Cleaning Enhancements and Requirements: Questions and answers

EMPLOYEES WILL NEED TO CLEAN WORKSPACES

Following the Flashes Safe Eight principles, and as part of the university’s reopening plan, custodial staff have and continue to systematically clean buildings, classrooms and office spaces. If you have work materials or personal items on the surfaces in your office, those areas are not cleaned. You will need to clean those areas yourself before you use them.

Our custodial staff continues to clean all spaces that are accessible to employees as well as the public. These spaces include but are not limited to waiting rooms, seating areas in corridors, conference rooms and bathrooms. In classrooms, instructors are responsible for cleaning their workspace (e.g., podium, keyboard, camera, table). Supplies are available at the entrance to each classroom for student use.

All of the office suites have cleaning supplies available for employee use. If you work on the Kent Campus and do not want your office cleaned by custodial staff, contact Todd Burdette at tburdet @kent.edu (mailto:tburdet @kent.edu) to opt out of any custodial staff cleaning. Employees managing reception counters will need to clean the counter/high-touch surfaces after each guest. Employees who share spaces that are not accessible to the public (e.g., break rooms, copy rooms, supply rooms) are expected to sanitize contact areas in these spaces after each use.

Disinfecting wipes are available through Flash Track.

If you need disinfecting wipes for your office area, please order them through Flash Track.

HOW DO I ORDER CLEANING SUPPLIES FOR THE CLASSROOMS IN MY COLLEGE? 

You do not need to place an order for cleaning supplies for the classrooms in your college. University Facilities Management (UFM) and custodial staff at the Regional Campuses and the College of Podiatric Medicine will provide the surface disinfectant for each classroom and replenish them as needed.

ARE PAPER TOWELS BETTER TO DRY YOUR HANDS WITH THAN AIR HAND DRYERS?

The CDC recommends drying by either paper towels or air dryers. Using either method, it is recommended that hands be dried thoroughly to reduce the spread of contamination.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAND SANITIZERS THAT ARE ON THE MARKET?

Unless hands are visibly soiled, an alcohol-based hand rub is preferred over soap and water in most clinical situations due to evidence of better compliance compared to soap and water. Hand rubs are generally less irritating to hands and are effective in the absence of a sink.

Due to increased sales of isopropyl alcohol-based sanitizers, making them hard to find, most hand sanitizers are ethyl alcohol based, which is the same alcohol used for consumption.

Buyer beware, as percentages can vary. It is important to check the label.

Recently, hand sanitizers have made their way to the market with methanol, a toxic substance that can be absorbed through the skin. The Food and Drug Administration has published a list of banned hand sanitizers.

HOW WILL BATHROOMS BE CLEANED?

All bathrooms will be cleaned daily with an EPA-approved disinfectant that kills COVID-19.

HOW OFTEN ARE PUBLIC SPACES (WATER FOUNTAINS, BATHROOMS, GENERAL SPACE, ETC.) BEING CLEANED? 

Water fountains and bottle filling stations have turned on and will be cleaned daily.

Questions About Use of Face Coverings

ARE THERE TIPS FOR CHOOSING A FACE COVERING?

If I am interested in face coverings beyond the one provided to me by Kent State, what should I consider? When selecting a face covering and verifying best practices for how to wear a face covering, please see this CDC web page. Per the CDC, bandanas are not suitable face coverings as they are too thin and too loose to provide the needed protection.

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