Tips for Cleaning Your Strata Property During a Pandemic
Maintaining the cleanliness of strata properties is a necessity, especially during this pandemic. Strata properties have high-traffic common areas such as parking lots, lobbies, swimming pools, and hallways that are constantly exposed to pollution, dirt, bacteria, and germs.
In the case of the coronavirus, here are different examples of surfaces and the time it takes for the virus to survive on these surfaces. Note that these results were based on experiments and may not exactly have the same output as in real-life conditions.
| SURFACE | TIME |
|---|---|
| Metal (doorknobs, jewellery, silverware) | 5-9 days |
| Wood (furniture, decking) | 4 days |
| Plastics (subway and bus seats, elevator buttons) | 2 to 3 days |
| Stainless steel (refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles) | 2 to 3 days |
| Cardboard (shipping boxes) | 24 hours |
| Copper (pennies, tea kettles, cookware) | 4 hours |
| Aluminium (soda cans, tinfoil, water bottles) | 2 to 8 hours |
| Glass (drinking glasses, measuring cups, mirrors, windows) | Up to 5 days |
| Ceramics (dishes, pottery, mugs) | 5 days |
| Paper (mail, newspaper) | A few minutes to 5 days |
| Food (takeout, produce) | No result of the virus spreading through food. |
| Water | Virus not found in drinking water. Treatment plant filters disinfect the water. |
| Fabrics (clothes, linens) | Not much research on fabric, but probably not as long as on hard surfaces. |
| Shoes | In a test conducted on the shoe soles of medical staff in a Chinese hospital, half were positive for nucleic acids from the virus. But it’s not conclusive if these acids cause infection. |
Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces
Though studies have shown that there is a low risk of COVID-19 infection from fomite transmission — infection via contact of contaminated surfaces or objects – strata cleaning is still essential for public safety and for sanitation purposes. It’s a precautionary measure to reduce health risks and gives reassurance to the owner, residents, visitors, and tenants. Here are four essential tips on cleaning strata properties.
Cleaning frequently touched surfaces
According to the Australian government’s Department of Health guidelines, high-contact surfaces such as door handles, railings, tables, chairs, benches, light switches, garbage areas, and common area bathroom fixtures (sinks, faucet handles, toilets, sanitary or nappy disposal bins) should be frequently cleaned using a detergent solution.
While detergent-based wipes can be used to clean these surfaces, daily cleaning with detergent is still the best way to remove dirt.
Cleaning minimally touched surfaces
The Department of Health also recommends that floors, ceilings, walls, and windows in shared spaces should be cleaned regularly to minimise health risks, especially if it’s visibly dirty or dusty. For these general surfaces, using detergent solution or disinfectant wipes is appropriate.
For floors in particular, damp mopping is advisable compared to dry mopping. Window curtains should be scheduled for regular changing, even it they’re not visibly soiled.
Forget fumigation
In outdoor and shared areas of strata properties, large-scale spraying or fumigation is not advisable, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The spray’s toxic fumes can cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation. If there is still dirt in the area, it will only inactivate the spray’s disinfectant and render it ineffective.
Chemical spraying would not be able to sufficiently cover surfaces and there is not enough contact time to inactivate germs and viruses.
Hire a professional outdoor strata cleaning company
Cleaning your strata property can be a daunting and tedious task. That’s why it’s always best to leave this to the experts. Outdoor Cleaning Specialists offers reliable and high quality strata cleaning services in Sydney. We have extensive expertise in cleaning strata properties, no matter what size. We also use the latest equipment, the most effective techniques, and environment-friendly products to keep your strata property clean, disinfected, and well-maintained.
We can carefully and completely remove dirt, grime, dust, mould, and debris — whether on high-contact fixtures, shared spaces, or exterior structures of your property. We offer high pressure washing services, building exterior cleaning, floor cleaning, car park cleaning, roof and gutter cleaning, and other forms of strata cleaning that’s appropriate for your property.
You can read more about the benefits of investing in strata cleaning services here. You can also get a quick quote or contact us on 1300 870 626 so we can help you with your strata cleaning needs.
