How to deal with Covid-19 cleaning and busting some of the myths

What you use to disinfect your workplace for Covid-19 matters.

You may have heard some cleaning companies recommend electrostatic sprayers while others suggest fogging machines. 

One thing to get across straight away is that the results between the two are quite different. 

The electrostatic sprayer applies small electrostatically charged droplets of disinfectant to surfaces, including the exposed backsides of surfaces regardless of the direction of spray and has a 360 degree range. Because the particles are extremely small and charged, they cling to and completely coat all surfaces. This is the fantastic thing about an electrostatic sprayer. 

But there is one thing to be sure of when using an electrostatic sprayer - always use the 40 micron nozzle. The 40 micron is the perfect size as it allows the disinfectant to dry quick enough on a surface and can completely envelop virus particles. Whereas if you were to use the 20 or 100 micron nozzle, the droplets don’t have the capability of covering the virus particles completely. 

What about a fogging machine?

Well, a fogging machine creates a fine mist of disinfectant. It can dry very quickly on a surface which means it doesn’t have enough time to encapsulate and kill a virus. When fogging is used, the droplets don’t have the chance to wrap around surfaces, unlike electrostatic spraying. Also, fogging, by default, can release an unsafe gas (depending on the chemical) because it pumps at such a large volume. 

Another one of the main differences between the two systems is dwell time. 

If you didn’t already know, dwell time refers to the length of time a disinfectant needs to remain on a surface until it can be wiped away. It is during that time that the disinfectant kills the germs. 

The dwell time for fogging is virtually non-existent as the mist already starts drying as soon as it’s released from the machine. This means the disinfectant hasn’t even had the chance to kill the virus. Whereas with electrostatic spraying, depending on the disinfectant you use, dwell time can be less than 1 minute. It’s quick, and also kills what needs to be killed.

If you need to complete Covid-19 deep cleaning at your site, make sure it’s with an electrostatic sprayer. After all, you want the most effective and efficient outcome achieved. 

It would be nice if you could simply “spray and wipe” disinfectant off a surface immediately as it’s applied. 

But it just doesn’t work that way. 

You have to remember that disinfectants have a dwell time (otherwise known as kill time). 

Too often we see people spraying a surface with disinfectant and then wiping it straight away with a cloth. I mean, it hasn’t even sat on the surface for longer than 5 seconds! You may have noticed this in cafes and restaurants and didn’t think about it twice. However, there’s one major thing wrong with this method. The disinfectant was not given enough time to kill the germs, bacteria, and/or viruses before it was wiped away.

Dwell time refers to the appropriate amount of time a disinfectant needs to remain visibly moist on a surface until being cleaned. 

For instance, Tersano SAO can destroy various germs within a matter of 0-30 seconds. This means it has a kill time of, at the most, 30 seconds! 

Whereas, traditional cleaning chemicals like Dettol, take up to 10 minutes to kill germs on a surface!

If you’re in need of Covid-19 deep cleaning, you want to be sure that your cleaners are, of course, using the appropriate disinfectants that have a fast and effective dwell time.

Disinfection has gotten a lot of attention since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It’s become a top priority for businesses to ensure their workplaces are kept clean, safe, and hygienic. But when you’re in need of Covid-19 cleaning, what’s the best way to treat your site?

We’re going to give the classic answer of - it depends.

For instance, at one large site we clean in Brisbane, the cleaner uses an electrostatic gun to treat high risk areas. And by high risk, we mean kitchens and bathrooms - waste in, waste out.

Whereas at another site in Brisbane, we hand clean surfaces, especially high touchpoints. 

The reason we use two different methods comes down to the actual time the cleaning is scheduled.

When there are people around, you can’t use an electrostatic machine as they have airborne particles that can be a risk to humans. This is why you generally see cleaners wearing the appropriate PPE.  

So, if you wanted high touchpoints cleaned during working hours, you would hand clean them with a yellow microfibre cloth and Oxivir. 

Or, if you wanted your clean to be done after hours (and you wanted a better job as well), you would use a handheld or backpack electrostatic sprayer. 

You can’t just use any chemical from your laundry cupboard or any piece of equipment to kill and remove Covid-19. If only it was that simple. 

To start off, we’ll talk about the disinfectants we use at In-Tec. Our preferred disinfectant for Covid-19 cleaning is Oxivir. It is a hospital-grade disinfectant based on Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide (AHP). 

It is verified to kill Covid-19 in 15 seconds!

Oxivir is excellent for high touchpoint cleaning such as door handles, light switches, handrails, etc.  

If we don’t use Oxivir for a deep clean, our next two disinfectants are Tersano or eWater.

