Cleaning and sanitation are top of mind for homeowners, churches and businesses during the pandemic. One company is offering advice about how to clean most effectively.
“We’ve been busy answering the concerns of companies and individuals throughout the Kansas City region,” said Don McNulty, information and safety director at Kansas City-based Crime Scene Cleaners. “The built environment –- where we live and work –- is not constructed or arranged to be easily cleaned and sanitized when a pandemic like COVID-19 strikes.”
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Don McNulty
The company knows what it’s talking about. Since 1999, when they began operating by abating and cleaning traumatic death scenes including suicides and homicides, they now include infection-control specialty services for commercial enterprises as well as private individuals.
That’s led them to know how to disinfect. Most people, even many cleaning companies, do not know how to disinfect properly, he said.
“Every disinfectant has a stated dwell time,” McNulty said. “Back in the day, we called it wet-contact time. Most people will purchase sanitizing wipes and wipe down a surface, believing they just sanitized it. The main issue with wipes is the way they leave dry areas on the surface, because people do not pay attention to the topography of their hand. The second problem is the sanitizer evaporates long before the stated dwell time. Therefore, the sanitization process didn’t happen.”
McNulty said his mother, during times of colds and flu, would purchase store-brand disinfectant, spray it on all the surfaces and wipe it off immediately, moving on to the next area.
Correct sanitation practices
“To sanitize correctly, that particular disinfectant had a 45- to 60-second dwell time,” he said. “The required dwell time is stated on the label of all disinfectants. Only after the stated time elapses may you wipe off the excess.
“COVID-19 is an enveloped virus and is on the lower rung of the microbial hierarchy. In food prep areas, we use a food-safe disinfectant that does not require a user to rinse or wipe away the product post sanitization. Using such a product goes a long way in keeping the process safe while saving time and money for our clients.”
For information on COVID-19, visit the CDC website.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
