Need Your HVAC Serviced? Follow These Coronavirus Cleaning & Disinfection Tips
Many of our customers are concerned when they first call us for HVAC repairs or maintenance. They want to know if it is safe to have a service technician come out to their home or workplace right now, given the ongoing worry over COVID-19.
This is a great question! It is also a smart question to ask, as every day we learn something new about this new virus.
Right now, we are at a point where we do know enough to provide essential maintenance and repair services in a way that makes use of every known safety measure to keep you and our technicians safe.
We have also learned a great deal about important coronavirus disinfection tips that you can be practicing on a daily basis at home, at work and whenever you need to go out.
What Products Effectively Kill the Coronavirus?
Disinfection revolves around identifying the right products and methods for killing the coronavirus, CoV-SARS-2.
Using the right products in the right ways is your best defense against contamination!
According to Infection Control Today, a solution that contains one of these three active ingredients will kill coronavirus within 60 seconds.
- 62% to 72% ethanol (alcohol) or isopropyl (rubbing alcohol).
- 0.5% hydrogen peroxide.
- 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (a hospital grade bleach solution).
The Best Human Coronavirus Disinfection Products for Surfaces and Objects
The Journal of Hospital Infection states that just using a product that contains ethanol or isopropyl, hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite is not sufficient.
Your solution must have the correct amount of the active ingredient or it will not be fully effective in disinfecting contaminated surfaces and/or objects.
If you want to purchase a ready-made disinfecting solution or spray, read the label to be sure the concentration is strong enough. You can use the EPA’s COVID-19 product finder tool to find out what products have been verified for use against coronavirus.
Here is what to do:
1. Visit the EPA product finder tool.
2. Click on “Active Ingredient” (upper left corner of the tool).
3. Select the active ingredient from the list above.
4. Scroll down to see the product results by brand, company and virus type (you are searching for products that are verified for “human coronavirus”).
How to Make Your Own Coronavirus Disinfection Solution
If you prefer, you can make your own human coronavirus disinfection solution at home.
The easiest way to make your own solution at home is to combine one part bleach with 50 parts water. You can combine one-third cup bleach with one gallon of water or four teaspoons of bleach with one quart of water.
Cleaning and Disinfecting to Protect Yourself is a Three-Step Process
What many people still do not realize is that disinfection will be less effective if the surface being treated has not been cleaned first.
Any disinfection product you choose, whether you buy a pre-made commercial product or make your own at home, is going to have to do double-duty if used on a dirty surface.
Here is the proper three-step process you need to use to fully clean and disinfect any surface or item:
1. Use a household soap or detergent to clean the surface thoroughly.
2. Apply the disinfectant product to the cleaned surface.
3. Allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for a minimum of one minute.
If you are able, you can simply leave the disinfectant on the surface and it will stay active for up to 24 hours afterwards.
If you need to use the surface for food preparation or some other use, you will need to clean and disinfect it again after you are done.
The Best Coronavirus Disinfection Products for Skin and Hands
The best coronavirus disinfection products to use on your skin and hands are a little bit different than the products you want to use on surfaces and objects.
This is because with skin, you are disinfecting on living tissues.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends choosing an ABHR (alcohol-based hand rub) that contains either of these active ingredients in the following concentrations:
- 80 percent ethanol.
- 75 percent isopropanol.
Here again, it is important to first clean and then disinfect your skin or hands, especially if they are visibly dirty.
This is the best method to use when disinfecting skin:
1. First, wash with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.
2. Next, apply your ABHR of choice and rub for 20 seconds.
The CDC states that ABHRs can be preferable to soap and water for disinfecting clean skin since they can be less irritating and drying to skin than some soaps.
What to Expect During HVAC Maintenance or Repair Service
Despite the fact that the state of emergency here in the province of Ontario has been provisionally extended through June 2, 2020, you may find that your HVAC units need service or maintenance sooner than this.
We want you to know we are taking every precaution as we continue providing the essential service of HVAC maintenance and repair.
Our service technicians will wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment) and follow CDC-recommended cleaning and disinfection practices before and after every service call.
We are now providing contact-less, paperless billing and payment options. We are also happy to arrange contact-less service visits by phoning you in advance so you can move to another part of your home for the duration of the service call.
Get in Touch
HVAC, electrical and plumbing have all been deemed essential services during the stay at home order here in Ontario. Even as we continue to work remotely, we are also here to serve you with our 24/7 emergency repair and preventative maintenance services.
Give us a call at 1-905-549-4616 or visit us online if we can be of service during this difficult time.