The boss of a Gloucestershire cleaning company has warned businesses not to rush back into their offices when coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Simon Payne, who runs Simple Hygiene Solutions in Gloucester, has urged companies to make the cleanliness of their premises a top priority.

And he stressed that ensuring employees are safe from the coronavirus may not be as simple as laying on additional hand gel.

He said standard antibacterial and sanitiser cleaning products have no impact on the COVID-19 virus meaning virucidal cleaning agents are required and, even then, only the highest standards of treatments will provide protection. 

These products must carry an accreditation of BS EN 14476 which guarantees the kill rate on the chemical

Sanitisers and antibacterial sprays and wipes being used everywhere from supermarkets to food outlets are as good as useless, according to Mr Payne, who also runs a cleaning and janitorial consultancy throughout the Southwest advising large and small companies on virus and infection control and switching options on using Eu Eco label cleaning products. 

They make a guaranteed saving for clients and some clients see savings of up to 40 per cent on their cleaning chemicals.

He said: "Information currently available can be misleading. There are lots of companies selling items at inflated prices for items can be unnecessary ''

He warned companies may have to rethink hand-drying methods as fabric towels would not be appropriate and some hand dryers can spread the tiny spores associated with COVID-19 this is to be confirmed as soon as the data is available

"Companies will have to turn to paper towels and single use cleaning cloths and sponges." he said. "The days of dishcloths and sponges are gone."

Even if facility managers have taken on board these challenges - along with factoring in the need to deep clean their premises at least twice a day - they will need to allow long lead times for ordering the equipment they need.

He said: "There are a lot of poor quality products being sold because the demand is so high. We're not even buying alcohol gel right now as our manufacturer isn't satisfied with the sustainable product quantities to produce high quality affordable hand gels.

"The price of some items has quadrupled in the past few months.

"Some of our manufacturers have three-four month waiting lists for distribution, for example, of soap dispensers due to demand this is looking fairly standard."

He continued: "We would urge companies to really plan for how they are going to put in place high levels of hygiene before they open for business.

"We are keen to get Gloucestershire back to work so we are happy to offer our consultancy service - no matter whether they buy from us or not."

Simple Hygiene's top tip - Buy all items you will need to reopen the building and businesses now as stock of janitorial items are generally low across all sectors.It is the worry I have that businesses will leave these supplies till the last minute and may not get what they require

Contact Simple Hygiene Solutions  on 07973 841 683 for advice on how to plan for easing out of lockdown safely.