As COVID-19 restrictions ease, more and more people will return to your facilities. Will your cleaning protocols be ready? For over a year, the pandemic turned a bright light on the importance of cleaning and disinfecting surfaces for health. Facility managers answered with amped up cleaning schedules designed to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Enhanced cleaning goes a long way in easing anxious minds of building tenants.

Employees, occupants and guests remain cautious about their safety and the cleanliness of the enclosed spaces they visit. BusinessWire reports on a recent survey that found that 73 percent of all employees say their workplace should be cleaned daily. The survey also found a rising number of employees want to see daily cleaning and disinfecting.

Pre-pandemic, only about half of commercial offices were cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces on a daily basis, according to the CleanLink "Cleaning Costs and Frequencies Report."

However, a newly-disinfected surface is only as safe as the last thing that touched it. Once someone puts their hand on a door handle, desk top, stair rail, or elevator button, the surface becomes re-contaminated. And if that person coughed or sneezed into their hand first, well, that puts a big dent into any trust or goodwill you are building around the safety of your facility. Coronavirus can live up to days on surfaces such as desks, handrails and doorknobs. After the pandemic, facility managers should remain vigilant about other viruses. Influenza lives up to 24 hours on surfaces. The common cold can last up to a week and norovirus even longer.