The Floor Care/COVID-19 Connection

For instance, one of the most important transmission differences is that someone who has Ebola cannot transmit it to others until they have symptoms or become sick. Ebola, on other words, provides a warning so that others can protect themselves when someone has the disease.

Not so with COVID.

Many times, people are spreading the infection days before they even know they have it. Further, even though they may be feeling fine, the transmission of the disease is often most significant the day or two before they become sick. This lack of a warning, as you can imagine, causes many problems, and it’s one reason building managers must pay close attention to the upkeep of their floors.

Let’s explain.  

 . If contaminants on the floor came into contact with the shoestrings, there is now a very good chance those contaminants are now on your hands.

According to Mark Warner with ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association, we have as many as 50 indirect and direct contacts with floors every day, each having the potential to spread contaminants that can cause disease.

Studies tell us that while someone may not be aware they have the disease, if they sneeze, droplets containing the disease can land as far as ten feet from the infected person. These droplets become airborne and then land on the floor.

If the infected person coughs, droplets can cover about four feet of floor space.

Even yawn can spread the germs that cause COVID. However, this is typically a short distance – about one or three feet – from the infected person. But once again, the droplets eventually land on the floor.

We should add that these studies were conducted in laboratories under near-perfect conditions. Few people were present where the tests were conducted. Humidity, temperature, and ventilation were all controlled. Those infected persons involved in the experiments were in a standing, stationary position.  

The results could be quite different in a real-world situation. A sneezing person, for instance, might be walking as they sneeze. If people are in the same area when the infected person sneezes, pathogens could land on them and their clothing, and not as much on the floor.  

However, what the researchers all agreed on is that COVID pathogens can and do eventually land on floors, and this may range from several inches to several feet from the infected person. 

Here are some ways we advise accomplishing this:

•Use automatic scrubbers to clean floors wherever possible. As the name implies, these machines clean, rinse, and scrub the floor automatically, removing contaminants more effectively than floor mopping.

•If mopping, change the mop head and the cleaning solution frequently. As they become soiled, their effectiveness diminishes and, in time, may start spreading pathogens instead of removing them.

•Disinfectants are playing a significant role in all cleaning because of COVID. Only use disinfectants listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s List N. This is a list of disinfectants approved by the EPA to kill the novel coronavirus.

•Include electrostatic sprayers in your floor cleaning and disinfecting program. 

Tests indicate electrostatic sprayers are very effective at killing pathogens and should be part of any infection control program.

Finally, develop a floor care plan. A floorcare plan make sure these and other steps are performed on a set schedule, and frequently enough to remove pathogens. This ensures your facility remains as healthy as possible during these challenging times.