Maintaining a clean, hygienic building has become more important than ever through the Covid-19 pandemic, and for strata management this has posed some unique problems. The combination of private and shared spaces with a strata building is a key area, and one of the most challenging aspects of an effective strata cleaning strategy.
Maintaining Standards
For strata management, the Australian Government Department of Health has produced a very useful cleaning guide to help understand the most effective approach to cleaning homes and properties that reduces the risk of transmission. While not strata specific, strata cleaning operatives, and managers can find useful guidance in the guide, called ‘Environmental cleaning and disinfection principles for COVID-19’, and should use it as a reference for developing any strategy for cleaning Sydney strata building needs.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Government guidelines suggest cleaning dirty surfaces, followed by a disinfection treatment. For strata management, this is mostly applicable to shared spaces, and as we transition out of some Covid restrictions and those spaces are used more frequently, maintaining the cleanliness of the areas will depend on a good strata cleaning strategy. But what is the difference between cleaning and disinfection?
Cleaning is what we are all familiar with, the removal of germs, dirt and other visible impurities from a surface or object. Importantly, the cleaning process does not kill germs, but controls levels by removing them. On the other hand, disinfectant uses chemicals to kill germs, viruses and other contaminants on surfaces, drastically reducing the risk of infection or transmission of viruses like Covid-19.
For strata buildings, both shared and private spaces should be cleaned more regularly and include regular disinfection as part of the cleaning strategy. If a commercial cleaning company is already employed to take care of your strata cleaning, they are likely to be able to handle to disinfection too. However, within apartments it is essential to advise residents to follow a similar routine, with simple to use disinfectants readily available for this purpose.
Cleaning Shared Spaces
In addition to disinfection on a regular basis, frequently used surfaces should be cleaned with detergent more often too. These include:
- Door Handles.
- Mailboxes.
- Light Switches.
- Railings and Balustrades.
- Gym Equipment.
- Hard Seats.
- Tables.
- Bathroom Areas.
- Food Prep surfaces in BBQ areas.
A more frequent cleaning regime here will be enough to maintain strata hygiene in shared areas, however, if the building has residents with children, cleaning floors more often is also necessary, as children may touch floors without realizing the risks.
Maintaining Apartments
While apartments are generally the responsibility of the resident, strata management should encourage a more thorough cleaning regime and explain the importance of disinfection through the resident committee. In addition, encouraging residents to be proactive in terms of hand washing and so on after fetching mail from the mailbox and so on helps build a culture of safety regarding Covid in the building.
Strata Cleaning
For strata management, ensuring more frequent attention to surfaces in shared spaces, and regular disinfection to prevent virus and germ build-up are the key factors. While all this is manageable, if you have any questions or need help with any aspect of covid cleaning Sydney specialist NSW Commercial Cleaning are here to help and will be happy to assist you in any way we can.