It wasn’t long after COVID-19 was officially declared as a pandemic by the WHO that lockdowns were enforced around the world. Hundreds and thousands of businesses were forced to shut their doors as the people of the world scrambled to keep the contagion at bay. As the number of infected persons soared, people were encouraged to don masks and sanitized their homes, offices, and themselves frequently.

In the midst of this chaos, several challenges were faced by companies in the commercial cleaning sector. Until the threat of COVID-19 is totally eliminated, these challenges will remain. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at these challenges, along with the opportunities that they have presented to commercial cleaning companies as well.

1. Health risks for employees

COVID-19 is one of the most contagious diseases to have come to the fore in the recent past. All it takes for a person to get infected is one respiratory droplet that contains the SARS-CoV2 virus. This puts employees of commercial cleaning companies at great risk of contracting the disease. To keep employees as safe as possible, companies in the commercial cleaning sector have had to invest heavily in protective gear, which brings us to the next point.

2. Increased costs

Personal protective equipment (PPE) kits are necessary not just for front-line healthcare workers but also for commercial cleaners. PPE kits are mostly use-and-throw, which means that every time a team of cleaners has a job to do, they have to wear brand new kits. This has resulted in increased running costs for cleaning companies, and that too at a time, so many businesses have been forced to shut down by ensuing lockdowns.

3. Business closures

If a commercial cleaning company has to thrive, it needs commercial establishments to remain open. However, COVID-19 saw thousands of businesses shut down, either for adhering to lockdown-enforced restrictions or for simply being unable to continue operations after sustaining significant losses. All in all, the closures of businesses have been the biggest blow to the commercial cleaning sector. Even though regions with limited caseloads are now gradually opening up, it will take time until things become as they were before the pandemic struck.

With challenge comes opportunity

While the challenges posed by COVID-19 to the commercial cleaning sector are undoubtedly significant, they have also presented several opportunities. For instance, the establishments that were allowed to slowly open up following the easing of restrictions needed frequent cleaning and sanitizing. Sure, this meant more investment in PPE kits for the cleaning companies, but it also resulted in more business.

COVID-19 also made the world realize the importance of keeping both residential and commercial spaces clean. Simply put, establishments simply can’t afford the luxury of ignoring the cleanliness of their premises anymore. Doing so would alarm visitors, who would naturally shy away from doing business with such establishments. So, naturally, there has been a greater demand for both residential and commercial cleaning services in the wake of the pandemic.

All in all, it’s safe to say that it will take some time for the commercial cleaning sector to bounce back from the losses inflicted upon it by the pandemic. However, as the awareness regarding COVID-19 has grown, we can certainly hope for a financially better future sooner or later.