Cleaning and Disinfecting for Virus Eradication

4/29/2020 (Permalink)

Protect your family, customers and employees with SERVPRO's professional virus cleaning service.

Most of the time, we humans can afford not to give much thought to viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. We know they’re out there, but we have long been able to feel confident that science and medicine will protect us from the worst effects. Unfortunately, when a previously unknown pathogen sweeps the globe, we are all vulnerable to infection and illness, without any reliable vaccine or treatment. In that scenario, we must fall back on time-tested ways to prevent transmission and infection from occurring.

Typically, viral pathogens spread primarily through person-to-person contact. Transmission occurs when an infected person produces airborne respiratory droplets by coughing, sneezing—or even by speaking or breathing. These drops travel through the air and can be inhaled by others, especially those who are within about six feet of one another. This is the most direct way of transmission.

Another, less direct way to catch a virus is by touching a surface or object that has had virus cells deposited on it, then bringing the viral cells into your body by touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Research indicates that viral pathogens can live on surfaces from a few hours to a few days. This is why medical experts recommend washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your face—easy ways to break the path of transmission.

Another way to disrupt the path of transmission is to disinfect the surfaces of objects, furniture and fixtures that may carry viral or bacterial contamination.

The Importance of Proactive Cleaning

SERVPRO offers homeowners and business owners an extra level of assurance that their homes and facilities are thoroughly clean and disinfected to minimize the transmission of emergent viral pathogens. Do all you can to keep your family and friends, customers and employees safe from threat and prevent disease: call on SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield for proactive cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection of commercial properties.

As a corporation, SERVPRO is in a unique position to perform these essential services at a time of urgent need. Americans can rely on the preparedness—the expertise, training, equipment and personnel—of SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield.

According to the CDC, “Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of … viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings.” (SERVPRO advises that you visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website for the latest and most accurate information on viral pathogens.)

SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield is prepared—right now—to clean, sanitize and disinfect your home or business to eradicate traces of viral and bacterial pathogens. Whether you have no indication of existing contamination, or are aware that your structure may have been contaminated, SERVPRO’s crews stand ready to minimize risk within your building.

Please be aware, however, that while SERVPRO’s cleaning process can remove existing viral pathogens, structures we clean proactively will not be protected from future contamination if an infected person subsequently enters the building.

Who Seeks Proactive Cleaning?

Both homeowners and business owners hire SERVPRO for proactive cleaning. Whether you want reassurance that your building is free from contamination or you are coping with a suspected contamination situation, rely on SERVPRO to restore your peace of mind, your health and your safety.

Especially when a family member has been diagnosed with a virus, our cleaning services for homeowners let you be confident that the other residents of the home will have a lower risk of exposure.

Business owners, too, can protect their employees and customers with our proactive cleaning service. You will know that you are doing everything you can to keep Americans—ones you know and ones you’ve never met—healthy.

Another benefit of proactive cleaning is to reassure your customers that your place of business is a safe place to be. In the midst of this viral threat, with so many unknowns, people seek reassurance. As many states have already temporarily closed down table service at restaurants and bars and curtailed the hours of nonessential businesses, hiring SERVPRO to thoroughly clean and sanitize your facility says, loudly and clearly, that your business has taken all the precautions it can to protect the health of your customers and the public.

Many types of businesses can benefit from SERVPRO’s proactive cleaning, which targets viral and bacterial pathogens:

• Restaurants and bars
• Retail stores
• Offices, especially medical offices
• Schools and universities
• Nursing homes, senior centers and rehabilitation facilities
• Banks and other financial institutions
• Gyms
• Hotels, B&Bs and other hospitality sites
• Libraries
• Theaters and entertainment venues
• Apartment buildings
• Factories and warehouses

SERVPRO: Uniquely Ready to Provide Proactive Cleaning

We were ready for this. As a corporation, our baseline level of expertise and preparation on a day-to-day basis makes us uniquely ready to provide proactive cleaning of viral pathogens for several reasons.

Our People

A key part of the SERVPRO business model is being fully staffed and prepared for your most difficult job. Our employees are thoroughly trained in the use of all our equipment and cleaning products. We support them with rigorous safety training and procedures.

SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield is always prepared because we can call on the resources of three other top-performing local SERVPRO franchises—SERVPRO of Manchester/Mansfield, SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield and SERVPRO of West Hartford—that are owned and operated by Noemi Garcia. This means we’re ready for just about anything! We can get to your job faster, and we allocate staff and equipment as needed to tackle the really big, urgent jobs. Among these four franchises, we have at our disposal thousands of different pieces of equipment and dozens of trucks and other vehicles.

Our Protective Gear

We have the right personal protective gear for the job. If there is no indication that your facility or home has been contaminated by a viral pathogen, our crew will wear a mid-grade protective suit, but if contamination is suspected or confirmed, all workers will wear a top-grade suit, which is thicker and features integrated boots and hoods. Our employees wear N-95 masks that are individually fit-tested to ensure complete coverage and protection.

Our Products

We use hospital-grade cleaning and disinfecting products that are safe to use and effective at killing germs. In high demand, these products are difficult, if not impossible, for other vendors to locate. But SERVPRO, with its foresight and purchasing network, is prepared with a substantial supply of pathogen-fighting cleaners and disinfectants.

