Welcome to the Pandemic
The New Normal
It looks like COVID-19 will be with us for a while. Still, there is still a lot of confusion out there. Even the experts do not always agree, so it is easy for misinformation and hype to abound. Yet, we are learning more each day. Here at Town & Country Cleaning and the Residential Cleaning Academy we have been following developments closely, trying to be a source of reliable information and calm in a sea of confusion. The big question from a cleaning and health point of view, is how does SARS-CoV-2 spread?
SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
Everyone agrees that the main method of transmission is direct, person to person contact. This happens because of large droplets that are expelled when someone coughs, sneezes, or even speaks loudly. These large droplets are believed to drop out of the air within 6 feet, The World Health Organization (WHO) says 1 meter. The prevention here is masks and social distancing. The question comes, what is the second method of transmission?
Fomite or Aerosol Transmission?
This is becoming a main point of discussion. The World Health Organization is not convinced that aerosol transmission is a major form of COVID transmission, outside of certain medical situations. Still, in their July 9th Scientific Brief they conceded that more study was in order. In contrast, the Center for Disease Control, and most scientists, feel that fomite transmission, transmission from touching a contaminated surface, is minimal and aerosol transmission is primary. We’ll look more closely at each of these and what it means for keeping your family safe at home.
Fomites
Fomites are contaminated surfaces. Transmission occurs when someone touches a contaminated surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. At the beginning of the pandemic in March there was great concern about contaminated surfaces. A study published in late January based on similar viruses concluded that the virus could remain viable on surfaces for up to nine days. People became afraid of touching any surface. It was recommended to wipe down grocery bags when you got home. Disinfectant wipes and disinfectants disappeared from store shelves. Some enterprising cleaning companies started to put disinfectants into fogging machines to disinfect the whole house. In several of my last classes, there were students who had apparently purchased these machines and hoped I would be saying how great they were. They were disappointed. These visions of every surface teeming with viruses are still with us.
Studies on Fomite Transmission
A study published in May using the SARS-CoV-2 virus showed that some viral particles could remain viable on stainless steel and plastic for up to three days, on cardboard 24 hours and on cotton cloth only an hour or two. The CDC came out about the same time and advised that fomite transmission, while not non-existent, was minimal. Further research seems to confirm this view. So, why do we still hear so much about cleaning and disinfection?
Derek Thompson wrote an article in the July 2020 issue of The Atlantic “Hygiene Theater Is a Huge Waste of Time” which addresses the issue. In summary, disinfecting is something that we can do and feel we are making ourselves safer. Good cleaning and attention to touchpoints is certainly important. Extreme measures, however, are probably overkill and may be causing more harm than good.
Disinfectants are by nature toxic substances. They kill life, and are regulated as pesticides by the EPA. Would it feel different if instead of saying “we are going to disinfect your whole house with our fogger/sprayer” they said “we are going to make your house healthier by spraying pesticides all over it?” Restaurants, offices, and other businesses can stress all the cleaning they are doing when the real danger may lie elsewhere.
Aerosols
Aerosols are very small droplets, 5 microns or less, that are expelled when we talk or even breathe. Under some conditions, larger droplets can evaporate down to smaller sizes. Unlike the large droplets that quickly fall out of the air, these can stay suspended for hours. There is increasing evidence that these droplets are the second major form of transmission, especially in indoor crowded spaces. Health officials believe that this is the cause of the spikes in cases as bars and other businesses that have opened up. This could also explain why outdoor gatherings are seemingly safer than indoor. The trouble is, that it is one thing to clean surfaces over and over and stress all you are doing to keep people safe. On the other hand, it is far harder as a business to make sure you have 4 to 6 air exchanges per hour and HEPA filters in your HVAC system. Both of these can help. However, this may be hard to achieve with older HVAC systems. So, what is a homeowner or business owner to do?
So, what do we do now?
Nothing I said above should be taken to imply that good cleaning and attention to touchpoints is not important. After all, there are other pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 out there. Cleaning and disinfecting touchpoints, things like doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, counters, etc. that are frequently touched by several people, is recommended, especially in this current environment. How often to disinfect touch points depends on the traffic in your house. Two people seldom going out, I recommend that you clean and disinfect the entrance doorknob and things you touch and immediately wash your hands when you come home. For the rest of the house, once a week may be sufficient. The kitchen counter may need a little more attention, but not because of CoV-2.
If you have an active household with people coming and going you may want to clean and disinfect daily. When you disinfect, it is important to clean first. Most common disinfectants are inactivated by organic matter. Also, keep changing the surface of your cleaning cloth to a fresh side. In one study, using disinfectant wipes and using the same side of the wipe, they discovered that by the third doorknob they were adding instead of taking away germs. Of course, do make sure to read the label and allow the surface to remain wet for the prescribed time to achieve effective disinfection.
What about Aerosol Transmission?
This should not be as big a problem in your home unless you host a larger-than-normal gathering. Here again, air exchange is the key. Check with your HVAC people to make sure your system is bringing in enough outside air or, possibly, open some windows to achieve that. There is some evidence that a HEPA air filter may be of some help.
So, how do we protect ourselves?
Consider:
1) Thorough, regular cleaning with targeted and proper use of disinfectants
and
2) open windows and let fresh air in.
Also, protect yourself, avoid indoor crowds, wear a mask, and maybe most important of all, wash your hands frequently for the recommended minimum of 20-seconds.