Cleaning and Disinfecting for the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
We're Here to Help
ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is here to help cleaning industry professionals understand how to properly clean and safely disinfect for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
Cleaning staff are essential workers during the pandemic. Use the resources on this page to educate and empower your teams as they work to keep facilities, clients and communities safer and healthier.
Together with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, we offer education, training, and business resources to help you manage the COVID-19 outbreak. If you need to reopen your business or facility with confidence following the pandemic, learn more about the GBAC® STAR™ Service Accreditation program delivers third-party validation of the cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention procedures of contractors and other outsourced cleaning service providers. The GBAC® STAR™ Destination program enables organizations like municipalities and tourism bureaus to demonstrate their destination’s dedication to building healthier, safer, and more confident communities through widespread adoption of GBAC® STAR accreditations. And GBAC® STAR™ Registered Technology & Registered Programs allow manufacturers and other companies to have their cleaning, infectious disease prevention, or similar type technology or program designated as GBAC® STAR Registered, providing added assurance for facility managers and service providers who are dedicated to cleaning for health.
News and Updates
Industry Training
GBAC Academy
GBAC Academy is the new online learning portal for cleaning professionals who want to prepare for, respond to, and recover from biological threats in the workplace. Our expert-led training resources will help you implement infection- and contamination-control measures for infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 and other biohazard situations.
Online Training Courses
GBAC Online Fundamentals Course 2.0
US$150 for ISSA members, $300 for non-members
Prepare, Respond, Recover | A GBAC Webinar on The 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Recording available to ISSA members only
In-Person Training
GBAC and ISSA’s Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) offer a variety of in-person training, workshops, and seminars throughout the year. For more information, contact [email protected].
Onsite Training and Consulting
ISSA expert trainers will travel to your facility to teach to your immediate training needs or to provide custom onsite solutions for challenges like:
- Establishing cleaning and disinfection protocols for the coronavirus
- Workloading a facility in a staffing crisis
- Purchasing the proper tools during supply chain disruption.
Downloadable Tools
Government Updates
ACTION ALERT! Tell Congress to Pass the Health Workplace Tax Credit
Contact your congressional delegation to request their support for the Healthy Workplace Tax Credit as part of the next federal stimulus bill. The bipartisan tax credit would help businesses cover the cost of cleaning, disinfecting, and air filtration solutions; personal protective equipment (PPE); as well as employee training and certification.
Become an Advocate for Clean
Sign up here to receive advocacy updates so that you can be the first to hear about pressing legislation, compliance deadlines, advocacy events, training, and more!
Additional Resources
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- Enhanced Unemployment Benefits: What You Need to Know
- COVID-19 Emergency Workplace Standards
- Summary of State-by-State Liability Protections
- Success of ISSA’s Advocacy Efforts
- Federal Coronavirus Legislative Response Summary
- Coronavirus Government Response Updates
- Register for the 2023 Clean Advocacy Summit, March 26- April 1, 2023
Additional Resources for Coronavirus Cleaning
You can help prevent yourself from getting and spreading the coronavirus–and other respiratory illnesses–by following these steps:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. (Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives) Use 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or shirt sleeve, not your hands.
- Avoid close contact such as kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 (OSHA)
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility (CDC)
Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (EPA)
Situation Summary for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (CDC)
Safety and Health Overview for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (OSHA)
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Reports (WHO)
Infection Prevention: A Good Clean Fight (ISSA)
Emerging Viral Pathogen Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides (EPA)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Products appearing on EPA’s list registered disinfectant products have qualified for use against COVID-19 through the agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program. This program allows product manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, that shows their products are effective against harder-to-kill viruses than SARS-CoV-2. It also allows additional communications intended to inform the public about the utility of these products against the emerging pathogen in the most expeditious manner.
Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses, meaning they are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill with the appropriate disinfectant product. Consumers using these disinfectants on an enveloped emerging virus should follow the directions for use on the product’s master label, paying close attention to the contact time for the product on the treated surface (i.e., how long the disinfectant should remain on the surface).
EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen Guidance was developed and finalized in 2016 to allow for a rapid response in the event of an emerging viral pathogen outbreak. It was triggered for the first time ever for SARS-CoV-2 on January 29, 2020. The guidance outlines a voluntary, pre-approval process for making emerging viral pathogens claims. In the event of an outbreak, companies with pre-approved products can make off-label claims (for example in technical literature, non-label-related websites, and social media) for use against the outbreak virus.