Our Methods

We use two different modes of cleaning to attack contamination. First, we seal off your home or place of business and fog it using sprayers and misters. This allows our cleaning and disinfecting agents to penetrate deep into crevices that would otherwise remain untouched.

Then our crews get to work, doing hands-on cleaning and disinfecting of every flat surface in your structure, including furniture, fixtures and objects. Our crews let the disinfectant remain in place for the CDC-recommended amount of time necessary to kill disease-causing germs.

Our Coverage

If you are concerned about potential or suspected viral or bacterial contamination in your home or business, you need not be worried about any additional liability. As a professional damage restoration and cleaning company, part of a network of more than 1,800 franchises across the United States, SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield is fully insured against any hazards we may encounter in our work.

What We Clean and Disinfect

Cleaning removes the soil and dirt that harbors infectious agents, while disinfecting kills the remaining environmental pathogens. SERVPRO meets or exceeds the CDC’s guidelines to clean high-touch surfaces such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets and tables.

Areas of the home or business we clean include:

Kitchen/food areas

• tables and chairs
• countertops
• cabinets and pulls
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• mats
• food contact surfaces
• light switches
• paper towel/napkin dispensers
• push doors
• salt and pepper shakers
• sinks and sink hardware
• soap dispensers
• tabletops

Bathrooms

• bathroom stalls
• countertops
• cabinets/vanities and pulls
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• handrails
• light switches
• paper towel/napkin dispenser
• sinks and sink hardware
• soap dispensers
• toilets
• diaper-changing station

Classrooms

• book covers and binders
• carpets
• chairs
• computer equipment
• countertops
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• small hard-surface items
• light switches
• mats
• paper towel/napkin dispensers
• rugs
• sinks and sink hardware
• soap dispensers
• tabletops/desktops

Offices

• carpets
• chairs
• telephones
• computer equipment
• countertops
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• light switches
• rugs
• shared office equipment
• tabletops/desktops
• water fountains

Retail space

• shelving and racking
• displays
• mannequins
• packaged inventory
• carpets
• fitting room stalls
• chairs
• telephones
• computer equipment and registers
• sales counters
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• light switches
• rugs
• tables
• water fountains

Hallways

• carpets
• doorknobs
• floors: hard surfaces/wood
• handrails
• light switches
• rugs
• water fountains

Other

• fitness equipment
• lamps
• storage bins
• shelves and racking
• lockers
• playground equipment
• stair handrails
• elevator cars

How We Clean Porous and Non-Porous Surfaces

Cleaning—using a detergent and water to physically remove germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces and objects—does not necessarily kill all germs on porous and non-porous surfaces, but by reducing their numbers, you can greatly reduce the risk of spreading infection.

Some materials cannot be cleaned with detergent and water without being damaged. For this reason, paper and paper products cannot be cleaned or disinfected.

Porous materials that are not water-sensitive, like carpet, area rugs, upholstered items and draperies, are wet-cleaned using a hot water extraction or preconditioner and rinse method. Cleaning methods typically used on water-sensitive materials, such as vacuuming or dry sponging, do not remove enough soil and residue to be effective.

We effectively wet-clean non-porous materials, like hard-surface floors, cabinets, countertops, doorknobs and plumbing fixtures, using a variety of SERVPRO hard-surface cleaners (general purpose) and cleaning methods.

How We Disinfect Non-Porous Surfaces

It is important to understand that not all porous surfaces can be disinfected, such as carpet, area rugs, upholstered items and draperies.

We use hospital-grade chemicals to kill germs and disinfect non-porous surfaces or objects, like hard-surface floors, cabinets, countertops, doorknobs and plumbing fixtures. SERVPRO follows CDC recommendations that advise using a labeled hospital-grade disinfectant.

We apply these disinfectants using a spray bottle, pump-up sprayer, electric sprayer or mister. Once thoroughly sprayed, we allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for ten minutes, sufficient to kill germs.

We follow the CDC’s recommendations to use disinfecting wipes on electronic items that are touched often, such as phones and computers. If necessary, we use more than one wipe to keep the surface wet for the recommended length of contact time.

Safety is Our Priority

SERVPRO puts a premium on the health and safety of our people. Our workers are thoroughly trained and equipped to handle potentially contaminated areas and materials. While working, our employees wear personal protective equipment, including appropriate protective suit with integrated hood and boots, N-95 respirators, nitrile gloves and goggles.

We clean and disinfect our own tools and equipment as we work to avoid spreading any contamination in your home or place of business.

Once we have successfully cleaned your building, our crew bags, removes and disposes of all waste, including used gloves and disposable respirators, and bags and removes cleaning towels to the SERVPRO facility for laundering.

We’re Here for You in a Time of Crisis

In just about any disaster situation, the team at SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield has the training and experience to quickly clean up and restore your home or business. In this time of uncertainty and peril, we have the expertise and preparation to reassure you, your family, customers and employees that your safety and health will be protected. Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield (860.216.2785) any time.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

When you have suffered a disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at 860-216-2785

Other Helpful Blog Posts

SERVPRO publishes educational articles on how to protect your home and business from disasters and how to deal with mold, fire, water, sewage, storm and other damage.

SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield

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100 Peters Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002
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Noemi Garcia 
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When you have suffered a disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at 860-216-2785