One of the most common questions we get asked here at H&W is what is the difference between a deep clean and a decontamination clean? And why is a decontamination so important in the fight with Covid-19?

A deep clean is an exceptionally intense cleaning process which will include a thorough clean and disinfection.  What is included in a deep clean will depend on the environment.  A carefully structured deep clean will ensure there is no cross-contamination between areas that have been cleaned and areas that have not.  Most commercial premises will have a regular clean however, the cleaning will not be as in depth as you would experience with a deep clean.  The frequency or requirement for a deep clean will vary depending on the level regular cleaning regime, type of environment and the purpose.

A decontamination is the neutralisation or removal of dangerous substances or germs from an area.  Therefore, the focus of a decontamination is to neutralise bacteria, viruses and substances which may be a threat to health.  Methods for decontamination can include physical cleaning, water purification, ultrasonic cleaning, disinfection, antisepsis and sterilisation, the method used will depend on the type of contaminant.

Therefore, a deep clean has a broader meaning than to simply decontaminate and whilst it may have this purpose it will also focus on removing visible dirt.  A decontamination may not make an area visibly look or smell cleaner but instead will focus on eradicating any threat to health caused by contaminants.

1. A single cough can produce

a – 3000 droplets

b – 2000 droplets

c – 1000 droplets
(World Health Organisation, 2009)

2. Droplets from a single cough can remain

a – on other people and clothing

b – on surfaces and in the air

c – all of the above
(World Health Organisation, 2009)

How long is it believed similar viruses to Covid-19 can survive on a surface?

a – 1 day

b – 2 days

c – 2-3 days

(Doremalen, N. et al. 2020)

Answers – 1 – A, 2 – C, 3 – C, 4 – C

4. Electrostatic spraying (TECcare Control) has been developed for combined high-level disinfection of:

a – surfaces and equipment

b – air and environments

c – all of the above

(TECcare, 2020)

Bacteria are a type of germ which are living cells. A virus is another type of germ, however unlike bacteria viruses cannot survive unless they have a living host such as the human body or an animal. Another difference between bacteria and viruses is that most viruses do cause illness. Some of the most common viral infections include the cold and flu viruses.

With these differences in mind, a different approach to cleaning needs to be adopted when it comes to protecting from a virus and more specifically the coronavirus.

Since Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus there is NO commercially available virucidal efficacy test that can be used for any disinfectant against this specific virus at this point in time (March 2020).

As a specific COVID-19 efficacy test does not currently exist, no disinfectant on the market can claim to be effective against the specific COVID-19 virus causing the current pandemic. However, since Coronavirus (COVID-19) is classified as an ‘enveloped virus’, its physical structure is similar to other ‘enveloped viruses’ such as SARS.

Using TECcare CONTROL to clean and disinfect environmental surfaces, these multiple points of attack offered by TECcare CONTROL gives a comprehensive ‘belt and braces’ approach to reducing the risk posed by COVID19 on any environmental surface. (TECcare, 2020).

At H&W we have been using TECcare Control to electrostatic spray working environments, keep an eye for videos of the Electrostatic sprayer in action on our social media pages.

*We at H&W are always keeping abreast of new developments and developing our cleaning regimes accordingly.

Firstly, we are confident that we can continue to provide you an excellent service, albeit with some necessary new ways of working. Secondly, we have been working hard behind closed doors linking with a selected group of suppliers nationwide to ensure we have sufficient consumables (such as sanitiser, soap and PPE) to be able to ensure you have the necessary provisions when you decide to begin to take steps to return to working in your work environment. Lastly, we feel confident that we can protect our operatives with the necessary equipment and working regime to ensure their safety, whilst providing a service to you and your company and following government guidelines.

Because we want you, our clients to feel safe in your work environment and to reduce worries you may have about what this might mean for you and we as a company want our operatives to feel safe in their work environment. Health, safety and wellbeing is of paramount importance to Heath & Wiltshire, which is why along with ensuring we supply our H&W operatives with the correct PPE to protect against their physical health, we have selected Mind as our company charity and have included top tips for looking after your mental health within our company newsletter, to ensure our employees look after their mental health too.

We at H&W, think that a combination of deep cleaning (to combat dirt and bacteria) alongside Electrostatic spraying (to combat the virus on surfaces and in the environment) as part of your cleaning regime from your partners at H&W will begin to ensure you have confidence in your working environment/workplace when you start to consider a ‘return to work’, along with a thorough and structured cleaning regime, including:

• Consider a shift system for your employees/colleagues
• A H&W designated cleaning team assigned to each of your shift groups with no cross-contamination between groups
• After each shift change, a sanitisation is conducted, ready for your next shift of colleagues to start work
• Provision of hand hygiene solutions in your workplace
• Provision of social distancing markers in your workplace

In the meantime, keep washing your hands and following the Government’s guidelines and together we can beat this.

Please look after yourselves and each other.

We are here to answer any queries you may have. Please call…. 01373 823217

Your H&W Team

Atkinson J, Chartier Y, Pessoa-Silva CL, et al., (2009). Natural Ventilation for Infection Control in Health-Care Settings. Geneva: World Health Organization. Annex C, Respiratory droplets. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143281/

Doremalen, N. et al. (2020) Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2  as Compared with SARS-CoV-1, New England Journal Medicine, 382, pp.1564-1567. Available from: DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973

TECcare (2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19) and TECcare Control. Available from: www.TECcare.com