Carpet Care and COVID-19 Pandemic – 3 Things You Should Know

1. 23/12/2020 Carpet Care and COVID-19 Pandemic - 3 Things You Should Know - Big Red Carpet Cleaners (https://www.facebook.com/bigredsingapore) (https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-red-singapore) (https://www.instagram.com/bigredsingapore) 6241 9443 (tel:6562419443) Express Quote(https: Co Many people in Singapore know that the name ‘Big Red (https://www.bigred.com.sg)’ is synonymous with the provision of highly professional decontamination, cleaning, sanitising and disinfection services (https://www.bigred.com.sg/disinfection-service-singapore/), for over three decades, in Singapore and the South-East Asian Region. However, over the 37 years that ‘Big Red’ has been dispensing their services, they have also been gaining unparalleled technical knowledge and expertise within the industry sector and as such, are often asked for their professional opinion on a wide range of technical issues. Most recently, the technical team at ‘Big Red’ have been asked what level of risk carpets pose in terms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission, therefore in this article, we will be presenting a candid objective view on the infection control measures that need to be adopted to preclude carpets acting as a potential reservoir for COVID-19 transmission and re-infection. Of course, the science and the empirical evidence on the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 virus is now fairly clear; once a person becomes infected with the virus, whether they show symptoms or not, they will begin to shed huge numbers of contagious viral particles into the air when they cough, sneeze, talk, shout or sing. https://www.bigredcc.com/articles/carpet-care-and-covid-19-pandemic-3-things-you-should-know/ 1/5

2. 23/12/2020 Carpet Care and COVID-19 Pandemic - 3 Things You Should Know - Big Red Carpet Cleaners Then, the infectious viral material is spread primarily through either direct physical contact between people themselves or via airborne transmission in the form of contagious aerosol droplets containing pathogenic viral particles which are suspended in the air. Although the airborne droplets and particles are capable of remaining suspended on interior air currents for many hours, the immutable laws of physics mean that gravity will draw these contagious particles inexorably downwards to settle on objects, surfaces and of course, ?oors and carpets. The scienti?c data also indicates that once deposited, COVID-19 viruses can survive on various surfaces for extended periods of time that could be of several days in duration. Therefore, from a risk perspective, there is indeed a chance that carpeted ?oor coverings can provide harbourage to infectious viral particles. In this regard, Prof. Martin A. Blake ‘Big Red’s’ resident infection control specialist stated: ‘It has become very clear over the last twelve-months that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a highly contagious, virulent infectious disease and it is extremely capable of both direct and indirect transmission, hence its rapid spread from country to country, place to place and person to person. It’s a propensity to spread so easily is the distinguishing factor that has enabled it to move from a single city in China to become a global pandemic. Therefore, wherever there is a possibility that a particular surface might harbour the COVID-19 virus, it is prudent that we should take all the necessary steps to eliminate any viral load that we know might be lingering somewhere as a potential reservoir of disease transmission’ The risk that Prof. Blake is referring to is that if a carpet, by virtue of being the lowest point in any room or public space, is going to be the primary repository of a droplet and airborne contamination emanating from people actively shedding the COVID-19 virus, then there is also a tangible risk that the infectious viral particles lingering there might be disturbed and become airborne again or even transferred from the carpet to other surfaces or a person’s hands. Therefore, if there is a plausible public health risk that carpets might harbour a potential reservoir of infection, then there is also a public health imperative to eliminate that risk and ‘Big Red’ suggest a simple three-step treatment process as outlined below: If there is any chance that the carpeted area in question could have viable COVID-19 viruses harbouring within its fabric, DO NOT dry vacuum as the ?rst step. It is essential not to cause any disturbance that could lead to infectious material becoming airborne again and thereby actually increasing the risk of further infection. Instead, all carpeted areas should be initially ‘damped down’ and disinfected by misting with an appropriately diluted product included on the EPA’s List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19) as the disinfectants on this list have been rigorously tested and evaluated to ensure they have signi?cant ef?cacy against the COVID-19 virus. The carpets should then be ‘deep cleaned’ and further disinfected using a hot water extraction carpet cleaning process (/singapore-carpet-cleaning/) (more commonly known as steam cleaning) while the carpet is still damp from the pre-spray. According to the technical experts in ‘Big Red’, this is the optimal technique for killing both bacteria and viruses that might be lurking within the carpet ?bres as the high temperatures involved, in addition to the ‘N Listed’ disinfectant will eliminate them immediately. However, it must be noted that all such treatments will only render the carpets completely free from risk up until the next COVID-19 positive person shedding infectious viral particles re-contaminates them again. Therefore, ‘Big Red’ also advocates a further second step of long-term residual antimicrobial protection. Once the carpet has been effectively cleaned and disinfected in accordance with Step One above, it can be considered effectively risk free as a potential infection control hazard, but the carpets in question will only remain completely risk free of being a reservoir of infection until such time as they become re-infected again. Therefore, ‘Big Red’ also recommend treating the entire area (including other porous and non-porous surfaces) with a residual antimicrobial surface protection treatment such as ‘BRShield’ to provide complete protection from viral recontamination and onward transmission on a 24/7 basis for 180 days following the application. ‘BRShield’ is an organo-silane based, broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment that chemically bonds to all surfaces (including textiles and fabrics) at the molecular level and endows all treated surfaces with semi-permanent antimicrobial properties. This means that any ‘inbound’ new pathogens arriving on the surface (including treated carpeting) will be killed immediately upon arrival and therefore not given any opportunity at all to create a potential future reservoir of infection. Once this second step has been successfully implemented, ‘Big Red’ simply advise on basic routine housekeeping https://www.bigredcc.com/articles/carpet-care-and-covid-19-pandemic-3-things-you-should-know/ 2/5

