The benefits of implementing a deep cleaning program are many, and if you do it now, you’ll be ahead of the new expectation of clean coming out of coronavirus.
It’s up to us—companies like yours and maintenance providers like SMS Assist—to do our part in preventing the spread of coronavirus in our communities. So we’ve been having a lot of conversations with our customers around deep cleaning programs.
And there are a lot of other benefits to a deep cleaning program that we want to make sure you’re thinking about, benefits that will make a big impact on your business and your bottom line.
1. The most important: prevent the spread of COVID-19
The steps we take to clean, disinfect, and sanitize can save lives. There are many levels, recommendations, and considerations around deep cleaning services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that we’ve been educating customers on. Think personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning solutions, cleaning equipment, cleaning expertise, and so on.
What it takes to proactively protect your staff and customers and what you need to do if there’s a possible or positive test of coronavirus at your location are very different. You have a lot going on right now—lean on a maintenance provider to help you manage it all.
2. Augment your own cleaning crew
We’re betting that even if you have an in-house cleaning crew, you won’t have the PPE, the equipment, or the expertise to act on a confirmed case of COVID-19. Disinfection is tricky, and execution is key.
A maintenance provider would serve as an extension of your in-house cleaning team. Within 24 hours, you’d have access to providers armed with the necessary PPE, trained in advanced cleaning techniques like the use of mist foggers or light-based disinfection, and knowledgeable on biohazard decontamination processes.
If someone is sick with COVID-19, the CDC says to wait 24 hours before you clean or disinfect, then post-service, your site would need to stay closed for another 24 hours for optimal results. So the faster you can get a team in means the faster you can reopen for business.
3. It’s good for internal relations
If you’re running an essential business, then your staff is essential, too. Show your employees that you’re going above and beyond to keep them safe.
We can all empathize with experiencing a heightened sense of fear and uneasiness going into a grocery store, a pharmacy, a doctor’s office—your staff is experiencing this throughout their entire shifts, every day, as they put their lives on the line to greet customers, work the registers, and restock shelves.
For those qualifying as an essential business, we’ve encouraged scheduling regular cleanings on a weekly basis. Some customers are asking for more thorough and frequent deep cleaning services, as reassurance. If your sites are closed right now, prioritize deep cleaning in your reopening plan.
4. You’ll stay out of the headlines
“Employee speaks out after testing positive for COVID-19.”
“Employee’s family sues after COVID-19 death.”
“Coworker claims store did not protect employees.”
Doing regular cleanings—along with enforcing social distancing, procuring PPE, installing plastic sneeze guards, and more—are the necessary steps you need to take to protect your employees and therefore mitigate bad press, lawsuits, protests, worker strikes, and more.
Unhealthful working conditions can keep your employees from returning to work, which impacts your customers, your business, and your reputation.
5. Mitigate or prevent reports to OSHA
A deep cleaning program helps reduce or prevent complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, from workers reporting unsafe, unhealthful working conditions.
Earlier this month, OSHA published guidelines specific to preparing workplaces for coronavirus. It speaks to maintaining regular housekeeping practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting.
It also speaks to engineering controls, including installing high-efficiency air filters, increasing ventilation rates in your workspace, installing physical barriers like plastic sneeze guards, and more. These are all tasks a maintenance provider can help you with.
6. All of this to prove you’re the brand people can trust
These are extraordinary times, and people will remember the extraordinary brands. You’ve heard that being human is your brand’s biggest asset, and there’s no better time than now to show just how human you are.
So start with some empathy—clean for others the way that you’d like to be cleaned for. SMS Assist can help.