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Houston janitorial services can help kill germs in your building.

With the current monkeypox outbreak, many facility managers and business owners are wondering if they need to take extra precautions to protect their staff and customers. It’s a common question floating around whether you need extra Houston janitorial services to help fight the monkeypox virus. We’ll explore this question in our article. 

Do I Need Extra or Different Houston Janitorial Services for the Monkeypox Outbreak?

Monkeypox is a serious concern, with more than 100 cases in the City of Houston. Therefore, many Houstonians are wondering what they need to do to protect themselves. For instance, is it important to increase Houston janitorial services frequency or use certain products? 

Generally speaking, no, you likely don’t need to do anything special based on current risks. Here are some things to consider for how monkeypox might affect your cleaning program:

Keep Following COVID-19 Recommendations for Houston Janitorial Services

If you’re following cleaning and disinfecting recommendations for COVID-19, then you’re on the right track already. Remember, current guidelines recommend regular cleaning for commercial and public buildings. 

This means cleaning once a day and giving some special attention to high touch surfaces, areas with poor ventilation, or places where there’s no access to hand washing areas or hand sanitizer. 

These guidelines are generally good for fighting a variety of germs and viruses in your building. Following these minimum cleaning recommendations can help protect people in your building from a wide variety of contagious diseases.

Use Disinfectants from the EPA’s List Q for Houston Office Cleaning

Of course, with any cleaning program, it’s important to use the right products for Houston janitorial services. If you’re concerned about disinfecting surfaces for the monkeypox virus, then you’ll need to find the right products. 

Currently, the EPA recommends using disinfectants from its list Q, which is for emerging viral pathogens (EVPs). This is a list of disinfectants that are likely to help kill viruses like monkeypox. On the list, they divide disinfectants into three different tiers based on the difficulty of killing certain viruses. Fortunately, monkeypox is a tier 1 virus, which means it’s relatively easy to kill with disinfectants. Therefore, if you’re concerned about monkeypox transmission in your building, our team can use list Q products to help kill virus particles in your building. 

What’s The Risk to People in My Building from Monkeypox?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about monkeypox and the current risk. The good news is that the risk of monkeypox for the general public is pretty low according to health experts. Here are some things you as an employer or facility manager should know:

How Monkeypox Spreads

Monkeypox primarily spreads through close physical contact, as the virus spreads mainly through bodily fluids and lesions from the rash. Therefore, it’s mostly spread from things like sex, sharing a bed, or contact with things soiled by bodily fluids like towels and sheets.

As such, it’s usually spread between romantic partners, families, or through caring for patients with monkeypox. For your average commercial building like an office, the risk for transmission is relatively low.

Monkeypox Virus Can Live on Surfaces, But Surface Infection is Unlikely

However, it’s important to note that the virus that causes monkeypox can live on surfaces for up to 15 days in the right conditions. Studies have found the virus on various surfaces in patient rooms for people infected with monkeypox. So, it may be possible to contract the virus through touching contaminated surfaces. 

Yet, it’s not clear how much viral load exposure is needed to become infected. Based on what we know so far, that number is likely very high, making it unlikely that you can contract monkeypox from the number of virus particles that you might find on surfaces like light switches and counters.

Consider People’s Comfort When Designing Your Houston Janitorial Services Program

Nevertheless, many people are concerned about their health. After years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the monkeypox outbreak has brought with it a renewed sense of fear regarding health. This, plus a lot of myths that you can get monkeypox from a handshake or touching a door handle, it may be helpful to increase Houston janitorial services in your building to help people feel more at ease.

People May Feel Better if They Know You’re Investing in Houston Janitorial Services for Cleaning and Disinfecting

While it’s unlikely that the average person will pick up monkeypox from someone else in a public building, many people are understandably worried. Therefore, many businesses are increasing Houston office cleaning frequency to help people feel more comfortable. Seeing high touch surfaces regularly wiped down and disinfected can go a long way in showing that you care about your staff and customers. 

Regular Houston Commercial Cleaning Services Also Help Fight Other Infectious Diseases in Your Workplace

In addition, regular Houston janitorial services can also fight many other germs in your building that can make people sick. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to update your cleaning program during this time. Increasing cleaning frequency can have a major benefit for many other illnesses like colds and the flu, so it’s a great way to prioritize health and safety in your building.

What About Houston Janitorial Services for a Confirmed or Suspected Case of Monkeypox in the Office?

So, what happens if someone in your office does contract monkeypox, or you suspect they may have it based on their symptoms? The first step is to encourage people who feel ill to stay home. Just as a reminder, some of the common symptoms of monkeypox include:

  • Fever
  • Rash
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Chills
  • Fatigue

In addition, many recommend getting Houston commercial cleaning services after a suspected or confirmed case. This mainly includes cleaning and disinfecting potentially contaminated surfaces that the person may have been in contact with, particularly if their rash may have touched a particular surface. Once again, this may be more than strictly necessary to reduce risks, but it can help people feel a little safer knowing that steps have been taken to help kill the virus on surfaces.

Accredited Building Services: Helping You Promote Healthy, Professional Spaces since 1980

Our team at Accredited Building Services are here to help you maintain your facility through superior quality Houston janitorial services. We offer cleaning and maintenance designed specifically to your building so you can create professional, safe, and healthy workspaces for your employees and clients. Our goal is to provide businesses with affordable services that meet all their janitorial needs. 

We’ve been proudly serving Houston and Beaumont since 1980. Each client receives a dedicated team of experienced, well-trained professionals to ensure they receive top quality services. 

Get in touch now to request a free, custom quote from our team!