CLEANING AND DISINFECTING OUR COMMUNITY KITCHENS
Most-used, high-touch surfaces • COVID-19 can survive for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. This is why it is important to ensure all surfaces and commonly touched objects are cleaned and then disinfected regularly. • Surfaces frequently touched with hands are most likely to be contaminated. These include doorknobs, handrails, switches & buttons, cabinet handles, faucets, tables, counter-tops and washrooms. It includes kitchen calculators, scales, and communal ingredient containers (flour, sugar, spices, salad dressing, etc.)
Cleaning AND disinfecting • Cleaning removes germs and dirt using soap and warm water. It does not kill all the germs, but it does lower their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. • Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces using chemicals.
Use recommended/approved disinfectants • Not all cleaning agents are effective in destroying the virus. • Health officials recommend using a diluted bleach solution or an alcohol cleaning solution with at least 70% alcohol. Commercial strength hydrogen peroxide is also effective, and sometimes preferred because it’s odourless. Disinfection ratios and safe handling instructions will be found on the containers List of cleaners you can use to kill the coronavirus: • Bleach solutions • Alcohol-based cleaners with at least 70% alcohol. • Commercial Hydrogen Peroxide • Household disinfectants like Clorox and Lysol • What won’t work on corona-virus? Vodka, lemon, homemade hand sanitizer, or vinegar. • Wear gloves when handling cleaning products
Guidelines for establishing new routines • Be gentle and patient; smooth routines will not happen on the first day. This will take some discussion and negotiation. These new changes will be challenging for everyone. • New routines become easier with time, and they also bring peace of mind knowing we are doing all that we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
