HOW LONG DOES SARS-COV-2 LINGER ON SURFACES?
With the global pandemic reinforcing the importance of keeping homes, offices, and surroundings safe and clean, the hygiene industry is certainly enjoying a boom. By CARYN GOOTKIN
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leaning businesses have grown steadily in popularity with many people now outsourcing this vital function. “Cleaning services and occupational health and safety franchises are experiencing high growth due to the pandemic,” says independent franchise consultant Anita du Toit. “Service-based franchises offering essential services tend to weather economic storms better than most sectors as they are considered necessary rather than nice-to-haves. However, extreme lockdown conditions and protocols required for COVID-19 compliance have given this category a massive boost.” In many ways, cleaning businesses make perfect franchises because they: • are affordable with low barriers to entry • have low overheads • provide repeat business • have strong branding and marketing material • offer comprehensive training • offer an opportunity to work from home • operate during family-friendly office hours. “In addition, cleaning and occupational health and safety are categories with defined standards in place, especially for health and safety in the workplace,” says du Toit. “These businesses usually have specific standards of operation to ensure that they deliver consistently and that services are standardised. They also often have well-developed branding and proven business systems, which are crucial for franchised businesses. Any potential franchisee should verify that these requirements are met before signing up with such a franchise. Franchise buyers must also insist on receiving
a copy of the disclosure document of the franchise to consider together with the franchise agreement before committing to any type of franchise.”
FEW REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS Businesses offering COVID-19 cleaning services do not currently have to conform to any uniform standards in terms of what should be treated, when, how and with what products. It is only fumigation services that must be approved by both the local authority and Department of Health.
“Service-based franchises offering essential services tend to weather economic storms better than most sectors.” – Anita du Toit, franchise consultant “There are no specific regulations on cleaning in general or sanitisation specifically for COVID-19 in South Africa,” says registered occupational hygienist and vice president of the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Harold Gaze. “The only authorised accreditation body is the South African National Accreditation System, which has not yet accredited any organisation in the cleaning and hygiene industry. To obtain a form of recognition, some cleaning companies have been certified under ISO 14000 or ISO 9000, but neither offers certificates specific to cleaning. Although not required by law, some cleaning companies opt for an Approved Inspection Authority to certify that the premises are fit for reoccupation.”
JOB CREATION The hygiene and cleaning industry is perfectly positioned to employ unskilled labour as it needs teams of cleaners. Cleaning franchises provide their franchisees with comprehensive training so it easy for someone with no previous experience to learn all the necessary skills quickly.
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Mopping up the market KLEENBIN When Kleenbin entered the market in 1997, it was the first service in South Africa to design its own mobile, trailer-based bin-cleaning facility. “The business model is based on two simple premises: garbage bins are breeding grounds for bacteria and foul smells; and every area has a municipal waste collection day on which occupants must put their black bins outside their property,” says Matthew Munro, marketing manager for Kleenbin. “Nobody enjoys cleaning their refuse bins, so a service that offers a hygienic, complete sanitisation service without requiring the client to do anything – as their bins are out in the street on bin day anyway – is attractive to most property occupants.” With its simple premise and easily replicated formula, Kleenbin franchisees can easily set up their own business in a new area. “Franchisees pay R253 000 upfront, which buys them guidelines and marketing collateral, computer hardware and software, and a Kleenbin trailer, cleaning materials and consumables,” says Munro. “We currently have more than 60 franchisees in South Africa and have just opened our first international franchise in Texas. We are looking for new franchisees, especially as our client base expanded by more than 10 per cent in the period May to August this year. We feel extremely blessed that we were able to keep going and grow through these difficult times.”
The Specialists Founded in 1978 and franchised in 1984, The Specialists is a cleaning, hygiene and pest-control company with 70 franchisees in
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IMAGE: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
CLEAN SWEEP
“Information regarding the viability of SARS-CoV-2 on various surfaces continues to evolve,” says general practitioner Dr Orit Laskov. “It seems to behave like most other coronaviruses in that it prefers hard, smooth and nonporous surfaces, for example, a kitchen counter rather than a carpet or a doorknob rather than paper. The virus has been shown to last anywhere from an hour to several days on surfaces, but experts are still debating exactly how long it remains virulent or highly infectious.”
