Elevator Sanitizing and Disinfecting
|June 14, 2022
Not many people are aware, but elevators tend to house 40% more germs than a toilet seat. This suggests that you are exposing yourself to health risks each time you choose an elevator over the staircase.
This is the reason why sanitizing and disinfecting elevators is an urgent need of the hour. It is high time for lift owners, facility managers, and building owners and managers to take action and protect users from infection-causing germs, bacteria, and viruses.
If you’re looking to clean and disinfect your elevators, here is a helpful checklist to keep in mind.
Sills and Tracks
Elevator tracks are tracks that you find between elevator doors at each landing. Tracks are an ideal location for the accumulation of dust and debris. Not to mention, these also experience quite a lot of spills that tend to keep collecting. What else? Small particles like pine needles, dirt, and small rocks also gather here.
This entire collection of unwanted debris that keeps growing easily becomes a breeding ground for germs. So, make sure to clean between the tracks and sills to ensure elevator cleanliness and hygiene. This will also affect the operation and functionality of the lift and doors.
- Vacuum to remove particles
- Cleaning agent and cloth to clean tracks
Doors and Walls
Commercial elevators have doors and walls made out of stainless steel. Entirely stop the operation of the elevator and clean the stainless steel areas. The doors and walls are important to clean as tens and hundreds of people touch these on a daily basis.
You can use a non-abrasive cleaning solution to remove the layered dust and other mess from stainless steel walls and doors. Or you can also find cleaning agents that are specially formulated to remove spots and streaks from stainless steel. This will not just remove the germs but also ensure shiny and polished walls and doors.
Buttons and Railings
As already mentioned, elevators expose you to 40% more germs than your toilet seat. Studies reveal that the elevator buttons are the biggest contributing factor to this stat. This is because anyone that enters the elevator touches the buttons.
So, the buttons are the most important thing to sanitize and disinfect. Additionally, elevator railings are also one of the most-touched parts of a lift system. Ideally, you should use a green antibacterial disinfectant solution to sanitize the elevator railings and buttons.
Make sure to not spray the solution directly on the buttons as this can damage the electrical panel. Instead, spray it onto a sponge or cloth and wipe the buttons with it.
Floors and Mirrors
Cleaning the floors largely depends on the type of flooring in an elevator. For instance, you will need to vacuum carpeted floors and mop or polish tiled ones. If you’re using cleaning solutions for tiled or steel floors, non-corrosive and non-abrasive cleaners are the best available option.
Low-rise carpets are often good at trapping dirt, dust, and grime. Using a powerful carpet cleaner will ensure that elevator users do not carry these out with their shoes.
Sources
https://blog.droom.in/elevators-sanitization-checklist
https://blog.stannahlifts.co.uk/lift-cleaning-a-step-by-step-guide
https://champion-elevator.com/news/stay-on-top-of-cleaning-and-disinfecting-elevators/