Disinfectants

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KathyG
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Disinfectants

Post by KathyG »

What's everyone using as a disinfectant on changeover day? For July I'm leaving 3 days between guests but August is back to back bookings so I'd like to use something that specifically kills coronaviruses to wipe door handles, light switches etc.

Out of Eden have a few and I've found various options on some FB groups but not sure that subject's been mentioned here?
Kathy
Waterfront location in Le Faou
"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am."
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

Yes, Out of Eden and / or follow the links in Greenbarns posts to get the exact standard that your disinfecting supplies need to meet. Then you can shop around.
Hospitality UK will tell you what you need to do, particularly if you have back to back changeovers as the risk is there.

There will be things to consider that you may have not thought about yet.

What are you doing about ensuring safety of your bedding??
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

Yes, Out of Eden and / or follow the links in Greenbarns posts to get the exact standard that your disinfecting supplies need to meet. Then you can shop around.
Hospitality UK will tell you what you need to do, particularly if you have back to back changeovers as the risk is there.

There will be things to consider that you may have not thought about yet.

What are you doing about ensuring safety of your bedding??
shamac
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Post by shamac »

A bleach solution will kill viruses no need for expensive disinfectants.
The harder you work, the luckier you get.
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

Hmm ...bleach is not Good on all surfaces though and no good for soft furnishings and under bed linen.

I don’t know where your property is, but depends upon the finish of your decor what your options are.

I’ve gone for the Visit England Accreditation and so followed the guidance there, leading to the risk assessment and written guidance for the cleaner and for guests. I’m asking guests to do a few simple things like tie off all the bin bags and put them in the wheelie bin before they leave. I’ve added to terms and conditions and am telling them if they don’t want to agree, then I’ll give them a full refund.

The risk assessment is worth doing as the reading around it ( via links provided) helps you to think through things you may not have thought of.
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

zebedee wrote:Hmm ...bleach is not Good on all surfaces though and no good for soft furnishings and under bed linen.
What are you using on the carpets and duvets etc? I see the PASC guidance says spraying with disinfectant mist but how do I do this over a whole bedroom carpet? Now I have received the Airbnb cleaning handbook and they say the European CDC says you have to wait 3 hours before entering the property and you should leave 72 hours between bookings if you want to be promoted as having good Covid cleaning - and they don't mention spraying carpets or sofas. How are you supposed to do a risk assessment if all the experts say something different?
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

newtimber wrote:
zebedee wrote:Hmm ...bleach is not Good on all surfaces though and no good for soft furnishings and under bed linen.
What are you using on the carpets and duvets etc? I see the PASC guidance says spraying with disinfectant mist but how do I do this over a whole bedroom carpet? Now I have received the Airbnb cleaning handbook and they say the European CDC says you have to wait 3 hours before entering the property and you should leave 72 hours between bookings if you want to be promoted as having good Covid cleaning - and they don't mention spraying carpets or sofas. How are you supposed to do a risk assessment if all the experts say something different?
Exactly! It all seems to be guesswork at the moment. I suspect it will change too. Which is no help when we have guests already booked in and then we could be told in a couple of weeks time that we have to leave 72hr gaps.

We're lucky in that we didn't have back to back bookings before all this started so we can leave at least a 24 hr gap before cleaning. That should be long enough to make sure the virus doesn't persist on soft furnishings. So then we won't need to spray them. We can also fit a short break in between each of our existing 7 night bookings.

The problem is that we can't see the virus so we will never know if we're getting rid of it or not. We're totally dependent on expert advice and the experts don't seem to agree on the answers.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

newtimber wrote:
zebedee wrote:Hmm ...bleach is not Good on all surfaces though and no good for soft furnishings and under bed linen.
What are you using on the carpets and duvets etc? I see the PASC guidance says spraying with disinfectant mist but how do I do this over a whole bedroom carpet? Now I have received the Airbnb cleaning handbook and they say the European CDC says you have to wait 3 hours before entering the property and you should leave 72 hours between bookings if you want to be promoted as having good Covid cleaning - and they don't mention spraying carpets or sofas. How are you supposed to do a risk assessment if all the experts say something different?
I am leaving gaps between most bookings. Sometimes a week, with the cleaner going in at the mid point so that the risk to her is nil and the risk from her is nil. It isn’t possible everytime but I am refusing booking requests during the void periods.

I’ve now got the VE accreditation, so taking it very seriously. I have just tested out our steamer which I was delighted to find works well and doesn’t leave cushions, etc wet. Done carefully, this is a good option for carpets curtains etc.
I bought a spray for on the duvets before I tested the steamer. Dettol make a spray which is effective against Covid and suitable for soft furnishings. Check out their website and don’t, whatever you do, pay the uplifted prices on Amazon. You can find it at the normal price if you look around.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

Thanks Zebedee. So are you only spraying soft furnishings when you don't have the 72hr gaps between bookings or are you doing it every time?
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

Hi Jo,
Everything is getting the full works every time.

You cannot be too careful.
Edited to add, I think the steaming may be the better option (more effective and less cost) than spraying - or maybe do both....
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

zebedee wrote:Hi Jo,
Everything is getting the full works every time.

You cannot be too careful.
Edited to add, I think the steaming may be the better option (more effective and less cost) than spraying - or maybe do both....
The trouble with steaming the carpet is that it won't be dry before the new guests arrive.
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

newtimber wrote:
zebedee wrote:Hi Jo,
Everything is getting the full works every time.

You cannot be too careful.
Edited to add, I think the steaming may be the better option (more effective and less cost) than spraying - or maybe do both....
The trouble with steaming the carpet is that it won't be dry before the new guests arrive.
Is the answer that we should inform guests of the limitations of what can be done depending on when the next guests go in? After all, Health and Safety is meant to be a joint responsibility. (Not that this worries the thousands who have been overcrowding on the beach and having raves / parties!)

I know that parents of young children would need to know if their children were young enough to play on the floor or crawl. I don’t get many young families staying.

We are advised to disinfect touch points, but this is not a full sterilisation of the house, walls and all the insides of all the furniture ....
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

zebedee wrote: We are advised to disinfect touch points, but this is not a full sterilisation of the house, walls and all the insides of all the furniture ....
I think the answer to this is that unless someone else had touched the same spot on the wall in the last 3 days, you'd be fine. This is why it mentions touch points and places which guests are frequently going to touch - sofa arms, curtain pulls etc. I suppose the virus travels from the carpet to the bedding and vice-versa if the bedding is put on the floor? - but equally people can carry the virus on their clothes which end up on the bed so I'm not quite sure why the carpets are specifically mentioned.
Karen&John
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Post by Karen&John »

We were thinking of steaming our lounge carpet but then read that karcher had conducted a test which suggested that 30 seconds of full steam was required to guarantee killing a virus.
That would leave a very damp carpet.

We are doing back to back bookings and will use a mix of disinfectant on hard surfaces, hot as possible cloth on leather sofa & good vac of carpets.

As for bedding, we will change pillow and mattress protectors (cycle them).
All kitchen crocks, cutlery and cooking stuff will go through a hot dishwasher.

Turnround will be from 9am to 7pm - we will be busy

:)
ARealHighlander
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Post by ARealHighlander »

Look for any disinfectant that states EN 14476, this is what is required to kill viruses. the EN 1276 standard which has been used for kitchens etc is not up to standards to kill viruses. Out of Eden products appear to meet the required standard.

There are a few about but not many to that standard, even bleach or milton sterilising fluid required 15 minutes of contact time.

Safe2stay I have just looked at and would certainly do the job as per standards but a bit expensive to use every changeover.
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