Offices

Is Electrostatic Spraying Right for Your Office?

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Electrostatic spraying is a powerful disinfecting technique that is often used to promote health and safety in public spaces. It has long been used in settings like airports and medical facilities as part of a highly effective and efficient disinfecting strategy. But how do you know if electrostatic spraying is right for your office? Or if typical cleaning and disinfecting services and strategies are enough? Here are a few things to consider when it comes to this high-level disinfecting method:

How electrostatic spraying works

Electrostatic spraying works through the application of a positive electric charge to a liquid disinfectant. This combination creates a spray that reaches its target almost immediately and then sticks to it. Compared to traditional cleaning and disinfecting sprays, this method is much more effective. Instead of spraying specific areas directly, electrostatic spraying allows the service provider to achieve 360-degree coverage of the area they are treating. This means that it’s easier to hit high-touch surfaces and all of the corners and crevices that would otherwise be difficult to reach and might get missed.

Why your facility might need it

If your facility has many high-touch surface areas or sees a lot of traffic each day, you should consider electrostatic spraying your office. Electrostatic spraying is ideal for facilities like office spaces, schools, and medical facilities because these are high-traffic settings with many different high-touch surface areas. We can use this incredible and innovative disinfecting method to reduce the transmission of COVID in your facility. Along with things like wearing masks, frequent hand washing, and maintaining the appropriate distance, we can do more.

There are several important ways that we can ensure that we’re meeting safety precautions, protecting each other, and controlling the spread of COVID. With employees back in their workspaces and students back at their desks, social distancing needs to be met with additional efforts. Anyone who can’t work from home or engage in remote learning shouldn’t have to be scared or uncomfortable in shared spaces each day. If your facility is open, you have individuals coming in and out, and you have high-touch surfaces that need extra attention, you need electrostatic spraying.

Where else electrostatic spraying is used

Even before the COVID outbreak began, there were several different types of businesses and locations that made use of electrostatic spraying. One that we mentioned already: airlines. Imagine the number of individuals that walk through just one airport in a day (pre-coronavirus). Imagine the number of high-touch surfaces that they have to disinfect, from seats, belts, bathrooms, and armrests to storage bins, tray tables, and waiting areas. In any airport, there are plenty of areas that require a deep level of cleaning and disinfecting. But it’s not just airlines that use this high-level disinfecting method.

Electrostatic spraying has also long been used in medical facilities like hospitals and clinics, sports and athletic facilities, and other high-traffic areas. If it’s the method of choice in places where traffic is high and the stakes are higher, it’s clear that it should be the method of choice elsewhere, too. Employing effective cleaning and disinfecting services may be the sole choice that keeps your facility from closing during COVID-19 like so many others have already. Many office buildings and restaurants have had to close for a week or two at a time to clean and disinfect after someone tested positive. It’s better to be proactive, slow the spread, and avoid the shutdown rather than addressing it after the fact.

Peace of mind

When people hear the term “electrostatic spraying,” they tend to have several questions. The first one is usually what is it? Next: is it safe? Is there any way that it could be toxic or dangerous? Now that you know how electrostatic spraying works and where it’s used, let’s talk about toxicity. Most people are surprised to learn that electrostatic spraying actually uses fewer chemicals than more standard disinfection techniques. This is simply because electrostatic spraying is more efficient.

Its higher transfer efficiency and reach mean that it works better and can do the job using fewer chemicals. This reduces the chemical exposure for your employees, patients, or students, and also for the environment. COVID may have brought electrostatic spraying out into the limelight this year, but it’s not a new technique. The technology used in electrostatic spraying was invented nearly 100 years ago. It has been used in the background in the auto industry, airlines, hospitals, arenas, and other settings for many years. It is just recently becoming more popular in other settings, too.

This extra step could help protect you until we have a vaccine

With the promising news that the COVID vaccine may be distributed early in 2021, it can be tempting to ease back or loosen up. But now is the time to be more vigilant than ever before. With COVID cases still going up in numbers in many states across the country, now is not the time to slow down. The best way to keep our businesses open and ourselves and each other safe and healthy is to follow all of the guidelines that are being set out for us.

Wear your masks, wash your hands, keep your distance, and stay home if you’re not feeling well. But make sure that you’re not stopping there. In both your home and your business, routine cleaning and disinfecting can help reduce the risk of exposure. Don’t leave the health and safety of your business, employees, clients, students, or patients up to chance.

Conclusion

While we are inching closer, we aren’t back to normal just yet, and we should all be playing our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Our high-level electrostatic spraying services will help protect both your business and the people who interact with it. Your employees, clients and customers, and all of their families deserve the peace of mind that comes with high-level cleaning and disinfecting services.

With our high-quality services, proven systems, and dedicated teams, we can help you make the most of your facility and stay safe and healthy until things return to normal. Contact us today for a free quote for electrostatic spraying in your office.

