How to safely clean your home after a COVID-19 diagnosis?
This guide about post Covid home cleaning in Panama provides advice on how to safely clean and disinfect your home after someone living in your home has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Most transmission of COVID-19 occurs through close contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It is also possible, but less likely, that infection can occur if someone touches a contaminated object or surface, then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can survive on surfaces for a limited time, however the virus has a fragile outer membrane making it easy to kill through effective cleaning and disinfection.
In situations when there has been a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 indoors within the last 24 hours, the virus is more likely to be found on surfaces and therefore surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected.
When people with COVID-19 are moved to an isolation facility or need to go to hospital
Wait about an hour before you clean and disinfect surfaces in the areas that the sick person used, such as the bedroom and bathroom.
- Wear a face covering.
- Open windows and doors to ventilate the room.
- Wash and dry your hands after cleaning and disinfecting.
Cleaning when people with COVID-19 are in your home
Avoid going into the sick persons bedroom and bathroom if possible. Get them to clean their room themselves. If they are not able to and cleaning is required:
- Wear a face covering.
- Open windows to ventilate the room.
- Ask the sick person, if they are able, to wear a face covering.
- Maintain physical distance as much as possible.
- Wash and dry your hands after leaving room.
- Carpets can be vacuumed as normal.
Laundry and bedding
Avoid shaking bed linen and clothing. Using clothing detergent, wash items using the warmest water temperature the clothing and bed linen can withstand, then dry as usual. Wash and dry your hands after handling used linen.
Recommended method of cleaning surfaces
Start cleaning surfaces higher up and work your way to the floor. This method ensures that any particles, dust or dirt fall to the floor which will then be cleaned last.
Start by cleaning surfaces and objects that are less frequently touched – which should therefore be cleaner – and then work your way to cleaning dirtier items that have a higher risk of being contaminated (eg, toilets).
Avoid going from an area that has not been cleaned to an area that has been cleaned. This avoids dirtying the cleaned area and will ensure you aren’t cross-contaminating items or surfaces.
Wash and dry your hands after post Covid home cleaning in Panama.
Cleaning products
General supermarket detergent/disinfectant products are suitable for cleaning your home following a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.
Clean surfaces using a product suitable for each surface, always following the directions on the product label. The label will include safety information and instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product, including:
- Precautions you should take when applying the product.
- Any specific personal protective equipment (PPE) you need to use.
- Dwell time (how long the cleaning product should remain wet on the surface before wiping it off).
- Do not mix cleaning products together.
- Always store away from children and animals.
Following recovery from COVID-19
You may consider hiring additional or specialized cleaning (apart from routine daily cleaning) in areas used by the sick person after the person is no longer required to isolate.
After you have recovered from COVID-19 and have been released from isolation by a healthcare professional, you can count on Green Cleaning Services to:
- Post Covid home cleaning in Panama.
- Sanitize and cold fog your residence with a disinfection by area of surfaces and environments (DSVA)
