Exceptional challenges of cleaning during COVID times

[Beth44]

During a couples' stay this week I was startled to repeatedly hear the husband's  loud sneezing and coughing through an attached apartment wall that usually acts as a sound barrier.  ( My airbnb is  at the back of my house.)  

The guests  called me on the 3rd night of their stay (a week-long booking) to say they were leaving because of Covid news.  I understand their nervousness and the husband's condition made me likewise nervous. I could hear his sickness.

A few hours after they left, I donned a mask and rubber gloves to strip the bed, gather towels and empty the trash. I  sprayed all door handles, knobs and light switches with isopropyl alcohol. I steamed cleaned all laundry on a power wash setting. I have delayed entering the apartment for more than a day to complete cleaning which will include washing pillows, bed and throw blankets.

I am concerned that I may have hosted a guest with a serious developing illness.

My question to the community is what other steps are recommended to protect ourselves and upcoming guests (should we ever have them again)? Cleaning up in the era of COVID has exceptional challenges!!!

[Kath9]

@Beth44, yes it does. It sounds like you have done everything right. Do you have any immediate upcoming guests? If not, I would delay going into the apartment for 3 days if possible because it is thought the virus can survive for up to 3 days on surfaces.

[Sandra126]

Much longer than 3days, @Kath9 

[Sarah977]

@Beth44 Just having to go out shopping a few days ago made me realize how much extra time all this special cleaning is going to take- I had clorox wipes with me, wiped down shopping cart handles, cleaned my hands as soon as I got back in the car (without touching anything in my car, then wiped down all the products I'd bought with bleach or alcohol when I got home).

Could you hear if the guest's cough was dry or phlemy? Because COVID19 results in a dry cough. If it sounded loose and mucousy, then I think you can relax as far as being fearful. But we're all going to have to clean the way you did whether a guest sounds sick or not.

[Helen350]

I won't be doing any additional cleaning, (I don't charge enough for that.) I certainly won't be washing duvets, just the covers, sheet & pillowcases as normal. I have weekend tourists coming, the first of the season. They are obviously not bothered about advice re non-essential travel. It's likely their bed will have been empty for  2 nights, but not guaranteed.  There will be 2 other guests at the same time, a working doctor, & a working carer, returned today. A working nurse stayed last night. All using my bathroom! Their choice!

[Helen350]

Oh, and one of my rooms had different guests Thur, Fri, Sat last week. No one seemed concerned how recently someone else had slept there.... That's the British for you!

[Beth44]

You are right that regardless of the sound of a cough we need to remain vigilant and hope that future guests show up

[Dawn81]

@Beth44 this is a time for allergies being very exasperated and what you heard doesn't mean the person was necessarily ill but possibly just reacting to pollen in the air or other allergens. You've already done your due diligence and cleaning and I wouldn't worry about it any further. If it's warm enough you could open up your windows and air out the room for several hours during the warmth of the day.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Beth44   as far as I understand, sneezing is not part of the symptoms.  I sneeze nowadays too, but that is due to pollen allergy. Coughing is not part of the allergy though unless it is extreme and I develop asthma, but dry cough it is part of Covid flu.  But you can never be too careful.

[Laura2592]

@Marit-Anne0  I have a friend who is a lung cancer survivor and has a life long cough as a result. He had to pick up a RX at a pharmacy and started coughing-- cleared out the entire store with people literally running away from him. He does not have the coronavirus (thank goodness, as he is in a risk group. He has been tested and will continue to be at his doctor's order, and is self-isolating, but needed certain meds.) Sneezing is very common this time of year as all the trees are in bloom. Its just an unfortunate coincidence that many may look ill but actually aren't showing viral symptoms. A fever is the big red flag. 

[Laura2592]

This is a growing concern but you can easily make your own cleaner with one part water to four parts bleach. The CDC recommends using bleach or ammonia/alcohol based products.  We wipe down all hard surfaces as viruses "like" those more than soft, mop all floors, pay special attention to doorknobs, clocks, lamps, and the undersides of dining tables-- places guests touch that may not always be obvious. We do this anyway, but now have a check list of places we need to make sure to "get."

I had posted a while ago about dishwashers and got some push back but I will say it again-- dishwashers get your dishes cleaner and kill any pathogens by virtue of the fact that they use super heated water. Your dishes probably have the biggest potential to be used over and over,  so we take special care to make sure that all dishes are sanitized by running even smaller loads through the dishwasher. Yes, its not ideal for water conservation, but a lot of things are not ideal right now. 

Soft surfaces like sheets, towels, bedding, blankets, etc. get their normal wash and dry. Carpets are vacuumed between every guest and steamed once every other week. We only have throw rugs so I don't know how it is for those with wall to wall carpets. 

I don't think this cleaning is particularly onerous as we already do a lot of what is recommended. Its just about making sure that you have a checklist of spots you need to pay extra attention to, and that you follow it.