The unprecedented times our country faces are some of the most bizarre we have all faced.
Never in most people’s wildest streams could we have imagined a country-wide shutdown of businesses, schools, and life as we have grown accustomed to. All this to say that we are in this together and we can each do our part.
Whether your part is working from home, working at a hospital, donating food or time, or simply preventing the spread of Coronavirus, it’s important to recognize we all play a vital role. However, according to the CDC, there are ways to protect yourself, family, and others from the Covid-19 virus.
Nothing is perfect, but we can help by doing things like:
- Knowing how Coronavirus spreads
- Cleaning your hands often
- Disinfecting surfaces
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth
- Maintaining 6 feet physical distancing, and
- Staying at home when you’re sick
Today, the team at Bright Exterior Cleaning aims to share with you some tips to keep exterior surfaces sanitized and disinfected to the best of your ability!
Are you a daycare provider? Read about our playground sanitization services here.
How to Disinfect Exterior Surfaces During Coronavirus
First, it’s important to recognize what the terms sanitize and disinfect mean:
- Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces to a safe level as judged by public health standards.
- Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kills germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces, but by killing germs it can lower the risk of spreading infection
The CDC states that to disinfect the most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work and it is important to use the right disinfectant on the right surface.
Disinfectant Options Include:
- Diluting your household bleach: To make a bleach solution, mix 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water. Keep in mind you should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
- Alcohol Solutions: Ensure solution is at least 70% alcohol
The point in sharing this information is to help readers know that in addition to avoiding physical touch, washing hands regularly, and following all the preventative spreading measures recommended by the CDC when it comes to disinfecting surfaces (inside our outside) there are right ways and wrong ways to do it!
Here are some tips we recommend for homeowners and families to stay on top of their disinfecting game!
6 Places to Always Keep Disinfected
The point of sharing this information with you is not to scare you, it’s to help you. These are common virus preventative measures we should all take – Coronavirus or no Coronavirus – to stay safe!
Anywhere that is commonly touched with dirty hands, like soda machines and public pens, should always be disinfected. Here is a quick list of 6 surfaces that you can be extra vigilant towards when you clean!
1. Playgrounds
Whether you have a small playground set in your backyard for your kids or you operate a full-scale childcare center that you manage/work for – playgrounds are germ magnets.
This isn’t anything new.
Children simply lack the awareness to keep their hands out of their nose, mouth, and face thus when one kid gets sick, it seems like more of the others do too! This is why disinfecting playgrounds at least once a week is a great idea in general. Right now, consider using a professional team like Bright Exterior or NOVA Sanitizers (our sanitation team) to help you stay on top of disinfecting your playground!
We offer weekly and bi-weekly cleaning packages that you can inquire more about here.
Side Note: Having kids wash hands before and after playing outside is a great way to exercise preventative measures too!
2. Cell Phones!
Your cell phone is a germ hot spot! Most likely you take in the bathroom, into the kitchen, on the couch, to the store, and in your bed at night too.
When you read that last statement you are easily unsettled recognizing how dirty your phone can be (Coronavirus or not). Go ahead and get into the good habit of disinfecting your phone at the very least 1x per day!
3. Basketball Hoops
While playgrounds might be reserved for the seven and under crowd, the eight and up group loves them some basketball when the NOVA weather turns to the sun. That means more kids outside shooting hoops.
The basketball hoop might not get as dirty as the basketball itself, but it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and disinfect the hoop every few weeks – at least during these capricious times. Spraying the ball off and hitting it with a bleach solution isn’t a bad idea either!
4. Door Knobs & Light Switches
When you’re inside your home, something we all forget about is our doorknobs and light switches we touch hundreds of times per day. Don’t forget these high traffic areas when it comes to touch!
Whether you have a spray can, a wipe or a solution, make it a habit especially with all things considered to disinfect light switches and doorknobs a few times a week. The goal is not to become obsessive-compulsive, but it is a good habit to prevent the spread of germs and viruses!
5. Counters
We can’t help you clean your counters (they’re inside) but we can give you a tip: Clean them!
It’s a good habit, in general, to wipe down counters before and after cooking. This will help kill viruses and prevent the spread of germs of all sorts that can occur in your kitchen!
6. Anything that gets touched often!
If we didn’t cover it in the first five, we will cover it now…
Anything that is considered high traffic, either by feet or touch, should be in high consideration for disinfecting. Restaurant pads, commercial walkways, doors, windows, you name it – these surfaces should be routinely disinfected.
Oh and don’t forget about the items in your purse and wallet, especially coins and cash!
Coronavirus: Disinfecting & Uniting
As we part, it’s important to keep in mind that we are all in this together. There are varying studies and reports that indicate that 25-50% of Coronavirus positive cases are asymptomatic.
That means more people are going undiagnosed and more people don’t even know they have it. Not knowing translates to more spreading. So it is vital to keep in mind that while most of what the world is dealing with isn’t fun or ideal, we can all chip in and unite.
This graphic is important:
NBC News keeps a running tally showing the growth of the Coronavirus cases in the USA. While measuring sheer cases doesn’t reveal all the data, it does show one thing:
We can all do our part.
So if you need help disinfecting exterior services be sure to let us know here. Let’s all do our part and get this over with as fast as possible.
~Tyler, Bright Exterior Cleaning
Places Bright Exterior Cleaning Recommends Disinfecting:
- Offices & Office Buildings
- Government Facilities
- Grocery Stores (Entrances and Carts)
- Banks (Drive through, ATM, Entrances)
- Playgrounds
- Hospitals
- Shopping plazas
- Neighborhood HOA & COA
- Schools, Colleges, Universities
- Libraries
- High foot traffic public areas