COVID-19 Office Cleaning Tips

In a short time, COVID-19 virus has greatly affected how we live and work. However, healthy regulations and guidelines have helped to slow the spread, particularly in Melbourne. As a result, many workers are now returning to the office. But this isn’t a time to become complacent. Social distancing measures still need to be followed, as well as good hygiene and wearing masks. 

If you’re looking to get your workers back into the office, then you need to be ready to do your part to avoid cluster outbreaks of the virus. This is why we’ve put together some office cleaning tips for you so your business can stay open even without a COVID-19 vaccine readily available. 

How long does COVID-19 live on surfaces and how is it transmitted? 

In order to put forward the best cleaning and prevention strategies for your business, you need to understand how the COVID-19 virus operates. This includes how long it can live on various surfaces, as well as how it is transmitted. 

According to the latest research, the virus can survive for varied lengths of time depending on the environment and surface. Studies have suggested the following time frames for different surfaces. 

• In the air – 3 hours 
• Paper– 3 hours 
• Copper – 4 hours 
• Cardboard – 24 hours 
• Wood – 2 days 
• Fabric – 2 days 
• Treated steel – 2–3 days 
• Polypropylene plastic – 3 days 
• Glass – 4 days 
• Cash – 4 days 
• External area of surgical mask – 7 days

Chances are many, if not all, of these kinds of surfaces are present in your office. Remember these numbers as you consider and put your cleaning strategies into action. This is because the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted through droplets expelled from the mouth and nose, but it can also spread through infected surfaces. If a person touches an infected surface and then touches their face, there is a chance they will become infected.

What are the high-risk areas in an office? 

The best way to minimize transmission of the virus is to regular clean and disinfect any high-risk areas in your office. Because of the nature of the virus, you will need to be very thorough. This includes cleaning and disinfecting desk, chairs, floors, bathrooms, lights witch's, stair railings, elevator buttons, door handles and more. Think of all the things that a person may touch and interact with. They all need to be cleaned regularly. 

Cleaning tips to manage COVID-19

• Regularly clean high-risk areas

As discussed earlier, part of your cleaning strategy will need to be to regularly clean and disinfect high-risk areas. These are areas that people regularly touch and therefore may spread the virus. Use a good quality cleaner and disinfectant for the best results. You may also need to do this cleaning multiple times during the day to ensure that all workers are safe. Remember to clean the following high-risk areas:

• Bathrooms
• Stair handrails
• Door handles
• Light switches
• Floors
• Kitchen spaces
• Desks and chairs

Let your workers know that these areas are high risk and need to be regularly cleaned and disinfected. If they have any concerns, they should let you know.

• Provide masks and hand sanitizer in all areas

Along with cleaning and disinfecting high-risk areas, you can also help slow the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring all workers and visitors to the office wear masks and use hand sanitizer. Masks reduce the spread of droplets and sanitizer can help kill the virus if it is on a person’s hands.

Make following these rules easy for everyone by providing disposable masks and hand sanitizer in all areas of your business. That way, no one has a reason to not be following the rules.

• Precautions while cleaning 

Cleaning and disinfecting is important to handle the virus, but you also need to take precautions while cleaning. If not, you may end up spreading the virus or becoming infected yourself. Follow these tips:

• Wear disposable gloves and a mask while cleaning
• Dispose of gloves after each use
• Wash and disinfect hands after cleaning is completed
• Use appropriate cleaning and disinfecting products
• First clean, then disinfect for the best results
• Leave disinfectant on the surface for 10–20 minutes in order to kill all germs

• How to clean an area where you’ve had a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19

If a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 occurs in your office, you need to be ready to follow additional cleaning and disinfecting protocols. Firstly, it is best to use professional cleaners but you may need to do some cleaning yourself before they arrive. Similarly, you will need to let the relevant government authority know so that they can put into place any contact tracing measures. 

Isolate the suspected COVID-19 case (or send them home safely) and clean and disinfect all areas they have been in. Send home any people who have had contact with the case. They will need to self-isolate and get tested. Then clean and disinfect the areas they have been in.

Use the tips above to open your office safely and ensure that COVID-19 does not spread.