With each day passing, the outbreak of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, (the respiratory disease) is becoming more of a global problem to humankind. Most people are looking for new ways to protect themselves and others from contracting or spreading the global disease. Many people have contacted Clean House Melbourne and asked if carpet cleaning is one of the measures one can take to help reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus (COVID-19), and we answered them YES. They want to know if their carpets and upholstery could harbor coronavirus and other related germs.

You cannot dab your carpets and furniture into hand sanitizer or disinfectant just like you do your doorknobs, countertops, and other surfaces in your home. We advise people to keep their households cleaned even though the CDC is working around the clock fighting the outbreak and spread of coronavirus globally.

You can easily get rid of unwanted debris and bacteria from your carpet and upholstery when you steam clean them. However, in this guide, for the sake of people who have not contacted us but may need the information, you will find some answers and essential information on how to prevent your carpets and home against the flu or cold virus. Read on!

How Long can Covid-19 Survive on Carpet and Upholstery?

The factors that determine how long a virus will survive include the temperature, the humidity, as well as the porosity of the place where the virus is detected. There is a season where flu is common, and that’s because cold, dry weather elongates the lifespan of viruses. According to a post on the research named as the survival of influenza A(H1N1) on household materials done in 2011 at Public Health England by Dr. Jane Greatorex, it shows that the virus can be as twice potent on non-porous surfaces like metal and plastic, as porous surfaces such as wood, clothing, and so on.

This implies that your carpet and upholstery are porous and can only accommodate viruses for a short period of time, unlike non-porous surfaces. However, these items are cool and dry and can house any virus, even if for a shorter period.

According to a new study reported this previous week, it was made known that coronavirus (COVID-19) can live for up to three (3) days on surfaces like door handles or worktops. The virus was found on stainless and plastic for up to 3 days (72 hours) after being exposed and up to one day (24 hours) on cardboard.

This shows that we have to be careful even when cleaning our homes to prevent the spreading of the virus. Using steam power, in this case, can be of greater help. According to Jason Tetro, a microbiologist, he stated that being killed by heat is the one thing that unites all living things. Heat with a temperature above 77 degrees Celsius is more than perfect for eliminating bacteria and viruses, and the steam temperature is even higher.

This implies that we will only recommend how to deal with the new coronavirus based on the available information on coronaviruses in general. There is no guarantee that cleaning your carpet and upholstery will get rid of the latest strain of coronaviruses (as there are other surfaces in your subjected to the virus), but you can prevent contracting the virus from the carpet if it is prepped against it.

Should I clean my Carpets to prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The question here is – will carpet cleaning prevent you from contracting the coronavirus? The answer to this question is “probably not.” Steam-cleaning your carpet is a nice thing to do and will surely contribute to your quest to protect yourself against the virus; however, doing it without looking at other surfaces in your home won’t go a long way. In this case, consider deep cleaning of your carpets and other surfaces if your home or office space has been exposed to the virus or it has been long you did so.

As a matter of fact, it is said that steam cleaning and disinfection of carpets in schools and other organizations where there are kids sitting and playing on carpets as well as touching their faces and the floors many times can be taken seriously as one of the decontamination methods. Steam cleaning is the best method for getting rid of bacteria and viruses that might be living in a carpet. There are other techniques like dry carpet cleaning and bonnet buffing, but they are not as effective as steam cleaning. However, dry carpet cleaning will get rid of the entire moisture and may also dry out pathogens and take away their food source (especially bacteria) like dirt.

However, the heat that comes from steam cleaning is what eliminates bacteria, viruses, and many others. You can also add a little disinfectant to the water used in steam cleaning to make it more effective even though it is not our regular practice. About 600C of temperature is required to eliminate viruses outside the body. The temperature during steam cleaning can be as high as 660C or even more than the boiling point, which is how steam is produced. These high temperatures involved in steam cleaning are what make it not right for fragile fabrics and other materials that don’t do well with heat. This implies that a good steam carpet cleaning can get rid of any active viruses lurking in them and this is not what you can handle on your own except a professional.

What is Expected of Every Professional Carpet Cleaner?

Don’t just hire cleaner, consider the one that specializes in carpet cleaning service. Below is what is expected of a good carpet cleaner:

Making use of the Right Products

The best method of preventing yourself from being infected with coronavirus is similar to that of any germ such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, or airborne disease, which is to avoid exposure, cleaning and disinfecting your home and office space. Another way to prevent yourself, family, friends, and loved ones from contracting any disease is to ensure regular sanitation of your surroundings. Whenever we have any job that involves getting rid of germs, we employ the use of disinfectant approved by EPA, such as Sporicidin® or MediClean®, as our pre-spray and then combine it with the deep steam cleaning of the carpets using our carpet cleaning systems mounted on our truck. This is what you can do too if you have the time.

