Now that more people are returning to their offices in London, here are some tips on keeping your office common areas clean throughout the day and to avoid the spread of COVID19

Social distancing, washing your hands regularly, good respiratory hygiene (using and disposing of tissues), cleaning surfaces and keeping indoor spaces well ventilated are the most important ways to reduce the spread of COVID 19 in your office or workplace. Increase the frequency of cleaning of general room surfaces reduces the presence of the virus and the risk of contact. In situations where someone has symptoms of COVID19, the government advise storing personal waste for 72 hours as an additional precaution.

Regular cleaning plays a vital role in limiting the transmission of COVID 19 Reducing clutter and removing difficult to clean items can make cleaning easier. Increase the frequency of cleaning, using standard cleaning products such as detergents and bleach, paying attention to all surfaces but especially ones that are touched frequently, such as door handles, light switches, work surfaces, remote controls and electronic devices, bathrooms and communal kitchens.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF COVID 19

HOW DO COVID19 VIRUSES SPREAD

COVID-19 spreads from person to person through small droplets, aerosols and through direct contact. Surfaces and belongings can also be contaminated with COVID 19  when people with the infection cough or sneeze or touch them. The risk of spread is greatest when people are close to each other, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces and when people spend a lot of time together in the same room.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING YOUR OFFICE.

Step 1:

Check to see that your office cleaner has suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on. This includes wearing gloves (in case of handling cleaning chemicals) and covered shoes. As a minimum, frequently touched surfaces should be wiped down twice a day, and this should be done at the beginning or at the end of the working day. Cleaning should be more frequent depending on the number of people using the premise, whether they are entering or exiting the setting and should have access to handwashing and hand-sanitising facilities to minimise the contamination.

If you’re hiring a cleaner, make they have the necessary tools to get the job done right. This includes cleaning tools such as a vacuum cleaner, mop, pail, broom, dustpan, cleaning cloths and safety signages.

Step 2:

Start off by wiping the office surface including desktops and computers, cleaning the skirtings and all doors handles, windows and window seals, dust mopping or vacuuming the office floors. Pick a time when the office is least-busiest to carry out vacuuming so that the sound does not interrupt or become a disturbance to office staff. Check to make sure that the vacuum cleaner bag has sufficient capacity and is not full.

Kitchens and communal canteens

It is very unlikely that COVID-19 is transmitted through food. However, as a matter of good hygiene practice, anyone handling food should wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before doing so. Crockery and eating utensils should not be shared. Clean frequently touched surfaces regularly.

Food business operators should continue to follow the Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) guidance on good hygiene practices in food preparation, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) processes, and preventative practices (pre-requisite programmes (PRPs)).

Bathrooms

Clean frequently touched surfaces regularly. Ensure suitable hand washing facilities are available including running water, liquid soap and paper towels or hand driers. Where cloth towels are used, these should be for individual use and laundered in accordance with washing instructions.

Waste

Waste does not need to be segregated unless an individual in the setting shows symptoms of or tests positive for COVID-19. Dispose of routine waste as normal, placing any used cloths or wipes in ‘black bag’ waste bins. You do not need to put them in an extra bag or store them for a time before throwing them away.

Step 3:

Once the dust mopping or vacuuming has been completed, proceed to mop the floor area. Check to ensure the correct proportion of cleaning chemical is used to the ratio of water for the mopping solution. Remember to place safety signages where the mopping is being carried out.

Step 4:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, it is important to pay extra attention and detail to the cleaning of all surface areas in the office, especially high-frequency touchpoints such as armchair rests, keyboards, door handles, lift buttons etc.

Use an appropriate industry-grade chemical disinfectant to clean all surface areas. And be sure to use different coloured clothes to wipe clean the various surface areas to minimize cross-contamination.

Step 5:

When your office cleaner is clearing wastepaper bins, ensure they tie and remove used bin liners from the wastepaper bin. Hold the used bin liners at arm’s length from the body to avoid contact with sharp objects in the used bin liners. Bulky items should be flattened or broken down before disposal.

Alternatively, instead of having individual wastepaper bins, have a centralised bin so that the office cleaner can reduce time clearing individual bins and focus on other cleaning tasks.

Step 6:

When the cleaning is done, inspect if the office cleaner has put everything back the way they were before

Use the checklist to tick the jobs done so that this acts as a reminder for your office cleaner to tick off and make sure all cleaning tasks have been completed as required.

Remove waste/ refuse and dispose of them in the properly designated area. Remove the safety signage only when the floor is dry. Proceed to remove all tools and equipment from the work area.in the case where an asymptomatic person has spent time in a room or the building.

All surfaces that the symptomatic person has come into contact with should be cleaned and disinfected, including all  frequently touched areas such 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 – think one site, one wipe, in one direction. Avoid mixing cleaning products together as this can create toxic fumes. Avoid creating splashes and spray when cleaning to avoid getting fluids onto your cloths. If Covid 19 is confirmed this waste should be stored for at least 72 hours before disposal with normal waste.

If during an emergency you need to remove the waste before 72 hours, it must be treated as Category B infectious waste. You must:

• keep it separate from your other waste
• arrange for collection by a specialist contractor as hazardous waste

Final Step:

Check that the necessary tools and equipment are returned to the storage area. Have gloves and cleaning clothes been properly washed and hung out to dry for the next use? Has your office cleaner washed hands before leaving the premises? These are some good general practices and hygiene factors to consider when it comes to keeping your office clean please follow them to keep your office safe.For any office, cleaning help talk to cleanerss.com