As states cautiously ease stay-at-home restrictions, American workers are preparing to return to their offices. And an army of janitors and cleaning professionals are preparing those offices for their return.
But will those offices be safe?
Most businesses are promising a “deep cleaning” before reopening their offices and businesses. Ogbonnaya Omenka, a public health expert and assistant professor at Butler University, says that, ideally, “deep cleaning” involves cleaning and disinfecting. It means specialized teams equipped with appropriate gear, including masks, PPE and even hazmat suits. And it can require virucides – chemicals capable of killing a virus – and fogging equipment.
Deep cleaning should also involve protecting everyone – the business’s workers and the cleaners themselves – from the virus, Omenka said.
“If proper measures are taken, the cleaners should be protected from the infection while preventing its spread,” he said.
It’s not just office spaces getting the deep-clean treatment. It happens after closing at many grocery stores. New York’s subways are being disinfected overnight. Schools across the nation are planning deep cleans as students stagger schedules to return to instruction. Medical and dental offices are getting them done to protect their patients.
Federal health officials have prepared a battery of guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a list of best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19. The EPA has listed over 300 cleaning products that are safe for humans but effective disinfectants against SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“It’s virgin territory for everyone,” says Brad Rush, owner of Jan-Pro of Atlanta, whose employees clean a wide variety of buildings, from offices to fitness centers, schools and stores. “We apply our expertise but adhere to the federal guidelines. The CDC, the EPA, they bring immediate credibility. People are so fearful, part of our job is to make them feel safe.”
The products that have been vetted have shown their effectiveness against viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 and other, harder-to-kill viruses, Omenka said. The products do not guarantee the disappearance of the coronavirus, he added, but they can “help to reduce the chances of its transmission, especially from surfaces that people frequently make contact with.”
Melissa Nolan, an infectious disease expert and professor at the University of South Carolina, says cleaning and disinfecting, combined with masks and regular hand-washing, should make offices safe.