Cleaning is the process of eradicating undesired substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. A reliable cleaning process is an essential part of everyday life. Everyone cleans something during their day, whether it’s their hands, or a kitchen counter.
Cleaning plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and safety of employees and customers in many businesses. It has become even more relevant in the wake of the current pandemic.
For the complete removal of harmful microorganisms, you need to use an effective cleaning method. In this article we share the best process for cleaning and disinfecting contaminated surfaces thoroughly.
What are the Key Steps in a Cleaning Process?
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Pre-Cleaning
In this first step, you will clean the contaminated surface by eliminating visible debris or substances.
Rinse or wipe the surface with a disposable towel or sweep with a broom. To prepare the area for the next cleaning stage, loose debris needs to be removed as much as possible.
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Main Cleaning
In this step, you need to loosen any chemicals, greases, and substances that we cannot remove during the pre-cleaning step. You may need to make use of hot water and detergent for this.
Once added to the contaminated, or stained surface, some substances can be wiped off immediately with a cloth or mop. In other cases, you may have to leave some substances on the soiled or stained area to be soaked for a while. This allows the substance to do its best work .
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The Main Step in the Cleaning Process: Washing
The real cleaning will now begin. Cleaning floors and wiping down surfaces should be done with hot water and a good detergent.
In this stage, all loosened materials, dirt, debris, or detergent are removed. You can clean flooring using a cloth, mop, squeegee, or another item along with clean, hot water.
It’s important to use hot water as the high temperature kills bacteria and viruses which accelerates the cleaning process.
Read also: What is Green Cleaning?
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Disinfection Process
Clean surfaces are disinfected in this stage of the cleaning process to remove bacteria and other microorganisms.
In this stage of the cleaning process, a disinfectant is used. A disinfectant is any chemical that prevents, controls, or eliminates microbes on inanimate surfaces or objects.
You should utilize a chemical disinfectant or heat for a prolonged period of time. The effectiveness of disinfection depends on the extent to which surfaces have been cleaned and the type of disinfectant used.
When organic matter is in contact with disinfectants, they become inactive. This makes disinfectants a vital part of the cleaning process.
Listed below are three general characteristics of disinfectants.
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Acids:
Precipitation of proteins is accomplished by acids. If high concentrations are attained, they can be very caustic and toxic.
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Alcohols:
Alcohol is non-corrosive and denatures (breaks down) proteins. Their concentrations need to be between 70% and 90% to be effective. Caution: they are highly flammable.
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Alkalis:
Fats in enveloped organisms are saponified (made into soap) by alkalis. A temperature increase increases activity. They are incredibly corrosive.
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Rinse
A clean, hot water solution removes any disinfectants left over from the fourth cleaning stage.
However, it is not always necessary to do this step depending on the disinfectant and the project you are working on. If you need more advice, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
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Final Stage in the Cleaning Process: Drying
After rinsing a surface, you should air dry as much as possible, but you can also use an electronic dryer. Even so, use single-use cloths to dry if necessary, particularly for commercial environments.
Using damp drying cloths can cause bacteria to grow and pose a contamination risk, however, depending on the substances you used, all or most microbes will have been destroyed by this point.
Read also: Why Commercial Floor Cleaning Is Necessary for Your Company
Are you looking for reliable cleaning services in Melbourne?
Cleaning isn’t an easy task. There are many reasons why people are seeking commercial cleaning in Melbourne. Boring, tiring, and also time-consuming are all factors that can make it challenging.
If you are looking for a company with a reliable cleaning process, then you are in the right place!
Office Cleaning Solutions is a full-service company that provides commercial and office cleaning services to companies of all sizes.
Our knowledge, experience, and committed workers make us the best at what we do.
We’ll provide you with the peace of mind that your customers will always see a clean, spotless establishment.
Summary
Managing the environment with cleaning and disinfecting should not result in complete sanitization but rather reduce the pathogen load significantly to prevent infection.
There is a purpose for every step of the process, and science should be applied to it. Every step in the cleaning process depends on the previous stages being completed successfully.