According to American Air and Water, Inc’s Sporicidin rep, he stated that the product is fast effective and starts working within two minutes of spray. It has deodorizing, carpet cleaning, and decontamination features inscribed on its label. You are to use it as a pre-spray and then continue the process with hot water extraction and fast drying.

Follow CDCP

There is no vaccine to prevent or cure the coronavirus as at the time of compiling this article; however, the Center for Disease Control & Prevention states that current evidence and reports suggest that coronavirus may remain active on certain surfaces made of specific materials for hours or days. To prevent COVID-19 and another viral respiratory sickness, it is advised that we regularly clean dirty surfaces that are visible as well as disinfect the surfaces. The CDC also suggests removal of visible contamination if seen on porous surfaces like rugs, carpeted floors, and drapes followed with appropriate cleaning by cleaners.

This implies that the CDC also recommends carpet cleaning alongside cleaning and sanitizing your non-porous surfaces. Although there has been no report of coronavirus transmitted from porous-surfaces such as carpet or fabric to humans, however, it is good to ensure thorough cleaning of any surface (porous or non-porous) and sanitizing them with hot water and disinfectant to serve as a preventive measure.

Use the Right Cleaning System

Any professional carpet cleaner will following a similar process to the one we listed below when called for cleaning job purposely to get rid of germs and bacteria from carpet or any other flooring.

• Use a hydro-force sprayer and a disinfectant antimicrobial cleaning agent to pre-spray all areas covered by carpets.
• Brush the product thoroughly, so it gets to the carpet fibers using a floor machine and a floating carpet brush.
• Then use the truck-mounted steam cleaning system to extract the carpet together with a normal rinsing solution between 180 – 200 degrees temperature.
• Use Dri-Eaz® Studebaker AirPath Carpet Dryer to optimize and force-dry the carpet

This cleaning method is perfect for breaking down and safe-removal of germs and bacteria together with stains and dirt from the carpet fibers using a cleaning solution and proper rinsing process, as it thoroughly flushed the carpet fibers. The dirty solution is then extracted through a vacuum hose and channeled into a receiving tank situated in the van of the company outside your home where it is then poured away.

Other Precautionary Steps

It is important to find out if the professional carpet cleaning company you are looking to hire for sanitizing and cleaning of your carpet offers the following services using the antimicrobial products discussed earlier in this article. Most of the cleaning companies can offer these multiple services in one package and will improve the cleanliness of your home or offices;

• Cleaning of your loveseats, upholstery, chairs, sectionals, sofas, ottomans.
• Cleaning and sanitization of mattresses of each member of the household.
• Deep steam cleaning and sanitization of your bathroom and kitchen tiles.
• Cleaning of the HVAC air duct system, changing of filter and fogging the system, if any.

What Other Things to Know?

You probably want to avoid calling a professional cleaning company every day for steam cleaning of your carpets. However, there are few Do-It-Yourself carpets disinfecting tasks you can do after a professional has helped to steam clean your carpet. Also, there are a few things you shouldn’t practice:

• Avoid rubbing the carpets with neat methylated spirits or alcohol, not even vodka, as it may cause great damage to the carpet fibers and destroy the carpet even though it will kill pathogens as well.
• Avoid spraying your carpet with neat chlorine bleach because it can decolorize and damage the carpet beyond repair.
• Avoid soaking the carpet with anything, not even alcohol or white vinegar. Although it will get rid of germs, it will also wet the carpet and cause it to bring foul odor.
• Make sure you regularly wash your hands, cover your sneezes and coughs, and disinfect your home to prevent you and your household from contacting any disease.

Hiring clean House Melbourne which is one of the Best Carpet Cleanings in Melbourne

Clean house Melbourne is perfect for cleaning any household surfaces such as upholstery, sealed hardwood floor, and carpets, including your showers, kitchen sides, and bathroom tiles. We make use of steam to bring dirt and grease up easily and can be wiped off immediately, so there is no need to scrub your carpet. This will help in saving much time, especially when you have a lot of cleaning to do.

Some cleaners may tell you that steam cleaning produces the best results; however, detergent can also be used with most models, depending on your choice. However, the NHS recommends steam cleaning for carpets, curtains, soft furnishings, and mattresses that cannot be disinfected using the normal cleaning sprays. It is understandable that times like this can be challenging, but we gather peace of mind by engaging in the best things we can do. After all, since we will be spending much time to do the work for a purpose (COVID-19), deep cleaning might be a good option to help you in your efforts to protect and avoid spreading the virus in Australia.

You can contact us on 0407 094 444 for carpet and upholstery cleaning. We will be glad to help you sanitize and disinfect your entire home.