While cleaning companies haven’t been negatively affected during the pandemic, some still struggle to find leads. There are a few reasons behind that, some of them being:
- You haven’t updated your website with your COVID-19 measures
- You haven’t posted on your Google my Business listing that you have taken safety precautions during work to prevent spreading the virus
- You haven’t made sure your clients feel comfortable enough to call you
It doesn’t matter whether you are on the first page of Google or not. If your competitors have followed the steps mentioned above, that drastically increases their chances of stealing leads from you.
Clients need to know that all of your cleaning protocols meet the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
In these unprecedented times, some small businesses were critically impacted by COVID-19. As a cleaning company, you need to offer cleaning and sanitizing solutions that follow high standards of safety and prevention from the virus. That way, your clients will feel like they’ve made the right choice with your company.
How to protect yourself, your employees, and clients during work
Putting effort to protect everyone from getting infected speaks a lot for your business. Clients nowadays are more likely to pick a company that follows anti-virus spread measurements.
Virus spread prevention best practices
- Wash your hands often
- Avoid close contact with people
- Cover your nose and mouth with a surgeon’s mask
- Cover your face when you cough or sneeze
- Clean and disinfect surfaces you have touched
- Monitor your health daily
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
A safe workplace provides instructions, procedures, training, and supervision to encourage your colleagues to work safely and responsibly. As a cleaner, you are going to enter environments that may already be infected. Equipment to use:
- Face – The face is the most vulnerable part of your body, and you need to protect it well. You need masks, face shields, and goggles to protect it.
- Hands – Hand protection is mandatory when entering unknown places. Gloves are a must when on a job.
- Whole-body – Disposable overalls while on the job are mandatory.
If clients are aware that you follow every protection measure we addressed above, it is more likely that they’ll pick you instead of your competition.
Control
When communication is needed between you and your client, it must be handled via phone, video, or text. While on a job, advise your client to stay at a safe distance until you finish the job.
Invoices should be handled electronically where possible. If the client is not tech-savvy, you should ask them where you should leave the documents to reduce the interaction between each side.
If you have a Google My Business profile, you should post about your company’s COVID-19 response. Showing your customers that you have taken action to handle the situation increases your chances of getting more leads.
Cleaning Specific Control:
- Assign one person per job
- Provide full personal protective equipment (PPE) to your employees
- Advise your employees to stay at a safe distance from the clients
Carpet Cleaning Service Providers
Carpet cleaning contractors must follow everything recommended for the cleaning industry. CDC recommends cleaning all surfaces that you have interacted with to help stop the spread of viruses. For carpet cleaning they recommend the following: “For soft (porous) surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes, remove visible contamination if present and clean with appropriate cleaners indicated for use on these surfaces.”
Carpet cleaners must use EPA-approved products for use against the virus, that are also suitable for soft (porous) surfaces.
Janitorial Service Providers
As part of the cleaning service providers, janitors must also follow the CDC recommendations. Janitors are considered to be on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. They handle dangerous chemicals to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but that may compromise their health. Some products may cause skin irritation, for example, rashes and burns. Having said that, it is a must for janitors to wear personal protective gear not only to protect themselves from the virus but also from the products that they are using.
For large areas, janitors use machines that help them ease their job. At the start of the work shift, it is mandatory to spray your machines with a sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
Safety measures to protect your employees:
- Assign one person per job
- Assign one machine per person
- All employees should wear PPE
Pressure Washing Service Providers
During these unprecedented times, pressure washing services are essential to help sanitize large exterior surfaces. Professionals have access to CDC-approved disinfectants (with quaternary ammonium as the active ingredient) to use against SARs-CoV-2. You can check the updated list here.
The demand for pressure washing contractors is high, and you need to be ready at all times to react to a customer request.
Remember to always wear:
- Disposable coveralls
- Gloves
- Masks
- Goggles
- Rubber shoes
Safe Working Environment
Risks:
- The strong spray from the machine can cause serious wounds that must be immediately treated before the cause infection
- Electric shocks occasionally occur during work if the machine is not used properly and if safety instructions are not followed
- Workers must not use any gasoline-powered engines, because they produce carbon monoxide which can lead to poisoning
House Cleaning Service Measures
The health and safety of your customers and employees should be at its peak during the pandemic. We are aware that nobody can control the severity or unpredictability of the virus, but there are preventive measures to limit its spread. Some of them are:
- During work, use a sanitizing solution (CDC-approved) to disinfect the most commonly touched surfaces, such as light switches, doorknobs, bathroom surfaces, and others
- Your team must switch out all cleaning cloths and mop heads between switching to other residential homes
- Advise your employees to always wear personal protective gear
- Advise your employees to always wash their hands with soap or disinfect them with a hand sanitizer between cleaning homes
- Closely monitor the national, state, and local health agencies and adjust your service according to the updates
Additional COVID-19 Resources
The World Health Organization provides the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19. We advise you to go through the information regarding the situation to educate yourself and your team further.
Learn about the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding COVID-19 on the World Health Organization website.
