Southwest Florida area businesses that are opening back up in the wake of mandated COVID-19 shutdowns need to upgrade their cleaning and disinfection regimens to ensure the health and safety of employees and customers. While there is plenty of information offering advice about meeting COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting protocols, some of it can be confusing and different resources can sometimes contradict each other. Even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official “Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting” can prove hard to follow.

Thus, Naples-based FCI Cleaning is pleased to offer you a simplified rundown of COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection strategies that should help you meet the guidelines and help protect the health of your employees and customers. Start by evaluating your premises to determine which surfaces and materials will need to be addressed and compile a written rundown of regular cleaning and disinfection protocols. In doing your evaluation, consider whether any often-touched hard-to-clean furniture or objects can be temporarily removed and stored to ease the challenge of keeping them disinfected.

Surface Cleaning Considerations

According to the CDC, surfaces that have been left untouched for seven or more days only require routine cleaning prior to reopening. Once reopened:

• All surfaces within a business should undergo regular routine cleaning.
• Frequently touched, hard, nonporous surfaces need to be cleaned and disinfected more often.
• Establish cleaning/disinfecting timeframes based on employee/customer flows through specific areas and their related touching of surfaces and objects. For example, if your employees work in shifts, all hard surfaces should be disinfected before each new shift.
• Some frequently touched items, such as shopping carts and point of sales keypads, need to be cleaned and disinfected before each new usage.

Best Cleaning Products to Use Against COVID-19 Virus

Surfaces that are obviously dirty—such as food debris on countertops—should always be cleaned with soap and water prior to disinfecting. The CDC recommends using disinfectants approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for killing the COVID-19 virus. FCI Cleaning uses EPA-registered Concrobium® Broad Spectrum Disinfectant II, which is highly effective at eliminating bacteria, fungus, and viruses (including coronavirus).

If you are unable to get ahold of any specifically-approved disinfectant brands, you can make an approved cleaner and disinfectant by combining 1/3 cup of bleach with one gallon of water (for hard surfaces).

Soft, porous surfaces, such as carpets, fabric chairs, tablecloths, cloth napkins, and curtains require more delicate care.

The CDC recommends that porous surfaces be laundered on a regular basis with the warmest possible water setting.

Or Turn to FCI Cleaning for your Disinfection Service Needs

If all of this seems a bit much, and you have enough on your plate with bringing your business back up to speed, let FCI Cleaning handle your business’s disinfecting for you. Whether as a one-time disinfection and sanitization cleaning service prior to reopening, or under contract for regular cleaning and disinfecting, FCI Cleaning—a subsidiary of Naples-based FCI Painting—has the experience and know how needed to help keep your business clear of COVID-19. For a free consultation, contact FCI Cleaning today at (239) 435-1001.