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:

  1. Cleaners make sure that all soiled surfaces are wiped clean before spraying. Fogging applies disinfectant, but doesn’t remove dirt and stains.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

 

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