How Coronavirus Will Change Your Office

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Now that restrictions are lifting, most of us are left wondering what post-coronavirus life will look like. The CDC is urging businesses, schools, and other facilities to follow updated practices as they re-open. Until we have a better understanding, an effective vaccine, and pre-COVID numbers, it’s up to us to ensure the health and safety of ourselves and the people around us. If you’re wondering how the coronavirus outbreak will change your office, there’s a lot here to consider.

Why Offices Employers and Employees Need to Adjust

We all need to continue doing our part in slowing the spread and ending this pandemic. If the numbers have gone down enough for your town to feel comfortable re-opening, that’s a good sign. But it doesn’t mean that we’re entirely in the clear yet. By following updating practices, keeping our distance, changing our office setups, and increasing our cleaning and disinfecting processes, we can keep ourselves and each other safe.

For the last few months, the majority of America’s workforce has been working from home. In a recent survey, 66% of workers reported that they’re not comfortable going back to their workplace the way things are right now. But if you work for a company that requires your physical presence at work each day now that restrictions are lifting, employers and employees will have to compromise. It’s up to employers to make their valued employees feel more comfortable, safe, and valued.

In the same survey, 64% of respondents would prefer the ability to wear a mask at work; 61% hope to maintain social distancing in the office, and 49% want to see limited numbers in workplace meetings. These are a few things that are easy to implement as offices reopen. And they’re a great start. But we all have to do more.

Why Office Spaces Need to Change

Most traditional office spaces have been set up in a way that doesn’t align with proper social distancing. After all, this is something that we didn’t see coming. But now, it’s time to adjust. Office spaces with open layouts, large conference rooms, shared workspaces, and a clear lack of division won’t survive the post-coronavirus world. Unless employers want to see their offices shut down again while their employees fight the virus at home, office spaces will have to change. They’ll need to create more space between cubicles or workspaces, break meetings into smaller groups, and operate at a reduced capacity until we know it’s safe again.

The CDC is recommending:

• Hazard assessments in the workplace
• Cloth face coverings at work (or more drastic protection measures if the area is deemed hazardous)
• Keeping six feet of distance between each individual
• Immediately sending symptomatic employees home
• Increasing air circulation in shared spaces
• Cleaning and disinfecting routinely

What the Post-Coronavirus Office will Look and Feel Like

The good news is that many offices are already implementing a lot of the changes we’ve talked about. In the short-term, many are occupying their offices at a reduced capacity. Some are suggesting that employees alternate their schedules so that only 50% of them are in the office at the same time. This would mean that in one workweek, 50% would be working in the office while the other 50% work from home. The following week, they’d switch. Large meetings are being canceled, moved to virtual, shortened, or broken up into smaller groups. Temperatures are being checked at the door. Face masks are being worn throughout the day.

Another change you’ll notice immediately is that your cubicle probably won’t look the way it did three months ago. At least some of them won’t. Ones with thick, high walls may remain. But others that serve as flimsy dividers that end at your chin will likely be improved or replaced. The same way fast-food chains, convenience, and grocery stores have implemented shields made of plexiglass or similar materials, we can expert similar enclosures from our office cubicles.

These are excellent changes to make until we have more substantial processes to rely on. But now that we know how quickly a simple virus can come along and shake up the whole world, we have to consider long-term changes, too. For experts, businesses, and many others, long-term requirements are clear. And one of the largest ones is updated and increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures. This is where Corvus Janitorial and our incredible franchisees come in.

The Bottom Line

For the foreseeable future, it’s important to follow the CDC’s updates closely. Changed office spaces, reduced capacities, consistent use of masks and social distancing, and increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures are all current recommendations. Almost all offices will need more cleaning and disinfecting services now that the scope of work has changed. What used to be a schedule of casual vacuuming, dusting, and light cleaning for many companies has now evolved into a true medical need. We need increased attention and care to keep ourselves, workers, our families, and our communities safe.

Corvus Janitorial can help meet these goals and mitigate the spread of the virus by providing more thorough, regular disinfection programs. Both the methods and the frequencies must be updated. In an ongoing effort to help fight against the spread of COVID, we’ve implemented a high-impact disinfection system with highly effective techniques that have been proven in other settings. These systems have been used in hospitals, clinics, and airlines to thoroughly and properly disinfect high-touch and high-traffic areas. We’re thrilled to be bringing these systems to your offices to keep you, your employees, and your families safe.

Our new disinfection processes include:

• Electrostatic sprayers
• ULV fogging
• UV light disinfection

Electrostatic sprayers use an electrical charge to apply a high-quality coating, cleaner, or disinfectant to the chosen surface. This makes it easier to cover more surface area, disinfect hard-to-reach areas, and eliminate any human error involved in manual disinfecting. This way, all surfaces are properly disinfected, not just the high-touch ones. Additionally, when disinfectants are applied this way, they don’t have to be wiped down. This eliminates the dwell time and increases its effectiveness.