3. 23/12/2020 Carpet Care and COVID-19 Pandemic - 3 Things You Should Know - Big Red Carpet Cleaners procedures being followed to maintain the treated carpet in an optimal condition for infection control purposes. Once the ?rst two steps above have been completed, there only needs to be minimal ongoing routine maintenance to keep the ‘BRShield’ coating appropriately energised to be ef?cient and effective in killing inbound pathogenic microorganisms. The protocol below is therefore recommended: Vacuum regularly to prevent dust interfering with the ‘BRShield’ antimicrobial coatings natural ability to kill microorganisms Additionally, use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA ?lter so that all particulate matter, irrespective of size is captured and not recirculated into the air. As is often the case with infection control measures, there is no such thing as single ‘silver bullet’ to kill pathogenic microorganisms and protect ourselves from highly contagious diseases such as Coronavirus (COVID-19) which is why ‘Big Red’ has wisely recommended a fully integrated approach to treat potentially infected carpets, which in itself is also part of a wider, overarching integrated infection control strategy. Recently, ‘Big Red’ (who have over three decades of professional and technical experience in ?ghting infection and disease in Singapore and the SE Asia Region) published a short but very informative article on how carpeted areas and other fabrics might act as reservoirs of disease and contribute to the overall risk of onward transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Following an overwhelmingly positive response to that article, with many questions and requests for help, ‘Big Red’ have asked their resident expert in Preventive Medicine and Infection Control, Professor Martin A. Blake to address some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) in this follow up article. How does the COVID 19 virus get into carpets and fabrics in the ?rst place? Once deposited in a carpet, how long can the virus survive before it dies naturally? So, if a carpet might be contaminated with COVID 19 viral particles, should we just vacuum the carpet to remove them? What is the ?rst thing we should do if we feel a carpeted area might have been contaminated with COVID 19 viral material? What is the ?rst step in treating a potentially contaminated COVID-19 carpet? What kind of disinfectant solution is used for this initial damping down process? Once the risk of raising dust and any viral particles resting on the surface of the carpet have been eliminated, how can we deal with pathogenic microorganisms that might be lurking deeper in the fabric of the carpet? Once the carpet has been cleaned and disinfected using high temperature steam and a conventional detergent and disinfectant mixture, how long will the carpet remain free from infectious material? What is a long-term antimicrobial agent? How long do antimicrobial surface protection agents remain active? Once an antimicrobial surface protection agent has been applied to a carpet, is there anything that needs to be done to ensure its ongoing ef?cacy? In your opinion, who is the most experienced and trusted contractor in SE Asia to undertake all the tasks outlined above? https://www.bigredcc.com/articles/carpet-care-and-covid-19-pandemic-3-things-you-should-know/ 3/5

4. 23/12/2020 Carpet Care and COVID-19 Pandemic - 3 Things You Should Know - Big Red Carpet Cleaners Big Red’s commercial and residential cleaning services extend beyond carpet and rug cleaning to upholstery cleaning, marble & parquet polishing, and a lot more! « How to Extend the Life of your Carpet (https://www.bigredcc.com/articles/how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-carpet/) Home (/) Services (/services/) Express Quote (/big-red-express-quote/) About Us (/about-us/) Clients (/clients/) Blog (/articles/) Infographics (/infographics/) Downloads (/downloads/) Testimonials (/service-ratings/) Contact Us (/contact-us/) Carpet Cleaning (/services/singapore-carpet-cleaning/) Rug Cleaning (/services/singapore-rug-cleaning/) Upholstery Cleaning (/services/singapore-upholstery-sofa-cleaning/) Marble Polishing (/services/singapore-marble-?ooring-maintenance/) Parquet Polishing (/services/singapore-parquet-?ooring-maintenance/) Carpet Stain Removal (/services/singapore-carpet-stain-removal/) Facade Cleaning (/services/singapore-facade-cleaning/) Carpet Supply (/services/singapore-carpet-supply-installation/) Rug Restoration (/services/rug-restoration-singapore/) Rug Pads & Carpet Underlays (/services/rug-pads-carpet-underlays-supply/) Mattress Cleaning (/services/singapore-mattress-cleaning/) Drapery Cleaning (/services/singapore-drapery-cleaning/) Big Red is a Professionally Trained and Certi?ed Member of: We accept Online Payments: https://www.bigredcc.com/articles/carpet-care-and-covid-19-pandemic-3-things-you-should-know/ 4/5

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