Detailed Disinfection
Cleaning facilities in a post-COVID-19 world
By Robert Kravitz
Photos: Courtesy Of Kaivac
Talk to anyone in the professional cleaning industry and most will say things will not be the same in the post-COVID-19 world.
On the positive side, building managers—including parks and recreation managers—will never underestimate the value and importance of effective, hygienic cleaning again. For years, the industry has been touting that it “cleans for health.” This is especially true in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Patrons need the help of building managers everywhere to ensure this objective is accomplished, not only in recreation facilities, but in offices, schools, and all commercial buildings.
To do that, park administrators may need to update their requests for proposals (RFPs). What’s more, they may want to ask their current cleaning contractors to adjust janitorial proposals or, if they clean in-house, revise their own cleaning programs.
When we think about it, this has been a major oversight for years. Most park and rec facilities have separate sections in their cleaning RFPs, janitorial contracts, and cleaning programs that address floor care, window cleaning, and other tasks that must be performed on a set schedule. But nowhere is there anything discussing detailed disinfecting on a set schedule.
That oversight must now be addressed.
What To Include
In a post-COVID-19 world, park and rec administrators should require cleaning contractors to include the following information in their janitorial proposals:
• A description of a complete, formalized disinfecting program. Formalized means it’s in writing. It should address all the concerns described below and include an introduction indicating the specific steps a contractor will take to keep a facility clean and healthy, both regularly and in an emergency, such as the pandemic.
• A summary of custodial-worker training programs that have been implemented since COVID-19. Many contractors, also park administrators, were caught off-guard as to how to deal with the virus. Don’t be caught flat-footed again; practical training, outlined in the cleaning proposal, will help prevent this oversight.
• A schedule for disinfecting a facility. Contractors should have two programs, one outlining regular disinfecting measures on a daily or weekly basis and another on more detailed steps taken on a monthly or quarterly basis. Further, the disinfecting program should begin before a facility is opened for the season. In the future, prior-to-opening disinfecting steps will likely become a cleaning “best practice.”
• An itemized checklist of all surfaces to be cleaned and disinfected in a facility. This is called a high-touch audit. At the start of service, administrators and cleaning contractors should conduct such a review, detailing what needs to be cleaned and disinfected on a daily, weekly, and ongoing schedule.
• A list of cleaning tools and equipment that contractors will be using. Cleaning equipment traditionally is selected based on costs, ergonomics, or the improvement of worker productivity. Now, contractors need to outline how the products they select can help protect health. For instance, two types of equipment have proven valuable in stopping the spread of the infection:
Spray-and-vac (no-touch) cleaning systems, because they can more thoroughly detail-clean fixtures and eliminate the use of potentially contaminated floor mops. Also, these machines have built-in HEPA filters protecting indoor air quality.*
Electrostatic misters that spread a disinfectant mist over surfaces, helping to kill all types of pathogens, including those causing COVID-19.**
There are even simple, relatively inexpensive items that should be noted on the proposal. For instance, at least one type of microfiber cleaning cloth can be folded into eight quadrants. The benefit here is that the custodial worker can fold the cloth so a fresh, clean surface can be accessed when needed, helping to stop the spread of contaminants and improving worker productivity.
In addition to having this important information, park administrators should find out what types of disinfectants a contractor uses. Cleaning crews should use only disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The proposals should also include comments on the steps contractors have taken to protect their own workers. The comments ensure that the cleaning crew has access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for both regular cleaning and cleaning-and-disinfecting emergencies. Once again, many contractors were caught off-guard by not having masks, goggles, gowns, and other items necessary to clean and disinfect their customers’ facilities in an emergency. In all fairness, so were facility administrators.
Hand in hand with having PPE available, ensure that contractors have instructed their workers on how to put on, wear, and remove PPE properly. Infections have spread because PPE was not worn and removed properly.
And finally, proposals should address two more crucial areas:
• Contractors must prove the efficacy of all their cleaning and disinfecting steps. To do this, all contractors should use ATP monitors. These do not indicate if specific pathogens are present. Rather, they serve as a warning that pathogens may be present, and action is needed. Facility users will want to know you are using this technology.
• Contractors should note if they have a “distributor partner.” Contractors must have an astute distributor partner they can turn to. View these people as an off-line personal search engine. These partners help contractors determine what cleaning products are best to address specific cleaning challenges and ensure park and rec facilities are clean and healthy.
As grim as the pandemic is, and as grim as it still may be, some good will come from COVID-19. Most likely, a year from now, both treatments and medications will have been developed to help prevent and treat the disease.
And when it comes to cleaning, good shall come as well. Manufacturers have already changed their focus. Expect new products to be introduced that take cleaning to an entirely new level, further ensuring they help protect human health.
Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry.
*Spray-and-vac is a term coined by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association.
**In most cases, surfaces should be cleaned first before misting is applied. See manufacturer’s instructions.