Provincial and regional governments in Canada are all in different stages of reopening and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the focus is now largely on reopening the economy, but it should be done with all the necessary precautions, such as surface cleaning and disinfection.
For public institutions and places as well as businesses, it’s important to follow the guidelines offered by the Canadian Government. Following the official guidelines helps businesses and institutions not only ensure a smooth reopening but also encourages best practices.
However, with so much COVID-19 misinformation circulating on social media, it’s important to separate the truth from speculation. Therefore, this post will try to offer a comprehensive guide to the official guidelines provided by the Canadian Government with regards to surface cleaning and disinfection.
Federal Government’s Guidelines for COVID-19 Cleaning & Disinfection
The official document provides guidance on cleaning and disinfection of public settings, including public transit, workplaces, communal residences, schools, universities, public libraries, and museums.
What You Should Know
- While we don’t exactly know how long COVID-19 survives on different surfaces, evidence suggests that it can live on surfaces and objects for a few hours or several days, depending on the type of surface.
- Therefore, surfaces that are frequently touched with hands carry the highest risk of contamination. Common examples include doorknobs, elevator buttons, handrails, cabinet handles, faucet handles, light switches, electronics, tables, and countertops.
Choosing a Product that Cleans and Disinfects
As per the official guidelines provided by the Canadian Government, decision-makers should choose a product that can clean and disinfect all at once. The Government’s recommendation is to use premixed disinfectant cleaning solutions and/or wipes.
As per the Government’s instructions, it’s important to both clean and disinfect these high contact surfaces. Why? Cleaning with a detergent or soap mixed in water can lower the number of germs present on the surfaces.
However, cleaners alone don’t necessarily kill the germs but can remove the germs by lowering their numbers. This can be crucial to reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19.
However, public spaces, homes, and workplaces should be routinely cleaned. Nevertheless, it’s important to disinfect these high-touch surfaces as well, as disinfecting products actually kill the germs present on the surface.
The Government also recommends using only approved hard-surface disinfectant products. Approved products are given a DIN (Drug Identification Number) by Health Canada, which confirms that the product is approved for use in Canada.
Before buying a cleaning and disinfecting product, be sure to check the product details for the DIN to ensure that the products are approved by Health Canada.
Creating a Cleaning & Disinfecting Procedure
Operators of community settings and public places, as well as business owners, should consider developing and reviewing procedures and protocols. The Canadian Government recommends following these steps:
- Owners, managers, and operators should be aware of the occupational health and safety requirements.
- They should be familiar with and meet the requirements set out by the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) regarding hazardous products in a public place.
- They should establish proper procedures for cleaning and disinfecting the sites regularly, especially high-touch surfaces that have been listed above.
- They should also develop procedures that include precautions for the scenario in which an employee or visitor reports COVID-19 symptoms.
These steps will help assess when and where improvements or additional cleaning and disinfection measures are needed.
Further Directions for Cleaning & Disinfecting
The Government also recommends following these directions to help in preventing the spread of COVID-19 infections:
- Cleaning of the surfaces before using the disinfectant solutions.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the safe use of cleaner and disinfecting products. These instructions can include wearing gloves, using the products in a well-ventilated area, allowing enough contact time for the disinfecting products to kill the germs.
- When using gloves, hands should be washed with soap and water for an appropriate amount of time (at least 20 seconds) after removing the gloves. Alcohol-based sanitisers (at least 60% alcohol) can also be used if soap and water aren’t accessible.
- Damp cleaning methods are preferable over dry methods. Damp cleaning methods are less likely to distribute the droplets of the virus into the air. Cleaning and disinfectant wipes can also be used for this purpose.
- Used disposable cleaning items such as cloths and mop heads should be disposed of in a lined garbage bin before disposing them with regular waste.
- Reusable cleaning items should be washed using regular soap and hot water (60-90 °C).
- Apart from the routine cleaning and disinfection, surfaces that are regularly touched with hands should be cleaned and disinfected on a more regular basis.
- Shared spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens should also get cleaning and disinfection more often.
- Manufacturers’ instructions for cleaning of regularly-used electronics should be followed. These include keyboards, tablets, and smartboards. If electronics can withstand liquid cleaning, they should be disinfected with wet disinfecting wipes.
Conclusion: Rely on Approved and Effective Products Like Bacoban
Similar instructions are provided by other governments such as Public Health Ontario and Quebec Government. In conclusion, the Government’s instructions regarding cleaning and disinfecting public spaces are quite comprehensive yet simple to follow.
If you’re trying to figure out which products to trust for your cleaning and disinfection needs, Bacoban offers several approved products for a variety of needs.
Bacoban has over 15 years of use in Europe and is now available in Canada for people looking for alternative products with unique advantages for certain industries.
Bacoban’s products are recommended for industry sectors such as food service, hospitals, aerospace, and public institutions. Bacoban products feature a solution that can tackle cleaning and disinfecting needs with its formula that kills 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Moreover, Bacoban products resolve the hygiene gap by creating a clean and hygienic surface to prevent the growth of bacteria, mildew, and mold. Check out Bacoban’s range of products to learn more.
Find out where you can get Bacoban products in Canada, or get in touch today for more information.
