According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets that emerge from the nose and mouth when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air and quickly fall onto floors or surfaces. Furthermore, COVID-19 can survive for up to five days on certain common surfaces, such as glass, plastic, stainless steel and wood. For this reason, floor hygiene and frequent cleaning and disinfecting of floor surfaces is vital.
Greg Barron, Actum Group director.
Our static control flooring supplier, Polyflor, recently shared an article posted by Tandy Coleman, entitled ‘Fighting the spread of COVID-19 with vigilant floor hygiene’. This article shares the following tips for effective floor hygiene (for ESD vinyl flooring in particular):
• Disinfect as well as clean: Cleaning removes germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces or objects, while disinfecting aims to kill germs by using chemicals. According to the WHO, 0.1% diluted bleach and 62–71% ethanol is effective within 1 minute. However, it is advisable to use ESD-approved chemicals to clean and disinfect.
• Consider PUR-coated vinyl floor coverings: PUR vinyl can withstand an increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting. The lack of joins or grooves reduces the areas where germs can stick.
• Best cleaning routines for vinyl floors: Chlorine-based products that disinfect can be used on Polyflor vinyl floor coverings, provided the area is rinsed after use and diluted as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Products containing pine gel and phenolic disinfectants should not be used on Polyflor vinyl floorings as they may damage the floor covering.
In addition to effective cleaning and disinfecting, ESD-safe disposable foot covers can be worn to prevent contamination of clean flooring and personnels’ shoes.
Through our static control division, Altico, Actum Group specialises in ESD control within the working environment.
Contact us on +27 11 608 3001 or [email protected] to enquire about our cleaning solutions.
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