The COVID-19 outbreak has crowds lining up for sanitizers, wipes, gloves and for some reason, toilet paper. But are these crowds also properly using their supplies to clean properly and efficiently?
Professional cleaners from MaidPro and Pablo Beach Cleaners explained how COVID-19 is affecting their industry, while giving locals some tips and tricks to a cleaner and safer home.
“Some residential clients opted to hold off on services for the time-being,” said Sarah Hammond, owner of Pablo Beach Professionals, a locally women-run housekeeping business. “However, we still urge folks to use our services. Most clients have been reasonable. Some even go on their walks or grocery runs while we are there working to avoid contact.”
Professionals have also expanded their services, offering unique cleanings that were created specifically for the pandemic.
Pablo Beach Professionals added floor steaming and has partnered with builders for post-construction clean-up.
“I’ve partnered with several property management groups to sanitize access points for buildings, such as elevators and keypads,” Hammond said.
Jacqueline Mareovich, co-owner of MaidPro St. Johns, implemented services that focuses specifically on what are called, “touch points.”
“We wear masks and gloves through the clean, then remove all supplies and come back in and focus on doorknobs, countertops, pulls on dressers, remote controls, keyboards, where ever major touch points are,” Mareovich said.
And to ensure the safety of both the client and the employee, both MaidPro and Pablo Beach Professionals wear masks and gloves and follow all social distancing and CDC guidelines.
For holding off on housekeeping, Mareovich shared some at-home cleaning tips.
“If you’re privileged enough to have disinfectant wipes, or just a cleaning towel with diluted bleach and water, just spray or wipe down all handles that are typically not wiped during a cleaning,” Mareovich said. “All doorknobs, remotes, keyboards, frames, touchscreens, pulleys on all furniture and cabinets.”
She suggested cleaning phones multiple times a day, keeping hand sanitizer nearby and spraying Lysol on mattresses before adding sheets, as well as inside trash bins to eliminate germs and odors.
Mareovich also emphasized the importance of cleaning dirty laundry, which can harbor humidity and bacteria.
Owner of local dry cleaners Oceanside Cleaners, Mike Harris, advised following laundry detergent directions, adding that too much detergent leads to laundry that’s not thoroughly rinsed and too little leads to laundry that’s not thoroughly cleaned – both which can still harbor germs.
“Follow the instructions on the packaging,” Harris said. “But reduce the amount slightly if the washer uses soft water.”
Harris said Oceanside Cleaners’ fabric sanitizer Endex-99 was deemed effective in killing 99.9% of bacteria and eliminating coronavirus germs by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“With this endorsement from the EPA, our customers know they have additional ammunition to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Harris said.
And for the final step, take off shoes before walking in the door.
“Remove shoes and spray them with Lysol and don’t wear them through the home,” Mareovich said for her last tip. “Or wash them in the dishwasher, without dishes, obviously.”
