COVID-19 Information

We recommend that you clean now if your building is currently unoccupied due to the COVID crisis and you plan to re-open your facility at some point in the future.

There are three main reasons why it makes sense to clean, sanitize, or apply disinfect now:

1. You’ll be able to hit the ground running when you’re ready to open. Cleaning now means that your building will be ready to occupy as soon as you desire. You do not want to have to scramble at the last minute to find someone to disinfect the building when the call comes that it’s time to re-open, or worse still delay the re-opening because the building isn’t ready.
2. You’ll beat the rush. If offices, government buildings, schools, and more all start to re-open around the same time, companies like COIT expect to be inundated with cleaning and disinfecting work. Likely, some people who would like to have this work done will discover that they’re unable to find anyone to do it.
3. It’s safer. The best time to clean, sanitize, or disinfect any building is when there’s no one in it. Crews are able to access and disinfect the entire building without working around anyone. This is safer both for your residents and our employees and ensures the building is sterile when the work is complete.

Sanitizing and disinfecting now and on an ongoing basis will help keep your residents / employees safe and ease safety concerns that they may have. Even observing social distancing, we know from the CDC that the Coronavirus can last for days on surfaces. In addition, we know that many employees have indicated that they’re not comfortable reporting to work given the risk to become ill. Therefore, regularly disinfecting and sanitizing can go a long way to prevent the spread of the virus and keeping individuals healthy and working.

If you choose clean, sanitize, and disinfect your facility that is still open and operating, we make the following recommendations:

• Schedule the cleaning for a time when your residents / employees will not be present. This is for the safety of everyone and to ensure the building has had disinfectant applied when the work is complete. If this is not possible (as in the case of facilities that are open 24 hours a day), we can work with you to identify a solution.
• Set up recurring cleaning and disinfectant. A sanitized facility will become re-infected as soon a sick individual enters the premises. Therefore, disinfecting on an ongoing basis is recommended to provide the best health and safety outcomes.
• Let your residents / employees know what steps you are taking. If you follow our advice above, residents will not see or interact with our cleaning crews, so you must let them know the measures being taken to protect them. This can help put minds at ease and keep people engaged in essential activities.

The CDC has recommended cleaning all high touch surfaces. COIT has an enhanced service offering where we can apply disinfectant to reduce exposure to bacteria and viruses.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/cleaning-disinfection.html

Cleaning does not kill bacteria, viruses, or fungi more commonly referred to as “germs”. Instead cleaning is done to remove “germs” usually by combining water, a cleaning product, and scrubbing. Though cleaning does not kill ‘germs’ it is still a vital step in the deep cleaning process as removal of dirt and debris can make way for products and methods that do kill ‘germs’ to be more efficacious.

Disinfecting and sanitizing methods on the other hand refer to products that work by killing germs. These processes do not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection. Sanitizers reduce bacteria on a surface by at least 99.9%.

Conversely disinfectants kill a wider range of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mold. These methods work great on all surfaces like natural stone including marble, granite, and limestone; upholstery, fabrics, and drapes; and carpets and area rugs on hard non-porous surfaces like stainless steel and the components of your HVAC system.

The CDC specifically recommends the following process for cleaning carpets. For soft (porous) surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes, remove visible contamination if present and treat with appropriate cleaners indicated for use on these surfaces. After cleaning - use products with the EPA-approved emerging viral pathogen claims that are suitable for porous surfaces.

We have implemented a zero contact service appointments.

• Technicians are following the CDC guidelines for hand washing, using hand sanitizer and following all recommended hygiene practices.
• With regard to social distancing, our technicians are maintaining a distance of 6 feet from our customers, and you do not need to be in the same room while they are deep cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting.
• We are frequently cleaning and disinfecting all our equipment with professional-grade, EPA-approved disinfectant.

Our technicians are wearing the CDC recommended protective gear including which currently includes cotton masks, gloves and booties (shoe covers) when entering homes and businesses. We are specifically avoiding using personal protective equipment (PPE) that is needed by medical professionals.

We are taking the following steps.

• Our technicians are wearing the CDC recommended protective gear including which currently includes cotton masks, gloves and booties (shoe covers) when entering homes and businesses. We are specifically avoiding using personal protective equipment (PPE) that is needed by medical professionals.
• We are disinfecting all of the equipment and trucks after every appointment.
• We are minimizing contact points between our technicians and customers so that they will never need to break social distancing.

Unfortunately, we will not provide services if a sick person is present. That person needs to be out of the home/facility for at least 72 hours depending on whether it is a confirmed case of Covid-19.

We will provide services if healthy individuals are present, maintaining social distancing and wearing appropriate protection such as cotton masks, gloves, and booties (shoe covers). If you are a business, we strongly encourage you to schedule services for a time when employees will not be present.

Any areas we treat will be thoroughly disinfected when we leave. Once a sick individual enters the space, it is no longer sanitized, no matter how long has taken place.

While we have seen claims out in the world of disinfecting lasting for so many days after taking place, we have not seen anyone providing proof to substantiate such claims. We advise to be wary of any companies or products that make such claims. We would also advise that you ensure that any company you use to disinfect your home or facility is using products found on the EPA list of Disinfectants to Use Against Coronavirus, found here.

COIT is only using industrial strength disinfectants recognized by the EPA to fight Coronavirus. That list is found here.