ULV fogging is another service that is used by major airlines. This is a similar process, in which a pump and blower are used to atomize the cleaner or disinfectant and spread it in the air. This allows for greater coverage, disinfection or larger areas, and an efficient, effective process. Lastly, UV light disinfection stops germs, bacteria, and viruses in their tracks. Without the use of chemicals, this method relies on wavelengths of UV light that give you rapid and effective results. Our cleaning and disinfecting processes are a step above the rest. Call us today to see what we can do for you.

About Corvus Janitorial Systems

Founded in 2004 to make people’s lives better, Corvus is a full-service commercial cleaning franchisor that offers cleaning services through reputable local Franchisees. Corvus has been guided by its mission to transform people and transform places by consistently delivering independence, security, and freedom to Franchisees who deliver high-quality cleaning to offices, educational buildings, medical buildings/offices, recreational centers, industrial parks, and other spaces. The company has 17 regional support offices across the United States with nearly 900 Franchisees. For more information regarding Corvus, visit corvusjanitorial.com or corvusjanitorial.com/franchise for franchise information.

How to Prevent Office Allergies

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Allergy prevention tips from Tommy Petagna of Corvus of New Orleans

What’s the need for allergy prevention in the office?

Allergies are an ailment that affect many in the American workforce. Allergic disease (including Asthma) is the sixth leading chronic disease in our country, affecting more than 30% of US adults, and in 2022 approximately 8% of adults in the United States had hay fever. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, “Allergic rhinitis, often called hay fever, is a common condition that causes symptoms such as sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, watery eyes and itching of the nose, eyes or the roof of the mouth”. You may have hay fever and not even know it!

As many as 4 million workdays a year are lost due to hay fever, and people with asthma will miss approximately five workdays per year because of their disease. On average, Americans will spend about 90% of their lives indoors. With that being said, it is important that work facilities are properly maintained in order to ensure a productive, healthy work environment for employees. With a few simple steps, business owners and managers can improve allergy prevention in the office.

Allergy prevention tips

Check your office air filter regularly

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a comfortable work environment, however they can be a source of air contaminants in the office if they are not properly maintained. Air filters can become dirty and clogged, which can lead to even more allergens entering the office than simply not having an air filtration system.

To avoid a dirty air filter, regular inspections should be done. Checking the air filter once a month is a good rule of thumb, but checks should be done more frequently during peak allergy season.

Go Green: Plants lead the way in dust allergy prevention

Phytoremediation is the use of live plants to clean soil, water, and, of course, the air of contaminates. According to researchers from the University of Technology, Sydney, “Potted plants can provide an efficient, self-regulating, low-cost, sustainable bioremediation system for indoor air pollution”.

Plants absorb air pollutants through their stomata and via microorganisms living in their soil. Only adding plants to your office will not be a sufficient method to make your office allergen free, but adding plants along with an air filtration system is a good strategy to office allergy prevention.

Steer clear of feather dusters – they do more to harm allergy prevention than to help

Feather dusters have been widely used since their inception in 1870. From maids, to moms, to janitors, the feather duster has been a go-to tool for cleaners across the board. Feather dusters may have been the cream of the crop for dusting in the 1800s. However, as times have changed, more effective dusting tools have come into circulation. If allergy prevention is a main concern, a feather duster, which oftentimes simply scatter dust off of surfaces and into the air, is not the way to go.

Dusty offices lead to dusty office allergies. Other cleaning supplies, such as microfiber clothes, electrostatic clothes, backpack vacuums, and extendable microfiber dusters will do a much better job of dust removal. Don’t be a victim of the appeal to tradition fallacy and continue to use feather dusters; they may actually increase the amount of dust in the air and will hinder allergy prevention in the office.

Vacuuming and carpet cleaning is key to allergy prevention

Everyone knows that regular carpet vacuuming is needed in an office setting, but the carpet is not the only surface that requires regular vacuuming. For example, cubicles often have carpeted walls, which can trap dust right near employees’ faces. These walls must be vacuumed regularly to prevent the inhalation of dust day in and day out. Any curtains, shades or draperies should also be vacuumed regularly. Furniture such as desks, chairs, and tables should be moved while vacuuming in order to ensure a complete clean.

For hard to reach and awkward areas, there are countless universal dusting attachments available for both regular and backpack vacuums. Carpet cleaning should be used in addition to vacuuming to rid carpets of allergens. When carpet cleaning, it is best to use low-moisture or dry carpet cleaning techniques. Traditional carpet shampooing leaves behind lots of moisture than can lead to the growth of mold and increase dust mites.

We can help you with office allergy prevention!

At Corvus Janitorial, we know the importance of maintaining an allergen-free facility. Our professionals have the skills, tools, and technical know-how to service your office with the highest quality possible. Let us help you with our professional cleaning services…contact us today for a free quote!

Tommy Petagna
Corvus Janitorial of New Orleans
2332 Severn Ave. Ste. 200
Metairie, LA 70001
tpetagna@corvusjanitorial.com
504-304-8323