disposable cloth, first clean surfaces with warm soapy water. Then disinfect these surfaces with a cleaning product normally used. Pay particular attention to frequently touched areas and surfaces, such as bathrooms, grab-rails in corridors and stairwells and door handles.
- Wash hands regularly with soap, and after removing gloves, aprons and other protection used in cleaning.
Cleaning Advice to Minster Cleaners (if coronavirus is confirmed)
- If an area can be kept closed and secure for 72 hours, wait until this time has passed for cleaning as virus will have reduced significantly by 72 hours.
- Cleaning areas where a symptomatic individual has passed through and spent minimal time, such as corridors but which are not visibly contaminated with body fluids can be cleaned as normal.
- All surfaces that a symptomatic individual has come into contact must be cleaned and disinfected as well as bathrooms, door handles, telephones, grab-rails in corridors and stairwells.
- Use disposable cloths or paper roll and disposable mop heads to clean all hard surfaces, floors, chairs, door handles and sanitary fittings with either (i) a combined detergent disinfectant solution at dilution of 1000 ppm available chlorine or (ii) a detergent followed by a disinfectant (1000 ppm avail. chlorine) or (iii) a detergent followed by quat disinfectant. Avoid creating splashes.
- Any cloths and mop-heads used must be disposed of and should be double bagged and disposed by client as Category B infectious waste.
- Wash hands regularly with soap, and after removing gloves, aprons and other protection used in cleaning.
References
The above guidance has been sourced from www.gov.uk
Cleaning in non-healthcare settings – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings
Guidance for employers, employees and businesses – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19