The end of the COVID-19 pandemic may be in sight, as the US averages millions of vaccinations a day, and rates are mostly stabilizing. We’ve still got a long way to go, but hope is on the horizon, and that’s a really great thing.
As an employer, you may be thinking about how things will change once the pandemic is over. Will it be business as usual, like before COVID-19? Not quite. We know that the virus will still be with us for some time to come and that the way we’ve lived life the past year has dramatically changed society.
Some things from the past year will stay with us, including the way we clean. We can’t predict the future, but we have a few predictions on what will stay and go in the next few years.
- Frequently cleaning high touchpoints. Does the thought of regularly touching the photocopy button right after everyone else in the office has without sanitizing, make you gag? You’re not the only one. After a whole year of rigorously cleaning frequently touched areas like door handles, buttons, and railings, we think the process will stay. It’s cleaner, and it helps get rid of other viruses and germs.
- Using disinfectant. When the pandemic first started, scientists didn’t know how easy it was to transmit the virus on different surfaces. Now, a year into the pandemic, the CDC has updated its cleaning guidelines. Instead of using disinfectant chemicals, they recommend using soap and water as the risk of catching the virus from touching a surface is low. We predict that more businesses will opt for less harsh chemical disinfectants and return to regular soap and cleaning products in the next few years.
- Improving ventilation. We now know that the novel coronavirus is primarily transmitted through the air and that the likelihood of catching it indoors in a poorly ventilated building is higher. Many businesses have opted to upgrade their ventilation systems, by installing higher-grade air filters and investing in regular HVAC cleaning. We predict this change will stick around for a while. During the last year, many businesses realized that their HVAC systems were severely out of date and in need of an upgrade.
No one knows exactly how or if life will go back to normal when this is over. It’s been a tough year. We’ve all learned critical lessons on proper cleaning and sanitation practices, especially in our businesses.
As a professional cleaning company, we’ve worked hard to support small business owners who want to protect their employees and customers with proper cleaning practices. We offer janitorial services, facility management, and the MicroShield 360 program. Each of these services has helped our customers manage the risk of COVID-19 in their businesses. As we move forward, and hopefully out of this pandemic, we will continue to be here for our customers to help keep their businesses safe and clean.
