During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a challenge to keep your retail space sanitized. Retail spaces must safely and effectively operate to serve the public and remain open. Yet, with COVID-19’s novel structure, no one truly knows what to expect. The scientific community learns something new about COVID-19 almost every day. What they learn often changes the opinions of professionals and non-professionals regarding the best practices of cleaning and disinfecting retail space, social distancing, and other hygiene practices.

Hiring a professional cleaning company specializing in safely and effectively providing retail spaces, frequent disinfection, and sanitizing may be necessary. We must recognize and address the unique challenges that come with this new challenging environment in retail environments. Using the following guidelines can help protect shoppers and staff, which may also mean more money in the door, fewer store closings, fewer sick employees taking time off, and putting others at risk. 

WHY IS FREQUENT CLEANING AND DISINFECTION SUCH A CHALLENGE?

Retail spaces have heavy foot traffic! To ensure a sanitized environment, you will need rotational cleaning that addresses the hefty quantity of touchpoints in your retail space. Cleaning staff will need to wear gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to remain safe. And, you’ll have to disinfect touchpoints around patrons and staff members safely. Continuing education and safety training will be necessary.

The time it can take staff members to regularly clean and disinfect, let alone participate in more in-depth cleaning and sanitizing procedures, will take up a large portion of their day. Regardless of these challenges, below are a few best practices to keep your retail space safe.

BEST PRACTICES FOR EMPLOYEES  

All retail employee education should cover:

Hand Washing & Sanitizing. All retail locations should consider having hand sanitizing stations throughout the store and at the front entrance. Remind both employees and shoppers of the CDC handwashing best practices via strategically located signs.

Self-checkout sanitizing process. Train any employee who works in a self-serve or self-checkout area where a customer may somehow take care of rotational touchpoint sanitizing.

Offer older adults or those with pre-existing medical conditions a dedicated time to shop. The goal is to make it easier for at-risk individuals to shop with the best possible social distancing precautions, following CDC guidelines.

Coughs and sneezes should be covered with tissues or done into the inside of the elbow. Immediately throw away any used tissues and wash hands. This CDC page offers more detail: “How to Protect Yourself and Others.” 

Priority areas should be cleaned on an ongoing basis. This includes high contact surfaces, such as checkout areas, handrails, carts, restrooms, equipment used to stock the facility, etc.

HOW INTEGRITY JANITORIAL CLEANING SERVICES CAN HELP KEEP YOUR RETAIL SPACE SANITIZED

Integrity Janitorial Cleaning Services can help your retail space identify priority and high-risk areas. By developing a custom cleaning model, we can save your staff time using best practices to protect your shoppers and employees. We deliver high-quality professional disinfection and COVID-19 deep cleaning services for retail spaces and floor care maintenance. Our trained team members eliminate contaminated areas and keep retail spaces safe. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to find out what we can do for you.