Tersano kills up to 99.999% of germs including Covid-19. However, it’s important to note that although the TGA in Australia has not verified Tersano for this, other countries such as the USA have. The SAO system works by turning water, oxygen, and electricity into a powerful, safe, and highly effective cleaning agent. 

eWater works by combining salt, water, and electricity to form 4 different types of cleaning solutions. The eWater disinfectant is proven by the TGA to kill Covid-19 and can be used on all types of hard surfaces. 

When it comes to the type of machine we use to deep clean for Covid-19, it’s the Victory electrostatic sprayer. The sprayer adds an electrostatic charge to solutions, allowing them to wrap surfaces with an even coverage. The charged particles envelop all conductive surfaces - shadowed, vertical, and underneath.

At In-Tec, we use the best equipment to ensure the Covid-19 cleaning that’s conducted at your site is done to the best standard possible.

If your site is thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis, then a Covid-19 deep clean will take less than 12 hours which means you can get back to work quicker!

All our cleaners would need to do is disinfect your workplace, as the cleaning has already been taken care of.

Of course, the time it takes does depend on how large your site is, but this is a rough guide.

However, this all changes if your site is not cleaned on a regular basis. Why?

Well, the first thing our cleaners would have to do is go around your site and clean it, which can take a lot of time. It is only after they clean the site properly that they can start disinfecting for Covid-19. This can take up to a minimum of 24 hours.

Remember, prevention is better than the cure, so regular cleaning of your site will reduce any downtime due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

When a commercial cleaning company turns up to your site, what should they do?

Although there is no official protocol for a Covid-19 deep clean, the team at In-Tec follow a strict 4 step process which is as follows. 

1. Clean - cleaning is always the first step in any disinfecting operation. In this step, a cleaner conducts standard cleaning practices such as removing visible dirt, wiping down surfaces with a cleaning agent and proper microfibre cloth, mopping, and vacuuming.
2. Sanitise - using a hospital-grade solution (Oxivir), the sanitising step removes 99% of germs and bacteria. The cleaner typically does this by hand with a microfibre cloth.
3. Disinfect - this is where the electrostatic sprayer comes into action. At In-Tec, we use a Victory electrostatic machine that releases a disinfectant mist that coats surfaces evenly. The electrostatic treatment ensures that 100% of germs, bacteria, and viruses, including Covid-19 are eradicated. 
4. ATP test - you want to make sure the deep clean has done its job and removed all the germs, bacteria, and viruses. This is done by conducting ATP tests. Read the next FAQ to find out more! 

If you’re interested in reading a little further about deep cleaning, read our article What is Commercial Deep Cleaning?

You don't want to have a Covid-19 clean performed at your site to then find out the job has been done poorly.

But never fret because there are two ways around this.

1. ATP testing - ATP tests detect what’s invisible to the naked eye. They test the bacteria load counts on surfaces to see whether all germs have been removed, or only some. Although it can’t tell you what types of bacteria or viruses are on a surface, it does reveal the presence of biological matter within seconds. The ATP test is conducted using a luminometer and testing swabs. Once a swab of a surface has been taken an accurate reading will be given. The higher the result, the more organic matter detected which means the clean/disinfection was not done properly. To put it simply, you always want a low score. If you wanted official testing done after your Covid-19 deep clean, the team at In-Tec can certainly do this for you.  
2. Detailed written report - Most businesses like to receive a written report that provides confirmation/proof the clean has been done, and also that it’s been done properly. Typically, a written report includes what disinfection chemicals and equipment are used and also a checklist of every surface/area that's been treated within the site. Generally, the report is for internal and external (government) records. For instance, when a business has to shut their site down for Covid-19 cleaning, they often have to pass on a record to QLD Health to confirm the clean has been performed. If you’d like to receive a written report for your Covid-19 clean, let us know and we’d be happy to fill one out for you.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has mutated, resulting in different variants of the virus. 

But how does this mutation occur in the first place?

We do get a bit nerdy so bear with us.

Coronaviruses have all their genetic material stored in something called RNA (ribonucleic acid). When viruses infect you, they attach to your cells, get inside them, and make copies of their RNA, which in turn, helps them spread. If there was to be a ‘copying’ mistake, then the RNA changes. This is known as a mutation and hence why we’ve seen an emergence of multiple variants of Covid-19 .

In particular, the variant that has taken over Australia is the Omicron variant. It was first detected at the end of 2021 and has since been a ‘variant of concern’ around the world. Although it’s been found that Omicron is a milder version of the virus compared to the Delta strain, it does have a higher transmissibility rate. 

The Omicron variant now makes up more than 90% of all infections Australia-wide.  

The important thing to remember is to keep up to date with what you’re treating different variants with because as we all know, Covid-19 is a situation that’s always evolving. Make sure you’re having your regular cleaning performed along with any Covid-19 cleaning that needs to be done.