Cleaning and Covid-19

Creating Lasting Impressions Through Cleaning

The pandemic has elevated the importance of cleaning and cleaners

It’s sometimes hard to remember what life was like before March 2020. Pre-lockdowns there were no masks, Zoom meetings were a rarity, the receptionist was not behind Plexiglass, no one in the office took your temperature, and we didn’t think twice about who cleaned our office.

Did we ever question whether our desk had been sanitized or who cleaned our office?

There is now a higher awareness of the importance of disinfecting and cleaning, and because of it, a greater appreciation of the wonderful folks who carry out that essential service. What for some, might have been an inconvenience if a cleaner was mopping a floor, is now a welcome sight.

Out of sight, out of mind

Pre-pandemic, cleaners were asked to work behind the scenes, after everyone had left the office or on weekends. These days, it’s reassuring to see professional cleaners at work — and some facilities managers even request daytime cleaning. It provides peace of mind to customers and staff to know that efforts are being made to ensure there are no viruses lingering on surfaces within the building. It shows the employer cares, and helps the employees feel safe.

A recent study by the Cleaning Coalition of America (CCA), showed that nearly half of the 1,600 survey participants, 43%, are still worried about returning to the office.

The vast majority of respondents, 89.9%, believe workplace cleaning protocols are very or somewhat important

When asked to rank their greatest impediment to returning to the office, 35% pointed to Covid infection rates and vaccination rates second, 17.4%.

While cleaning practices weren’t a major priority for employees pre-Covid, 66% of office workers say they find it extremely important now. For 62% of employees, simply seeing sanitation professionals regularly at their workplace made them feel safer.

Worryingly for employers, 39% say improper cleaning at their workplace might lead them to change jobs.

Cleaning for health

There have been added benefits to the increased focus on cleaning due to Covid-19. More regular and improved cleaning efforts have also prevented other illnesses and lowered the risk for staff who suffer from asthma and allergies, by reducing other environmental hazards, such as dust, in the workplace.

The risk of infection from surfaces may be relatively low, but it does still exist. And offices, shops, and other buildings benefit from the regular wipe-down of telephones, elevators buttons, doorknobs, handrails, and cleaning and sanitizing of bathrooms.

Professional commercial cleaning companies can advise their customers on the most efficient schedule to meet their unique needs while staying within their budgets.

It’s a reality that upgrading cleaning can be cost-prohibitive for some organisations. The good news is that outsourcing is a proven method and there are several professional cleaning companies on the island that can provide highly experienced cleaning for a fraction of the price of maintaining a similar service in-house — Atlantic Cleaning and Maintenance, Bermuda Elite Cleaners and Marshall’s Maintenance being among the finest.

Building owners and employers should never skimp on cleaning services. It’s hard to put a price on the value of retaining employees and customers and helping them feel safe.

Cleaning and cleaners have never been more important. It’s time to celebrate them.

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How clean is your building?

Now, more than ever, it’s important to not let your maintenance priorities slip.

COVID-19 has made the need for commercial cleaning services more urgent than ever. But some may be thinking, what is the point of investing in good commercial cleaning when there are so few people around to appreciate it?

If you want a space that is safe, clean and inviting, you need commercial cleaning. Plus, with less staff on hand, it’s likely that you simply don’t have the manpower needed to accomplish this task to a good professional standard.

Here’s why commercial cleaning is so important, especially now.

Commercial Cleaning Can Help Against Viral Infections

For an organisation to maintain its competitive edge, it needs proper policies, procedures and most importantly, preparation to handle the various tasks that will be expected of any high-powered company.

Of course, this is something you were aware of even before the pandemic turned our world upside down. COVID-19 continues to keep us on our toes with constant changes in procedure and lockdown protocol. Still, it makes it more critical than ever that you do all you can to stay in business and a healthy building — as in one with the right procedures is a high priority for businesses that want to keep running at levels as close to normal as possible.

Commercial Cleaning Follows Health & Safety Protocols

Opening back up after lockdowns requires a lot of planning and consideration, and you have probably already implemented a variety of new procedures. But if you want to entice both customers and employees out of their safe home cocoons, then you need to do something to make your company stand out as polished and ready.

The major concern for businesses right now is meeting health and safety standards so that you can operate without risk. It’s hard to keep up with all the new requirements and ensure everything is perfect but luckily, this isn’t something you have to struggle with alone.

Good commercial cleaners have been keeping up with all the practices and protocols required for business, particularly in the area of cleaning and disinfection. Besides, it’s not practical to expect all your employees to know precisely what new safety standards they need to meet and expect them to become cleaners on top of the jobs they already do as normal full-time workers.

Commercial Cleaning Provides Complete Disinfection of your Workplace

Basically, COVID-19 or not, you have a business that needs to operate. And to do that you need companies you can trust to handle the cleaning and safety requirements without distracting attention from your business. Sure, your employees can follow basic protocols like washing their hands and doing simple sanitizing of communal areas, but only commercial cleaners can provide the detailed and complete disinfection of your workspace which is needed.

That’s not even to touch on the unfortunate circumstance where an employee of yours becomes infected. If that happens, it’s more critical than ever to deep clean the area so that you can get back to normal business as fast as possible, rather than being forced to remain closed, hemorrhaging money.

And that’s where reliable professional

Closing Thoughts

It’s easy to forget how important commercial cleaning is but hopefully this article has helped explain why it’s essential. When you have a good commercial cleaning company keeping your workplace safe from COVID-19, you can focus on the core business tasks that’ll make your business boom.

Just make sure when you’re selecting a cleaner that they have all the stringent procedures necessary and that they have a reliable team you can count on at any given moment.

To learn more about the importance of high quality commercial cleaning, call Atlantic Cleaning & Maintenance Ltd. (441) 236-4051. Email info@atlanticcleaning.bm .

cleaning services can come in. Companies like ours, Atlantic Cleaning & Maintenance Ltd., can provide the services you need to remain focused on your job, to keep your company up and running, clean and safe. Most importantly, we do it quickly and effectively, meaning this is one item you can immediately check off your list of concerns.

What You Should Look For

Techniques are one area that you want to focus on. Look for companies that offer services like electrostatic disinfection, where a positively charged disinfectant is sprayed throughout the room enveloping hard surfaces for the most thorough coverage. This technique can be completed as a preventative measure or to disinfect a COVID-19 contaminated area.

Another thing is to check their company procedures. The first thing should be a risk assessment of the whole building before even beginning to identify specific areas that need attention and care. Next, they should provide regular touchpoint cleaning of commonly frequented areas like telephones, light switches, stairway bannisters and door handles.

You want to make sure that there’s comprehensive deep cleaning available, targeting the most obvious areas, but also hitting locations where bacteria can settle and spread, such as window ledges, around radiators or most critically, below desks and other sitting areas.

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