Coronavirus has already made a major impact on the way we treat the cleaning of schools, hospitals, and businesses. It has caused new laws and regulations to be implemented all over the world. It’s become extremely clear that even in cases where new laws aren’t present, hygiene must take a higher priority than before.
Internal cleaning regimes and commercial cleaning services will need to be more comprehensive and in-depth than ever before. Infection control, previously the exclusive domain of hospitals and healthcare clinics, is now something that all organisations should be keeping in mind.
One thing that can easily be overlooked is the washroom or shower room. While these areas will generally already have a higher standard of cleanliness than other areas, this doesn’t mean their potential risk in terms of the spread of coronavirus should be overlooked.
Washrooms and bathrooms should be fully sterilised with industry leading cleaning techniques in order to prevent them from becoming a covid hotspot. A nationwide commercial cleaning company such as phs Interclean, with staff specially trained in reducing the spread of coronavirus can manage this for you and help to create a safe working environment.
But if you’re looking to handle this internally, what are some things you can do to help keep people safe and reduce the spread?
Here are a few of our top tips for keeping public washrooms and shower rooms safe:
HEPA filter Hand Dryers
Hand dryers are more hygienic than paper towels or towel roll dispensers as they allow people to dry their hands without coming into contact with any surfaces. Hand dryers with HEPA filters are even more effective as they trap up to 99% of airborne particles, removing them from the air and reducing the spread of bacteria and viruses. While there is as yet no solid evidence that HEPA filter hand dryers can reduce the spread of coronavirus, there is a wealth of evidence that it prevents the spread of most other viruses and bacteria that can cause illness.
Increased cleaning regularity
This one probably goes without saying but it’s important to note, nonetheless. If you usually clean your washrooms, bathrooms or shower rooms daily, this is no longer good enough. A complete clean should be carried out at least twice per day. Extremely high traffic washrooms may even require hourly cleans in order to truly keep people safe.
Improved spacing
Bathrooms and shower rooms often provide cramped, enclosed spaces where people come in close quarters to each other while sweating, getting changed, or using the bathroom. This can make them a very high-risk spot, especially if people are brought into close contact constantly throughout the day. It is recommended that you close every other cubicle, sink, and urinal, in order to leave a greater amount of space between people using the facilities. This may need to be combined with monitoring foot traffic to ensure people aren’t queuing in close quarters or bunching up in bottleneck areas.
Soap and Hand Sanitiser Dispensers
We all know how crucial it is to wash our hands regularly during and even after this pandemic. While most washrooms and shower rooms will already have soap dispensers, it might be the ideal time to upgrade them. High quality soap dispensers will ensure each user gets the ideal amount, which means both increased cleanliness and less wastage. Sensor soap dispensers can improve safety even by preventing people from touching the dispenser and removing a busy communal surface from your workplace.
Hand sanitiser dispensers, on the other hand, are more than likely something new to your workplace. They might not be necessary in the washroom itself if your hand cleaning facilities are already of a high standard - but it would be a good idea to place them immediately outside of the washroom for people to use as an extra precaution. Similarly, they should be present in all entrance ways, exits, and thoroughfares in order to reduce the spread of germs and viruses around the workplace on the hands of employees and visitors alike.
Signage
Signage may seem to be the most trivial of these tips, but it can have a huge effect. Simply putting a sign near a hand sanitiser dispenser asking people politely to sanitise before entering will increase the percentage of people who do. Similarly, reminding people to wash their hands after using the bathroom or floor signs for social distancing can all make an impact while also showing staff and customers that you are serious about keeping them safe.
How Can phs Help?
phs Interclean is the UK’s leading provider of commercial cleaning solutions. We help schools, hospitals and businesses across the country stay clean, safe, and reduce the spread of coronavirus. Our highly trained staff are available in every town and city across the UK and are able to enter your premises, carry out the necessary cleaning tasks, and leave with minimal interruption.
Contact us to hear more about how we can keep your workplace safe!
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