Page 10 - NJ Cooperator Winter 2020

10 THE NEW JERSEY COOPERATOR —WINTER 2020 NJCOOPERATOR.COM MAINTENANCE Even though the world has been con- tending with COVID-19 and its conse- quences for the better part of a year (and Those responsible for keeping these areas dorsed by this publication, it should be counting), the routines and practices clean and free of hazards—including vi- we’ve adopted to prevent its spread and ral pathogens—have to contend with the perate measures. minimize personal risk of infection are ever-changing protocols, products, and still evolving. With new data come new processes in place to protect the public— recommendations, adaptations, and in- ventions. If nothing else, this pandemic VID-19. keeps us on our toes. Though they might seem like opposing qualities, vigilance there a point where cleaning and disinfec- and flexibility both have equal impor- tance in the global effort to restore some form of normalcy in our lives. So it is with cleaning, especially in crisis, hand sanitizer became such a hot tailers. They’ve also become a fixture in multifamily buildings and communi- ties where comings and goings through took to usurping shipments headed for properties—usually placed conspicuously common areas are unavoidable—how- ever limited they may be to reduce social plies were so limited and demand was so visitors, vendors, and staff don’t have ac- proximity and interpersonal contact. Ac- cording to the website of the Centers for locate a bona fide product with the CDC- Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended percentage of alcohol con- “Communal spaces, community activi- ties, and close living quarters in multi- family housing increase the risk of getting in situations when soap and water are not ing, singing, or the like, it can also be ac- and spreading the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[corona\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\]virus”—which available), you would be faced with usu- makes the cleaning and sanitation pro- cedures in these settings all the more Even bottles of pure isopropyl alcohol and their nose, mouth, or eyes. So washing important for the health and safety of glycerin gel became scarce as citizens re- the approximately 74 million Americans sorted to homemade concoctions and al- who live in such homes, according to the ternative topical disinfectants—a method a person, it also prevents a person from Community Associations Institute (CAI), neither recommended by the U.S. Food as well as the staff who support them. and Drug Administration (FDA) nor en- and themselves—from the spread of CO- But even in the midst of a pandemic, is the best way to prevent the spread of CO- tion can go overboard? Sanitizer Insanity In the beginning of the coronavirus be found on store shelves and online re- commodity that the federal government co-ops, condos, and other multifamily hospitals and hard-hit areas because sup- high. If you were lucky enough to even cess to a sink. tent (the CDC recommends that a hand respiratory droplets expelled when an in- sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol be used fected person is talking, sneezing, cough- rious markups and strict quantity limits. that has the virus on it and then touches noted... but desperate times call for des- Whether the supply chain got its act together or the public heeded the exhor- tations of the CDC (and pretty much ev- ery credible medical professional) that VID-19 is by washing your hands with plain soap and water for at least 20 sec- onds, hand sanitizing products can again in common locations where residents, Why is this important? While the coro- navirus is transmitted mainly through quired when someone touches a surface one’s hands not only helps prevent the virus from transmitting from a surface to leaving viral bodies on a surface where they can infect other people. Beyond Soap & Sanitizer Unfortunately, it’s hard to trust that everyone coming into contact with our communities is washing their hands with the recommended frequency and dura- tion—so the next level of sanitation is to wash those surfaces regularly and safely. Again, according to health agencies, regu- lar soap and water should be employed for keeping surfaces clean—as well as look- ing nice, which is always an important consideration in residential communities with shared common spaces. Following a thorough washing, sur- faces can be disinfected using a variety of products, each with its own instruc- tions for safe and effective handling and use. While these products are known to kill viruses that are physically tougher than the one that causes COVID-19 when used properly, according to the CDC, they are only as effective as their timing of application relative to when the vi- rus was transferred to a given surface. If high-touch surfaces are only cleaned once a day, it doesn’t matter how effective your products are; multiple people could have put down or picked up viral particles in the hours between wipe-downs. There- fore, boards and managers of multifamily communities have implemented robust schedules of cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces and frequently used common areas, such as railings, eleva- tor buttons, laundry facilities, mailboxes, door knobs, and lightswitches. According to the CDC, there are a va- riety of considerations to factor in when determining which disinfectant product to use on which surfaces, and when. Po- rous surfaces require different types and methods of application from non-porous surfaces. Outdoor environments pose less risk of transmission, and therefore do not necessarily need additional disinfec- tion after routine cleaning. Disinfectants should not be used on objects or surfaces touched by children—especially objects or surfaces that children can put in their mouths. Caution must be taken with in- door use of disinfectants that produce dangerous fumes or other toxic effects. Cleaning Through COVID Maintaining Sanitation—and Sanity—in Multifamily Housing BY DARCEY GERSTEIN continued on page 25