Using Electrostatic Spraying to Help Prevent COVID-19 and Other Pathogens
Major airlines, hospitals, and hotel chains have added electrostatic spraying (also known as fogging) to their regular cleaning routine. It doesn’t eliminate the need for surface cleaning, vacuuming, and wiping down of high touch surfaces, but it can provide an added layer of consistent deep-cleaning throughout the facility, including hard-to-clean areas such as carpets and upholstery.
Foggers work by electrically charging an antimicrobial liquid as it passes through a nozzle. The positively charged antimicrobial droplets are attracted to negatively charged environmental surfaces, allowing for improved coverage on hard, non-porous environmental surfaces. Commercial cleaning firms use this simple three-step process:
Cleaners make sure that all soiled surfaces are wiped clean before spraying. Fogging applies disinfectant, but doesn’t remove dirt and stains.
Once surfaces are clean, a cleaner walks through the facility wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and a backpack connected to a spray nozzle, spreading a coating of disinfectant that covers every square inch of exposed surface.
After the disinfectant dries, janitorial team members also wearing PPE lightly wipe surfaces again to physically remove organisms and cleaning product residue that would otherwise build up over time, making disinfecting more difficult and causing damage or discoloration.
How Do You Know If You’re Getting the Best Results From Your Electrostatic Spraying Program?
Fogging is only effective and safe when best practices are followed. An experienced commercial cleaning firm will implement these procedures to assure maximum effectiveness:
For safety, cleaners should only use products that specifically include disinfection directions for fogging, fumigation, or wide-area or electrostatic spraying. These products are highly effective and gentle on skin and surfaces.
Use a sprayer that has been tested for use with this specific disinfectant to make sure that it releases the right size droplets for maximum effectiveness.
Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) during and immediately after spraying. Supervisors should make sure PPE fits properly.
Consult the disinfectant’s label to see how long the disinfectant needs to remain wet in order to be most effective. A disinfectant with shorter dwell time—preferably five minutes or less—reduces the need for cleaning crews to wait around for surfaces to dry.
Apply disinfectant solution in a thick enough layer to keep the product wet for its dwell time. For a two-square meter area, it may take 20-30 seconds of continuous back and forth spraying to apply enough product for a five-minute contact time disinfectant under typical conditions.
Wipe surfaces with microfiber or cotton cloths, or disposable wipes after disinfectant dries to avoid cross-contamination or equipment and surface damage.
Be wary of spraying near electrical equipment, as spray droplets can enter vents and potentially cause issues.
For more than 40 years, Service by Medallion has provided high quality commercial cleaning services throughout Northern California and we currently maintain full-service offices in the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and the East Bay. Call us today for a quote or simply for further information about the benefits of electrostatic spraying or other cutting edge cleaning services.
Every successful company needs a versatile systems specialist with the ability to adeptly orchestrate account startups and deploying technologies at customer sites. With a strong focus providing infrastructure and technological solutions to service delivery teams, Andres is meticulous at mastering the art of contract compliance. As a key member of Medallion’s innovation committee, Andres leads Medallion’s business certifications and operational excellence programs, such as CIMS and ISO compliance.
Mark
Mark
Sr. VP of Regional Operations – National Accounts & Culinary
Few known tenured professionals have had the success that Mark Cornish has earned as knowledgeable and resourceful operator. Mark oversees maintenance programs at a national level and provides another layer of support to our VPs of Operations. As an operational guru, Mark is a master of meeting customer financial objectives while ensuring that customers receive the highest level of service across our service channels. His expertise lies in developing and implementing quality service methods and procedures, optimizing operational efficiency for complex manufacturing sites and campus environments, primarily in the janitorial and culinary space.
Daryl
Daryl
Regional VP Operations – High Tech & Institutional Environments
Leveraging over “x” years of experience in the facility service industry, Daryl stands out by a distinguished track record of unmatched customer experience. Daryl has earned the reputation of a trusted collaborator capable of brining operational stability to the most challenging environments. In addition to having depth of knowledge in building maintenance, he also runs Medallion’s mailroom and event management division.
Elias
Elias
EVP, Chief Sustainability Ambassador
Elias brings extensive business operations expertise and leadership to Medallion as he provides direct oversight of the Executive Team. As Medallion’s Chief Sustainability Ambassador, he champion’s our sustainability initiatives around waste management, green cleaning and maintenance of controlled environments. Elias is TRUE Zero Waste certified, IICRC certified, and has been trained in infectious disease by GBCAI.
