Like everyone else, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci has to balance coronavirus risks in his everyday life.

But while he may not be eating in restaurants, Fauci is having his house professionally cleaned, he told The Washington Post in July.

“The only person who comes into the house besides [my wife], Christine, and me is the woman who cleans the house once every two weeks,” said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “She wears a mask and gloves at all times while in the house.”

Although maintaining a clean home is vital to preventing the spread of germs, including those that cause covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the decision to have a self-employed housekeeper or a professional cleaning service come in right now can be a difficult one. If you do decide you need help now that your dustballs are the size of baseballs, and you are fortunate enough to be able to afford to bring in outside help, how can you best keep yourself and your cleaning professional safe indoors in this new environment?

Like everything in this pandemic, it’s a matter of assessing and managing risks. “You can minimize the risk, but you can’t eliminate it,” says Dean Hart, a New York microbiologist and author on the transmission of viruses and diseases. Hart says it starts with both cleaners and residents wearing masks and with getting as much air circulation as possible in the space. Cleaning agencies could offer testing for their staff, especially as it becomes more widely available, plus temperature checks and pulse oximeters. “There are no definites in this business, but there are good ideas,” Hart says.

“It really comes down to your contact with people,” says Brian Labus, an infectious-disease epidemiologist and assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He says you should leave the house when people are cleaning, or at least stay in a separate part of it. “The main mode of transmission for this disease is when one person is coughing or talking out respiratory droplets and another person is breathing them in,” he says.

As for the danger of being infected from your cleaner touching the surfaces in your home? “There is always the possibility, but it’s a minor mode of transmission,” Labus says. “The cleaning person should be cleaning all that away.”

In the early days of the pandemic, most house cleaners lost clients. Some condos or co-ops did not allow cleaners or service people of any kind into their buildings, and some still don’t. The households that employed independent housekeepers had to decide whether they were comfortable having them back, if it was allowed. Some private employers continued to pay cleaners’ regular salaries, although the cleaners didn’t come for many weeks.

It’s more important than ever to communicate clearly with your cleaning professional, Forte adds. If you are hiring from a service, confirm what precautions it is taking and how it is screening workers. “Don’t make assumptions. Maybe you want them to go a bit beyond their normal routine in terms of cleaning, using more disinfectants,” she says. “Make sure they know how to use them and [tell them] that you want the product to sit on the surface for the length of time that is required for the sanitizing.”

From The Washington Post

What could be more important than living in a clean, organized, spotless home? Between professional duties, family obligations, and other responsibilities, it’s not always easy making the time to tidy up our interiors and give them the thorough cleanup they deserve – not to mention that household chores can be quite exhausting; they can quickly eat away your energy. 

Luckily, you and your household members don’t have to do everything yourselves! Nowadays, wherever you live, you’ll find plenty of companies that specialize in cleaning services for residential homes. They’re professional, efficient, and affordable, for the most part. In that spirit, here’s a useful guide with some compelling reasons why you should consider hiring the services of a professional housekeeping company.

Guaranteed Safe and Healthy Home

It goes without saying that a clean home is always conducive to good health, wellbeing, and a productive environment. By regularly attending to your floors, carpets, curtains, furniture, and decoration items, you cleanse the space and rid the air of any dust particles or pollutants that can cause a number of health concerns, such as allergies or breathing problems. This is critically important for those who want a clean residence, especially if you are prone to asthma or have young children with you. As such, having an experienced housekeeper visit your home a few times a week should help keep your interior perfectly safe, healthy, and livable. 

Expertise

While you might know everything there is to know about dusting, vacuuming, and disinfecting surfaces, a professional cleaning service does so by adhering to certain industry standards. Whether you’ve just hosted a monthly neighborhood get-together, or about to move out of your place, Locals suggest that those living in south-west London take into account specialized companies who possess expertise in dealing with household clean-up situations and end of tenancy cleaning for residential customers. So, whether you reside in New York or London, with some research, you’re bound to find a reputable cleaning service for your home. In any case, be sure to compare providers to find the most advantageous prices. 

Reliability

A great number of homeowners have had unpleasant experiences hiring a housekeeper. The main reason behind this is that they chose not to go through a licensed company first; this naturally comes with a number of risks such as theft, degradation, or even illegal occupancy. Besides, there is no real way to assess how skilled the housekeeper unless you hire them yourself. On the other hand, when you deal directly with a cleaning company, you have the assurance that you will have a competent and trustworthy person coming into your home. They will be held accountable for any misdemeanors.

Cost-Efficiency

Contrary to what many people believe, hiring a service for regular home cleaning doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. These are often thought to be reserved for a wealthy clientele, but things have changed over recent years.

With more actors entering the market, prices have dramatically decreased, which means more and more people now have access to and can afford these services without breaking the bank. If you still think this is a wasted expense, remember that professionalism and convenience bring great value to your home, which necessarily comes at a price. 

Various Services

What’s more, you can solicit a cleaning company for a wide range of services, including general house upkeep, carpet, upholstery, or mattress cleaning, a thorough kitchen cleaning, and more. You’ll also find that many providers have experience in post-construction cleaning a home renovation, for instance. So, whatever your needs are, there’s bound to be a service that you can hire to do the job quickly and effectively. 

Convenience

Speaking of which, and this is worth mentioning, having a professional housekeeping service means you don’t have to spend as much time cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, and tidying up on a daily basis. By hiring a trusted company, you’ll have more time to dedicate to your daily activities, spend with your family, or simply relax and unwind after a long day on the job. This brings you peace of mind and allows you to focus on your responsibility and long-term goals. 

At the end of the day, the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Hiring a qualified home cleaning service will most definitely require a separate budget, but it’s worth it. That way, you can dedicate your time to your daily activities while enjoying a clean and spotless home throughout the week. So, whether you need someone to tidy up your home a few times a week or an expert team to come in and clean after a renovation, you’ll be guaranteed professionalism, reliability, and peace of mind.

From BBN Times