The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life for everyone, but you may want to keep a few things from your old routine. Hiring a cleaning service makes your home life more enjoyable, especially if you work from home. If you’re wondering if cleaning services are safe or how to safely use cleaning services during a pandemic, consider these critical factors before deciding how to sanitize your living space. They’re crucial steps you can take to make scheduled cleaning appointments as risk-free as possible.
SOURCE: PEXELS
Recognize the risks
Before doing anything during the ongoing pandemic, it’s always smart to assess the dangers associated with any activity. Hiring a cleaning crew works the same way. Specific health risks endanger you and any hired help, including:
+Socializing close together without masks.
+Not wearing masks in public.
+Not quarantining after potential exposure.
If you follow recommended prevention guidelines like social distancing and mask wearing, it makes personal transmission less likely. Once you understand the dangers that cause the spread of COVID-19, the next two steps make cleaning services more risk-free.
Prepare for each appointment
Depending on which cleaning services you sign up for, you can take different precautions to prepare for each appointment. The cleaning crew may not disinfect every personal belonging and surface in your home, but you can make the environment safer for everyone.
Preparation efforts could include practical preventative measures like:
+ Collecting miscellaneous items to save time and reduce shared-surface contact.
+ Open your windows to allow for proper ventilation and clean air.
+ Put dirty objects, like dishes or laundry, together to save time.
When your cleaning crew spends less time prepping for their sanitation efforts, it minimizes the risk of spread through lingering contact. You might also send your kids outside before the team arrives. Although they’re less likely to get sick, children still get infected and transmit COVID-19 to others who are at-risk by being indoors in unventilated rooms.
Communicate your expectations
Even after scheduling an appointment, you can still reach out to your cleaning service and communicate your expectations. It’s critical to update them if you’ve been around anyone who tested positive or potentially exposed yourself and are waiting on personal test results.
Your expectations could include things like:
+ A 30-minute pre-arrival call so you can move family members out of your home.
+ A review of the personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by the crew.
+ An in-person temperature check before anyone enters your home.
Sometimes it can feel embarrassing to vocalize preventative measures like these.
Like other businesses, cleaning companies will take every precaution to ensure everyone’s safety during scheduled appointments, but you’re always free to voice your concerns. The answers will either give you peace of mind or signal that you should work with a different company.
SOURCE: PEXELS
Make a game plan
There are ways to safely use cleaning services during a pandemic. It all depends on making a game plan. Research the available cleaning services in your area and discuss your concerns. Management can relay their existing safety precautions and work with you on your personal expectations. With a bit of adjustment, you can enjoy the same cleaning services that made your life easier before the pandemic began.
AUTHOR: KACEY BRADLEY
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Guides for Brides, Hotel Online and more!
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