COVID-19 Cleaning Tips: Is your business ready for customers and employees?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, some businesses are struggling to keep their customers and employees safe. Stopping the spread of germs is difficult when people are in shared or public buildings, especially high-traffic areas or confined spaces. Some businesses have to open their doors, though, in order to stay in business and maintain operations. If you are getting ready to reopen, you have to implement proper COVID-19 business and office cleaning practices.
The necessary cleaning routines will differ by organization, but the CDC has released very clear guidelines on disinfecting public or shared areas. You should encourage your staff and customers to wear a mask, wash their hands, and stay six feet apart. However, these safety practices are not always possible. Keep reading to ensure your business is ready for customers and employees with COVID-19 cleaning tips.
Prepare to Clean Your Business for COVID-19
Before you can safely reopen your office or storefront, you have to create a comprehensive COVID-19 business and office cleaning routine. This routine will include both daily cleaning tasks as well as less frequent deep-cleaning activities. Once your routine is established, you can share your cleaning efforts with your staff and customers to boost trust and put people at ease.
To create a complete COVID-19 cleaning schedule for your business, start by determining what needs to be cleaned. It may be beneficial to create a checklist for all of the areas in your workspace that need to be addressed. You can break down these areas by room, function, or priority. For example, you may list out all of the surfaces and touchpoints in your kitchen and breakroom. Or, you can create a list of your most high-touch surfaces or high-traffic areas.
Keep the following surfaces in mind when creating your checklist for COVID-19 cleaning, as it can be easy to overlook common areas.
- Doors, including door handles, push bars, and locks
- Furniture, including the lobby area, desks and chairs, and conference rooms
- Light switches, hand rails, faucets, and other high-touch surfaces
- Computer screens and keyboards, phones, and electronics
- Coffee pots, microwaves, and other appliances
- Pencils, pens, and writing implements used in the lobby, breakroom, or common areas
- Television remotes, keypads, and other shared electronics
- Trash cans and recycling bins that have to be touched to use
Once you’ve identified your high-touch areas, shared spaces, and surfaces to be cleaned, you have to decide how you will clean. Who is in charge of cleaning up each specific area? What should your employees do on a daily basis? How often and at which times should each area be cleaned? Developing a COVID-19 cleaning schedule for your business ensures that everyone is on the same page and nothing falls through the cracks.
Finally, examine your cleaning checklist and decide which materials and resources you need to properly clean your workspace. You can purchase your most-used business and office cleaning supplies in bulk and set up a designated area for cleaning equipment and materials. When considering the resources required to maintain a cleaning schedule, you should also factor in the time and cost of labor. Added cleaning responsibilities may require additional hours from your employees.
Keep Your Business Clean During COVID-19
A daily cleaning schedule is not enough to combat germs and slow the spread of COVID-19. A lot of planning and effort goes into maintaining a clean and safe business during this pandemic. Make a plan for your cleaning activities on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. You should also evaluate your cleaning plan at regular intervals to determine whether or not it is working.
Consider surveying your employees to learn if they feel safe in their work environment and how you can improve. If your employees feel comfortable at work, they are likely to do a better job and be more productive. An unsafe work environment can quickly lead to morale issues and impact your overall business.
When in doubt, more cleaning is always better than less. During the pandemic, there is no such thing as “too clean.” If you are unsure where to start when it comes to a COVID-19 cleaning routine, or you need help maintaining a clean workspace, contact Hellamaid today. As expert home and business cleaners, we can properly assess the needs of your business and help protect you from spreading the virus.
