How to maintain good health and hygiene in communal areas

There’s no denying that maintaining good health and hygiene is always important, but with the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading across the globe, now is a crucial time to emphasise the importance. It’s particularly important to highlight the cruciality of maintaining good health and hygiene in communal areas, where germs and viruses are most likely to be picked up.

Who is responsible for communal cleaning?

At James Gibb, our Development Managers are responsible for helping to maintain the likes of common area windows and doors, entrance halls, corridors and lifts, so, for many developments, we arrange regular contract cleaning.

At this moment in time, everyone should be very conscious of maintaining health and hygiene in communal areas so all residents have an obligation to help their fellow neighbours to try and keep all communal areas as clean as possible.

Currently, the Scottish Governments position is that services such as gardening and cleaning should continue, where possible and where safe to do so. We have spoken to our contractors and are working with them to help deliver a continued service wherever possible. Where only limited services are possible, we’ll ask them to focus on the most important areas such as bin stores, hard surfaces etc

Why it is important?

Communal areas are shared by a number of people every day, collecting dust, dirt and germs. However, as people are only ever in these areas for a short period of time, maintaining them is often overlooked. Understandably, residents are more likely to spend their time cleaning and maintaining inside their own homes. Nevertheless, when communal areas are not cleaned and maintained, they can develop into bacteria breading grounds, ultimately creating a health hazard which can be particularly dangerous to children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

How can you help?

It really doesn’t take too much to help maintain good health and hygiene in communal areas, just a bit of extra care and common sense. If you haven’t considered any of these simple steps before, now is a good time to.

Properly dispose of rubbish

Rubbish bins should never be left in internal communal areas even if they are securely sealed. If you are not yet ready to take rubbish bags to the communal bin area, leave them in your home rather than in shared spaces. Rubbish bags left in communal areas not only attracts vermin, clutter like such creates tripping hazards and could block escape routes in the event of a fire. It is particularly important to not leave food waste lying around, as this can quickly create unwanted smells and bacteria.

Wipe down door handles

Door handles are bacteria hotspots, especially communal ones due to constant contact from so many hands. The only way to keep these clean is by wiping them with antibacterial wipes before and after use. This is of course not something everyone would think of doing. If that is the case, handwashing after touching door handles is crucial to avoid the spread of bacteria into your own home. Where possible, we’ve asked our cleaners to ensure their focus is on these areas.

Report to your Development Manager

Finally, if you see any issues in your communal areas e.g. bin bags left out, dumped items, mess from contractors, you should inform your Development Manager and they will be able to assist.

If you have any further queries or concerns about health and hygiene in communal areas, do not hesitate to get in touch by called 0333 240 8325 of emailing enquiries@jamesgibb.co.uk