We do not yet know much of what we need to know about the new coronavirus, in terms of transmission, viability in the air and on surfaces. Our best bet it to treat it similarly to those coronaviruses that we do know about. That's what most authorities recommend, and what our current cleaning and sanitation program is designed around.
Here's a quick summation of what we currently do to keep our client facilities safe and healthy:
In restrooms and lunchrooms, we clean with hydrogen peroxide and then disinfect using Virex256, a Johnson/Diversey hospital grade quat-based disinfectant. We train our crews to periodically use an ultraviolet light to check for areas missed.
For touchpoints throughout the rest of the facility (touch-points would include door jambs, knobs and push plates; elevator buttons; stair rails; counters; interior glass; fridge and microwave handles), we use Johnson/Diversey's AlphaHP, our hydrogen peroxide based sanitizer, on a microfiber cloth, to both clean and sanitize. (Both are at least as effective as bleach, without the downsides.)
Here's why that combination: The Alpha-HP is a quite effective cleaner, as is a moistened microfiber cloth; combined, they're hard to beat. Most pathogens are removed along with the dirt [thanks to the microfiber]; what's left on the surface is killed by the Alpha-HP. It gives us sanitation with 30 to 60 seconds dwell time, depending on the particular germ, which is achievable with a hydrogen peroxide saturated wipe. 30 to 60 seconds is feasible on a touch-point; the 10 minutes required with a disinfectant is not, except in restrooms where one has a bit more freedom to apply solution liberally. [Think trying to keep a door jamb wet for 10 minutes, let alone a light switch.] Finally, the germs picked up by the cloth promptly die, thanks to the cloth being loaded with the sanitizer, so cross contamination is minimized.
We vacuum both carpet and hard surface floors with a HEPA filtered vacuum. HEPA filtration lets us contain and remove from your facility not just fine particles (allergens and so forth) but the larger pathogens, and particles that smaller pathogens might be clinging to. Any pathogen, say, sneezed into the air, will eventually settle - either onto your desk or the floor. Better, if we vacuum it up off the floor, that we don't just blow it back into your air; thus the HEPA filtration.
Besides some ongoing, aggressive, crew by crew retraining to insure compliance with our procedures, we're adding a couple of devices:
We're moving to fully damp wiping, using a hydrogen peroxide saturated microfiber pad on a stiff frame, most horizontal surfaces. Standard procedure in the industry is dry dusting, best done with a microfiber cloth, and spot damp cleaning as noticed. The dry cloth allows dust removal from around desk clutter, but does not sanitize. The HP saturated pad requires a bit more open area; we can lift up a computer keyboard and wipe under it, but not a lot of small items or paperwork. We thus need a bit of help from our client in limiting clutter.
Finally, we just purchased (and are still awaiting delivery on) a system that sprays disinfectant using tiny electrally charged droplets. The charged droplets repel one another, thus coating a surface evenly with no puddling, and most importantly evenly covers the entire object (think a lobby chair that, using either a spray bottle or damp cloth, where one might coat seat and armrest, but miss the underside of the armrest where a person might grab). We'll be ready to roll on this shortly; we'll then be better able to address crisis situations.
As we learn more, we'll continue to evolve. As, apparently, will the virus.
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