How long does a COVID deep clean take?

Facility Management | 13/5/2022

With the Corona Virus now firmly entrenched in society, many have accepted the fact that to get back to living life to the fullest we must adjust our expectations and accept a new normal. With this new normal is the fact that we now have to ensure that we are deep cleaning our venues and offices to ensure that staff aren’t being exposed to the Covid-19 virus, especially if positive cases have been through the building. With this in mind, it’s understandable to wonder how long does a Covid deep clean take and what the best way to achieve a deep clean is?

What is a Covid-19 deep clean?

When you have had a Covid positive individual or a suspected Covid positive case through your workplace or venue, you will need to deep clean your venue in an effort to ensure that all traces of the virus are eradicated and your business is safe for uninfected people to visit again. A deep clean is more thorough than a typical clean and therefore will take longer to complete. Deep cleaning can include everything from washing and disinfecting surfaces to cleaning furniture, linen, carpets and walls, or sanitising glassware and crockery. The idea of a Covid deep clean is to ensure that the virus doesn't have a chance of surviving on any surfaces and can't be passed along to anyone else to increase the spread.

Deep cleaning using Microfibre cloth

How often do you need to do a Covid-19 deep clean?

Covid-19 deep cleans are especially important anywhere where there are lots of people and a high transmission risk. This can be seen in aged care facilities where residents are at a high level of risk from Covid-19 exposure. With this in mind, it is essential that you ensure you are conducting deep cleans often enough to keep your residents and customers safe from the risk of transmission.

It is recommended that workplaces be cleaned at least once daily and that deep cleans are undertaken at least once every few days. This is due to the fact that the virus can survive on surfaces for a significant length of time, meaning that it can be spread long after the positive individual has left. The virus remains viable on surfaces for 72 hours which is more than long enough to impact unsuspecting individuals if the surfaces aren't regularly cleaned.

How long does a Covid deep clean take?

A thorough deep clean is more than likely going to take you several hours. You will need to ensure that you are cleaning any and all surfaces that may have been touched by an infected individual. As this can potentially be any number of surfaces you will need to ensure that you are cleaning as much as possible with disinfectant to effectively kill the virus. Allocating several hours towards your deep cleaning will ensure that you have enough time to clean everything thoroughly.

Deep cleaning by staff

What do you need to watch out for when deep cleaning?

It's important to be safe while you are cleaning. Always wear good quality gloves and make sure you aren't touching any unclean surfaces with your bare skin as you risk contracting the virus yourself. We recommend utilising disposable cleaning cloths such as Hygen Disposable Microfibre Cloths to help prevent the spread of the virus from one area to another.

What is the best way to clean surfaces?

The best way to deep clean your premises or home after a positive or suspected case of Covid-19 is in two steps. Begin cleaning surfaces with a good detergent before drying all surfaces off. Next, you will want to ensure that you have disinfected the surfaces after they have been washed. Regular household cleaning disinfectants with a high alcohol concentration are more than sufficient to eliminate the Covid-19 virus from smooth surfaces.

Make sure you throw any linens, towels or other materials in the wash and give them a good clean at a hot temperature. You may also choose to spray your material surfaces with a specialised material disinfectant spray to cover all your bases.

Does deep cleaning help to prevent the spread of the virus?

Deep cleaning has been shown to be a successful and efficient way of helping to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus throughout society. This is due to the fact that one of the main ways of transmitting and passing on the virus is via respiratory drops from infected individuals. These droplets can stay viable for up to 72 hours on surfaces. This makes transmission incredibly easy if regular cleaning is not being undertaken.

Regular deep cleans of facilities, offices, businesses and even homes can help prevent the spread of the virus and keep you, your business, staff and customers safe.



Guidance for cleaners

When deep cleaning a venue or facility, it's important to take a few precautions:

  • Never clean when an infected individual is still in the room or venue
  • Wait at least 60 minutes after the individual who is isolated or tested positive has left to ensure that any respiratory drops have settled.
  • Open windows and doors to let fresh air into the room or venue
  • Soft furnishings should be vacuumed, disinfected and steam cleaned if possible
  • Any and all consumables such as boxed tissues or toilet paper should be discarded
  • Frequently handled items will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised, paying special attention to grooves, buttons and handles.
  • Always ensure that the rooms and belongings are dried before anyone else touches or enters them again.

Contact us with an enquiry

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed a lot about how society functions. We have had to adopt a new normal and get used to many new cleaning procedures such as deep cleaning to ensure that our businesses, homes, facilities and communities are as safe as possible. Some extra effort and care, as well as staying on top of keeping our communities as clean as possible while the virus is present will go a long way towards keeping everyone safe and free of transmission.

Contact us for more information on the Covid deep clean process today or get a free sample of the Hygen Disposable Microfibre Cloth if you are looking to invest in more disposable cleaning products. Additionally, if you're looking for launderable cloths you can get a free sample here.

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