Keeping Your Community Safe with Great Hygiene Practices

In today’s world, hygiene is more important than ever before! While we once could go throughout our daily lives without worrying about germs or viruses, times have changed. Excellent cleaning practices and social distance requirements are essential.
Do you need advice on keeping your properties, community, or HOA safe? A multi-pronged approach is best! Here’s how to keep your properties germ-free and mitigate the spread of the virus. Even when the threat of the current pandemic has passed, your tenants will have peace of mind knowing that their community is safe, organized, and well-maintained.

Sanitize Regularly-Touched Areas
Hot spots, or high-touch areas, are the areas that are most often touched by a variety of people. Door handles, revolving doors, elevator buttons, light switches, vending machines, and front desks are just a few of the most-touched areas that need to be wiped down frequently!
Disinfectant wipes are an easy and effective way to clean your high-touch surfaces throughout the day. At the end of the day, clean all dirty surfaces with soap and water and then disinfect with an appropriate disinfectant product. This ensures that surfaces are getting thoroughly cleaned and not just hastily wiped down.

Shut Down Amenities for Cleaning
High-traffic amenities will need to be shut down for cleaning regularly. Find out when these amenities are less frequented and consider shutting down for 10-30 minutes to ensure a thorough cleaning. This way, you can know for sure that the area is getting completely cleaned and disinfected.
We shut down all amenities for 30 minutes, 3 times per day to sanitize the areas that are touched the most. A lower-traffic space might need to be shut down only once or twice per day. Display the regular cleaning times in a place where everyone can see them and make sure to give everyone a heads up on the cleaning schedule. That way, there are no surprises for residents who are using the amenities.

Remind Residents to Wipe Down Equipment After Using
If you have a gym or another common area that is open to residents, remind them that the virus is still a concern and that you need their help mitigating its spread. They should continue to help out by wiping down any equipment that they have used.
Always provide safe disinfectant wipes that won’t irritate skin or eyes. Spray disinfectants are more of a hassle, so they are less likely to be used. Your residents will thank you!

Keep Ventilation in Mind
Cleaning a lot will definitely help keep your spaces germ-free, but surfaces aren’t the only thing to be concerned about. As COVID-19 is primarily spread through the air rather than on surfaces, it’s important to have good ventilation. In other words, you need to make sure that all spaces have clean, fresh air circulating instead of stagnant air where viruses could linger.
This might mean keeping fans circulating continuously, even when the weather is pleasant enough that the heat or air conditioning systems are not required. If possible, the CDC also recommends increasing fresh outdoor air by opening windows and doors, as long as this does not pose a health or safety risk. If you have any areas with poor ventilation, consider decreasing the occupancy of these areas.

Have a Reservation System and Check-In Procedures
Another important step in this layered approach is to institute a reservation system and check-in procedures. This will help you ensure that social distancing is being carried out. Crowded indoor areas are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to the spread of the virus! Having a reservation system and check-in procedures can also help you track the spread if there happens to be an outbreak of illness.
Consider having residents check in with the concierge before using amenities. The concierge can take their temperature and ask them a set of questions (e.g., “have you been exposed to COVID-19 in the last ten days?”) before giving access to the amenities. This can go a long way toward preventing the spread of the virus in the community.

We Know the Best Practices for a Safe, Clean Environment
As an expert real estate management firm, we understand how to create a great property management requirement where everyone feels safe and secure. The Gershfeld Group is here to be your guide!
Our property management services include supervising building staff, complying with regulations, taking care of tenant needs, day to day operations, and more! With several layers of safeguards, you’ll be well-equipped to reduce resident and employee exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses. And with a property management team that cares about you, your residents, and your bottom line, you can have total peace of mind!

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