Covid-19 Cleaning

Mold Remediation During COVID-19

As the pandemic continues to spread, concerns about sanitation in homes and businesses are continuing to grow. The COVID-19 virus that is impacting just about anywhere in the world is easily spread, but there are ways to stop it from spreading. One of those is a thorough disinfecting of areas that could contain the virus or any other contaminants. As a mold remediation company, we strive to make sure your home or office is disinfected and cleaned. This can help you handle mold as well as the potential contamination of your home or office with COVID-19.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is a virus that was first detected in China in December of 2019, hence the “19” in its name. Though measures were put in place to help stop the spread, it did spread and has now impacted just about every part of the world. The virus has led to a variety of symptoms in many people, though not everyone that gets the virus will get sick.

Symptoms can include a fever, difficulty breathing, or a dry cough. Uncommon symptoms include an upset stomach, the loss of taste or smell temporarily, or fatigue. In some, the virus can be deadly. Though the virus mainly has severe complications for those who are older or who already have medical issues, there have been reports of healthy people succumbing to the disease. To prevent this, proper precautions must be taken to help reduce the chance of getting sick or spreading the disease.

How Does COVID-19 Spread?

The virus spreads through droplets that can be transferred from one person to another. Droplets move through the air when someone is speaking, coughing, or sneezing. Depending on the wind, the air circulation in the room, and other factors, these droplets can move six feet or more through the air. If the droplets land on a solid surface, the virus may be able to survive for some time.

Though the amount of time it can remain viable depends on many factors, some studies have shown that the virus can still live on hard surfaces for as long as three days. If someone else touches the surface within that period, there is a chance they could end up getting sick. However, it is important to note that as long as surfaces are appropriately cleaned and people are washing their hands or sanitizing frequently, the chance of getting sick just from touching a surface is small.

There is More to Learn Yet

In the first half of 2020, a lot was discovered about the virus in a very short amount of time. The rapid investigation into the virus as well as knowledge from previous coronaviruses has allowed scientists to learn quite a bit quickly that can help dispel some of the myths surrounding COVID-19 and how it spreads. However, there is still a lot more that can be learned, which will take time. There are new discoveries about the virus just about every day, some of which can make a difference in how it is treated or what can be done to help slow the spread. For now, it’s crucial to follow CDC guidelines regarding controlling the spread, including disinfecting areas that could be contaminated.

Disinfectants Can Help Protect the Home

Many people have stayed at home as much as possible to help reduce the chance of becoming ill or spreading the virus further. Yet, they do need to go outside of the home sometimes, and contaminants can get inside the home. Those who work outside the home have an extra concern, as they could bring home contaminants every time they get home from work or the kids get home from school. The key to keeping it under control and reducing the chance of getting sick will be to make sure the home is disinfected regularly. There are supplies that homeowners can use on their own, but it is still recommended that homeowners have a specialist handle disinfecting the home occasionally so they know the job is done right.

Disinfectants Can Help Protect the Office

It can be hard to keep the virus from spreading in an office setting, but disinfecting the office regularly can help. Those who come into the office may not know they’re sick, and can quickly spread the virus to their coworkers. They might not start feeling symptoms until later in the day, or they might not notice any symptoms at all. Instead, having the entire office disinfected regularly can help reduce the chance that the virus can spread to others. Having a specialist go through and disinfect the office allows the owner to be sure that there isn’t anything missed, so everything is clean and ready when the employees show up for work the next day. Along with helping control the spread of coronavirus, this can also help slow the spread of other illnesses like the flu.

How to Keep Everything Clean

Keeping the home or office clean can enable it to be disinfected easier and can limit the virus’s ability to spread. Each day, there are steps that home and business owners can take to clean and disinfect the area between visits from a specialist like us. Some things to pay attention to include the following.

• Clean High-Touch Surfaces Often. High-touch surfaces are those that people will regularly touch within a home or office. They can include doorknobs, sink handles, light switches, keyboards, phones, and more. These are the surfaces most likely to become contaminated, so they’re the most important ones to disinfect frequently.
• Use Disposable Gloves Properly. When disinfecting, wearing gloves is a good idea. Fresh gloves should be put on before disinfecting anything. Once the disinfecting is done, the gloves should be removed carefully and disposed of properly. Using old gloves or continuing to use gloves after cleaning can spread the disease even though the area has been disinfected.
• Clean Thoroughly Before Disinfecting. If an area is not clean, it needs to be cleaned before it can be disinfected. Otherwise, the disinfectants will not work as well. It is recommended to clean while wearing gloves, then switch to new gloves before disinfecting the area to help prevent contamination.
• Use Highly Effective Disinfectants. Disinfectants used in the home or office should be ones that are known to kill the virus when possible. If a disinfectant says that it does kill coronaviruses, it may be a good option for disinfecting the home or office.

Mold Remediation and Disinfectant Services

Mold remediation specialists like us are used to disinfecting spaces, know how to do the job correctly to avoid cross-contamination, and have the right equipment to disinfect any space thoroughly. Mold is a common issue in buildings, and once the visible mold is removed, the area needs to be disinfected to help keep it from coming back. The tiny, invisible mold spores could still be on surfaces after the visible mold is removed, so we thoroughly disinfect the entire area. Our experience in disinfecting homes and businesses to prevent the spread of mold also enables us to disinfect these places to help control the spread of viruses like the coronavirus.

How COVID-19 is Impacting Mold Remediation Efforts

Since COVID-19 can easily spread, proper precautions must be in place to disinfect a home or office. On top of that, it is important to follow social distancing guidelines still and take the right precautions when outside of the building to control the spread. While this has had an impact on many businesses it has not had a major impact for us, as we already follow those practices daily.  Before each mold remediation job, we ensure our we have the proper protective equipment for our employees and the proper cleaning and air scrubbing equipment to avoid any contamination of our employees. We are always available for disinfecting homes, offices or even large commercial buildings, it is essential to have the proper protective gear and disinfecting products, and we live by this rule each day.

Putting Together a COVID-19 Mold Checklist

Preventing contamination, whether it’s from mold or the virus, can help protect the home or office. When you’re putting together a checklist of what to look out for, below are some things you’ll want to check off.

• Signs of mold in damp or humid areas like bathrooms, basements, or attics
• Check for leaks in visible pipes and around sinks or tubs
• Pay attention to medical issues that can be caused by mold
• Keep areas cleaned, so leaks or mold are noticed and addressed faster
• Wear clean gloves when doing an inspection

Both mold and COVID-19 can lead to serious medical issues, but there are ways to reduce your risk and protect your home or office. A large part of this is keeping the area clean and frequently disinfecting to prevent the growth of mold or spread of the virus. Whether you’re worried about mold growth or you want to have the space disinfected to prevent the spread of coronavirus, we can help. Call us today to learn more about the disinfectant or mold remediation services we have available and to see why professional assistance can help keep you safe.

About Covid-19

From the CDC

• Novel Coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces.
• The cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in community settings.

From Us

• The Disinfectants we use have pathogen kill claims for 140+ strains, including the Human Coronavirus.
• They meet the EPA criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19

MoldTrust is prepared during this unprecedented time to detail clean and disinfect your home or business in accordance with the protocols set forth by the CDC. Our team is trained to perform a proactive cleanup that involves facility or structure cleaning and disinfection. MoldTrust is here to provide protection to you, your customers, and employees. With pricing starting at 10 cents a square foot, we are ready to respond and work efficiently with our detailed cleaning services.