Coronavirus update
FirstMaid: Coronavirus update on April 12th, 2021
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well during these difficult times. We wanted to inform you that we are staying open for business and we still have in place necessary amendments and advice to enable the safe provision of services throughout this difficult period. All cleaners on the FirstMaid platform have been specifically advised on 
how to be Covid-19 prepared. This advice provides guidance on how to communicate with customers safely, the importance of adhering to social distancing and the benefits of wearing PPE. Most of the Cleaners registered with us are still available for work, since they can’t work from home.
Contactless cleaning protocol: to protect customers and cleaners
A clean home can be particularly important and reassuring in the current situation. In order to be able to continue enjoying the feeling of a clean home while staying safe, we recommend customers and cleaners following these guidelines during cleaning events:
Frequently asked questions on Covid-19:
Is my cleaner still allowed to clean my property?
The British Government recently released guidance on work carried out in people’s homes:
- Your cleaner is allowed to continue with their clean only if:
- You do not have symptoms of Covid-19 and neither does anyone in your household
- Your cleaner does not have symptoms of Covid-19 and neither does anyone in their household
- Your cleaner follows the specific guidance provided (as above)
- Your cleaner is not allowed to continue with their clean:
- Under no circumstances should work be carried out in people’s homes where a person is isolating or being shielded
- No work should be carried out by anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms, no matter how mild
How are we ensuring safety across our platform?
We have provided safety guidance following official guidelines from the British Government to all providers on our platform. These include:
- Asking cleaners to reschedule their clean if they are showing signs or have contracted Covid-19 following NHS advice
- Advising cleaners ensure sufficient distancing during cleans
- Advising cleaners to take extra precautions and implement Covid-19 specific cleaning measures
What measures have cleaners been advised to take?
- Avoid all physical greetings
- Maintain a distance of 2 metres at all times with customers
- Ensure cleaners bring extra cleaning gloves, extra shoes, hand sanitiser / soap and [masks if requested]
- To spend extra time on cleaning ‘high-contact’ items such as handles, taps, gadgets and remotes
- To change dirty water even more frequently
- Ensure all materials used are washed at a temperature of 60°C
- To ensure the customer has the correct products effective against Covid-19 found here from the National Environment Agency
- To wash hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water and to dry them on paper disposable paper towels where possible
- To catch coughs and sneezes with disposable paper towels and to dispose of them immediately. When this isn’t possible, to cough and sneeze into their elbows to avoid infecting others
To reiterate, please find a comprehensive list of household disinfectants / cleaning products effective against coronaviruses here
What can you do to help your cleaner during this time?
The 3 ways to support your cleaner are to:
- Keep your current bookings as they are so your cleaner still has regular work. This is only an option if you and other members of your household are strictly adhering to the COVID-19 healthcare guidelines as set out by the NHS and Public Health England. Cleaners on the FirstMaid platform have also been recommended to follow these measures.
- Reduce the duration of your bookings – you are free to reduce this to any amount you wish. Again, this is only advised if you are following the COVID-19 healthcare guidelines set out by the NHS and Public Health England.
- Pause your relationship with your cleaner so that you can resume it when you feel comfortable doing so.
If you need any assistance with this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@firstmaid.co.uk – we’re always here to help!
