In the aftermath of the pandemic, cleaning is going to look different. You may need to ramp up you’re cleaning and disinfection efforts or cut back on your cleaning budget. Either way, it’s essential to be prepared for the coming changes. A solid plan for returning to work can help your organization succeed in this new reality. Your return-to-work cleaning plan should outline what needs to be done to resume business operations.
Cleaning and sanitizing your office space is essential to maintaining a healthy and productive environment. You can have janitorial and maintenance staff does some of the work, but you might consider bringing in a cleaning expert to ensure it gets done correctly.
Here, we’ll focus on the last items: a thorough and detailed office cleaning and a plan to keep your environment clean. Before you bring people back in, you must ensure it is safe to do so.
Return To Office Plan - What Includes
Building Inspection
When you return to your office, check your office for any signs of damage, such as corrosion, degradation, or breakage. Leaky pipes that have gone unchecked for months could cause a mold problem that would require extensive repairs to fix.
Check all plumbing fixtures for leaks, and ensure they are correctly oriented.
Check all pipes in the building for leaks.
Check lighting fixtures for proper functionality, and note and replace any burnouts.
Clean the Bathroom
It’s essential to keep your office sanitary; one way to do that is to ensure the bathrooms are cleaned properly.
Getting rid of limescale on toilets, urinals, and sink fixtures
Disinfecting all possible sources of fomite contaminants like light switches and doorknobs
Wiping down stall walls and partitions
Disinfecting ceiling vents
Disinfecting ceiling vents
Clean The Common Areas
Germs can spread quickly in common areas that experience high foot traffic. These areas often have high-touch surfaces like doorknobs that must be disinfected regularly. As businesses begin to reopen, it’s essential to make certain high-traffic areas are clean and sanitized. This will help create a safe and healthy environment for employees and customers.
Clean your entryway glass and windows
Floor mats and all surfaces in your employee break areas and open workspaces
Floor mats and all surfaces in your employee break areas and open workspaces
Disinfect all railings, doorknobs, light switches, and elevators to ensure these high-touch areas are bacteria-free
Clean the Office Areas
Procedures for cleaning office spaces that don’t see much traffic from the general public are similar to the ones for cleaning common areas, including:
Detailed dusting of all surfaces, from floor to ceiling, with HEPA vacuums
Disinfection of all open work surfaces, including telephones
Disinfection of all horizontal surfaces
Thorough cleaning of chair mats, kick plates, and upholstery
Once you have completed your reopening plan, you are ready to bring your employees back. Part of that plan should include keeping things clean.
Develop a practical cleaning schedule for your business that your employees can follow. This may mean cleaning during downtime or scheduling specific time slots during the workday to wipe things down.
How To Make A Cleaning Plan - Steps
The cleaning and disinfecting requirements for businesses will vary depending on the type of business. Here are some tips on how to make a cleaning plan when returning to your office.
1. Develop A Cleaning Schedule
Develop a practical cleaning schedule for your business that your employees can follow. This may mean cleaning during downtime or scheduling specific time slots during the workday to wipe things down.
2. Disinfect High Touch Surfaces
High-touch surfaces should be disinfected several times throughout the day, and the whole work area should be wiped down once a day. More detailed cleanings should be done weekly, and deep cleans should happen monthly to maintain a sanitary environment.
3. Use Latest Cleaning Tools
Cleaning your office is an important task, but it can be hard to know where to start. These days, several great tools can make the process easier. For example, using a microfiber cloth for dusting can help prevent the spread of allergens.
Talk To Professional Cleaning Experts
MCS has been helping businesses stay clean and sanitary for the past 20 years. We can help you prepare your office for your employees and customers and recommend a plan for you moving forward based on your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our multi-tiered, back-to-work Superior Clean program explicitly designed for reopening during COVID-19.
