How to Clean your Office after a COVID-19 Exposure

Being responsible for the safety of your employees as we transition from working from home to the office is a hefty task for every office manager. This past year has been difficult for everyone. We have experienced countless changes in such a short amount of time and we understand how overwhelming it can be.

The key to respond quick to any threat is to be prepared. You have read all the prevention manuals including The Guide on How to Clean and Disinfect your Office, an even hired a Professional Office Cleaning Service to make sure that everything will be sanitized. There's hand sanitizer available in highly visible spots (even every employee has a portable hand sanitizer on their desks), you have a stack of hand soap in the kitchen and bathrooms (those fancy touchless dispensers), desks are placed 6ft apart or have clear partitions, your HVAC system has been professionally cleaned and you even mailed everyone a high-quality mask with the company's logo so they can arrive prepared to work.

But, after all your preparation and hard work to keep your workplace safe  following every single protocol, somehow, the virus makes it's way into your office. One of your employees has tested positive for COVID-19.

How to handle an exposure?

Most workplaces (and public places) will send everyone home for remote work and have their office professionally cleaned after a COVID-19 exposure. Follow your safety plan or refresh your memory with a quick summary of CDC's guidelines on what do to after emptying the space.

1. Close off areas used by the sick person or the whole office
2. Ventilate the space by opening the windows, turning on the fans or adjusting your ventilation system.
3. Wait 24hrs to clean and disinfect your space
4. Disinfect the workspace of the sick person and all common areas or Book a COVID-19 Professional Cleaning to handle it for you
   

What's the benefit of having my office Professionally Cleaned and Disinfected after a COVID-19 exposure?

Having a COVID-19 Cleaning Service gives you peace of mind and highly reduces the risk of exposing yourself to get contaminated and spreading the virus all over the place, damaging surfaces or equipment by using the wrong cleaning product.

Your Professional Disinfection Team follows a detailed and effective 6-step process designed and regulated by GBAC (Global Biorisk Advisory Council- A division of ISSA) that allows us to prepare, respond and recover from a biological and biohazard threat. Their 6-Step cleaning protocol is being used worldwide to help fight the spread of COVID-19 while helping businesses like yours to adjust to our new normal.

Your Office's 6-Step Sanitization Process

1. Incident Site Risk Assessment: Your team will do an initial walkthrough of your space to identify any hazards or risks so we can design a safe and effective strategy to clean your office space.
2. Pre-Disinfection: This step only applies when there's visible contamination (vomit, blood, body fluids) so a pre-disinfection will be needed before moving to the next step.
3. Load Reduction: Removal of bio-contamination after the Pre-Disinfection.
4. Detailed Forensic Cleaning: The office cleaning team will deep clean every vertical and horizontal surface of your office to make sure everything is free of dust or dirt, including common areas, workspaces, conference rooms, private offices, bathrooms, kitchenette, appliances, glass partitions, windows, shelves, chairs, even equipment and items that are in every surfaces (monitors, keyboards, mouse, phones, and others).
5. Final Disinfection: The most exciting step! We'll use Hospital-Grade Electrostatic Sprayer Equipment to mist every surface of your office and allow a contact time of 10min before wiping the surfaces again.
6. Post-Site Assessment: Finally, your disinfection team will inspect your space to make sure that everything in the scoop of work has been disinfected properly. We'll email you photos and a summary of the job done.

When should I schedule an Electrostatic Disinfection Service?

• When there’s a COVID-19 exposure in your workplace.
• To sanitize your space from seasonal viruses like the Flu.
• To provide a healthy place to work for your employees.

Electrostatic Disinfection Cleaning vs Bleach Disinfection

It seems that disinfecting with bleach has been the preferred disinfection method of most people without thinking throughly of the health consequences of excessive use of this highly toxic sanitizing product. It is a very cost-effective method, but is it worth to risk even more your team's health to save money?

By using bleach to disinfect your office, you're exposing yourself and your team to:

• Highly toxic fumes that are very harmful to your lungs
• Eye irritation through the toxic fumes that are floating in the air
• Skin irritation by contact with bleached surfaces
• An overall unpleasant environment
• The risk of mixing it with incompatible cleaners that may result in death

Why risk everyone's health when there's a non-toxic solution? Having your office sanitized with electrostatic sprayers by a GBAC Certified Cleaning Service that you can trust will guarantee that your office is a safe place to work. This are the benefits

• 100% Non-toxic, no irritation, no fumes, no odor
• I's a smarter and efficient way to disinfect since the mist fully covers all surfaces from top to bottom
• Hospital-grade disinfection at a fair cost
• It doesn't damage your office's surfaces or equipment
• Done for you by a highly trained team

How much does an Office Disinfection Cleaning cost?

The safety of your workplace it's a priority and an investment. The benefits of having your workplace properly disinfected with a highly trained team and specialized equipment will save you money in the short-term and your employees will feel safe when going back to work. Here are our Office Disinfection Plans:

Full Office Deep Cleaning + Disinfection Service

• Starts from $450 (based on your space size, number of desks, bathrooms and the cleanliness of your space)
• For offices that haven't been professionally cleaned before closing your office (visible debris, dust, garbage, etc)
• Includes a Deep Cleaning Service and Disinfection Service with Electrostatic Sprayers

Disinfection Cleaning (add-on)

• Starts at $250 (based on your space size, number of desks, and bathrooms)
• For offices that have been professionally cleaned before closing (no debris, dust or garbage) or are in a recurrent Office Cleaning Plan with Cleaning Studio
• Includes a complete Disinfection Service with Electrostatic Sprayers

What Should You Do Next?

Returning to the office during a pandemic can be a nerve-wracking experience. It is important that employers listen to the advice of experts and take necessary precautions. In many areas, it is the responsibility of the employer to make sure employees have a safe and clean workspace if they require them to work onsite during the pandemic. 

Failure to comply with COVID-19 precautions can result in hefty fines. Not only is ignoring the advice dangerous for your employees, but also for your business. Studies have shown that employees are not productive when stressed or distracted. 

At Cleaning Studio, we help busy office managers in NYC, NJ and CT, to disinfect their Offices after a COVID-19 exposure and help them provide a safe place for their employees. In addition to a Certified COVID-19 Disinfection Office Cleaning, you can count with us to clean your office on a regular basis with our carefully formulated and 100% natural cleaning products powered with pure essential oils so your team can have a fresh start every morning.

Do you think you’re ready to take the next step? Get a free Office Cleaning Consultation with one of our Cleaning Experts to assess your space needs and get the benefit of having a full-service Cleaning Company that can handle your Daily Office Cleaning and COVID-19 disinfections on-demand.