The cleaning industry marks the fourth week of March as National Cleaning Week, a time to celebrate the Value of Clean and honor front-line essential workers. This year, the weeklong event from March 28 to April 3 takes on even more significance due to COVID-19.

The Centers of Disease Prevention and Control says that cleaning and disinfection is one of the ways to slow the spread of the disease. As a result, cleaning personnel were recognized as essential workers when restrictions were first imposed.

During that shutdown period, our cleaning technicians helped keep the nation’s critical infrastructure operational by providing safe and healthy environments in the High Security and Commercial facilities that we serve. In all, Mister Kleen “Covid-cleansed more than a million square feet of Washington workspace since March 2020,” as noted in the February issue of Washingtonian magazine.

THE VALUE OF CLEAN

When we talk about the Value of Clean, it’s important to recognize that the lives lost to COVID-19 – 545,000 in the U.S. alone as of last week – overwhelmingly outweigh any financial considerations. We can’t quantify whether any lives have been saved by cleaning and disinfection regimens.

However, we can offer some data provided by ISSA, an international industry association, that correlates clean workplaces with increased productivity gains – see video below.

RETURNING TO THE OFFICE

Cleaning and disinfection protocols can also help ease the minds of employees returning to the office as capacity restrictions are eased. A study earlier this year by Honeywell found that 68% of workers surveyed around the world didn’t feel completely safe working in their employer’s buildings. Of those surveyed, 40% indicated they wanted enhanced cleaning procedures  to return to work and feel safer.

Mister Kleen continues to work diligently to provide the Value of Clean to our Commercial and High Security facility partners. Find out more about how we’re helping our partners reopen their facilities and provide ongoing peace of mind for their tenants during the pandemic on our Disinfection Services page.