COVID 19 Commercial Cleaning Update

Select the appropriate disinfectant: There are a plethora of disinfectants on the market in a variety of different packages, and it is important to note the listed kill claims on your selected disinfectant so that you can be sure that the product will be effective for the speci c circumstances and pathogens in your building. Also take note of compatibility of the disinfectant with your building surfaces – some products are not intended for use on certain surfaces and may either damage surfaces or have decreased efficacy.

Read the disinfectant label instructions: Once the appropriate disinfectant has been selected, follow the instructions listed on the label to ensure proper usage. If the product is a concentrate, make sure to dilute at the recommended amounts, and apply to surfaces as described, using recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Ensure that the disinfectant has enough surface contact dwell time: Depending on the speci c disinfectant and desired pathogen kill, there will be a range of dwell time which will be needed to ensure that the surfaces have been effectively disinfected. Some contact times are as long as 10 minutes (although some are as short as 30 seconds to 1 minute), and it
is imperative that the disinfectant solution remain wet and active on the surface for the prescribed amount of time in order to ensure that the targeted pathogens have been successfully eliminated.

Train your custodial staff: Disinfectants are designed to kill (they have toxic properties and are listed as pesticides), and
as such care should be taken when determining the appropriate amount of disinfectant to use, and the appropriate surfaces on which to use it. Focus should be on applying disinfectant to potential high touch surfaces, and staff should be trained on proper dilution, application, recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), surface rinsing, disinfectant chemical disposal and clean up as prescribed on the selected disinfectant label.