Cleaning Information

Details of Enhanced Cleaning

As part of our ongoing COVID19 response our fully trained teams are completing a more comprehensive clean than normal, so you can book & stay with confidence.

We are currently following guidance from the Professional Association of Self Caterers – find their website here: https://www.pascuk.co.uk/ – and we have implemented their interpretation of new COVID19 UK law for the holiday rental industry.

Latest evidence published in The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine illustrates that information and knowledge is evolving all the time. Currently it is thought that the virus can live on some common household surfaces for:

*This is based on testing initially, then at 4 days and then 7 days, when the virus was entirely neutralised. Therefore, these surfaces need to be disinfected before they are safe to touch. Therefore all surfaces which are touched frequently, such as light switches, door handles, kitchen surfaces, and bathroom surfaces should be regularly disinfected.

Bedding & Linen

Pillows – NFE/owners are going to provide 2 pillows on a double and 1 on a single and guests are asked to bring any extras they want, complete with their own covers.

Mattress protectors – will be replaced for each guest changeover.

Commercial Laundry washes – The recommended minimum temperature to kill COVID19 is 60°C, using the recommended detergents. Our preferred laundry company is achieving this and all owners know and are happy to do the same.

What 'high touch point' areas will you clean?

To include: key lock boxes, keys, door handles, light switches, power switches, bannisters, fire extinguishers, high chairs, cots, WIFI hub and all remote controls, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, kettle, toaster, coffee machines, ovens, bins – internal and external. The pans, crockery and plates will have been run through the dishwasher for you on an intensive cycle. The list goes on to cover inside windows, mirrors, shower head, toilet brushes. Outside includes, disinfecting the bin lids, cleaning outdoor furniture and gates, outdoor play equipment and BBQ’s. In some houses, the BBQ cooking area will not look clean because of the material.

Will there be cleaning items left for me to clean if I want to?

Yes, we will leave a selection of items for you including a hoover, mop and cloths.

How are you dealing with items that can't be cleaned?

Firstly we are reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ in houses. And NFE/owners are going to take out, where possible, ‘risky’ items in the house that are extra for styling but not a necessity. Our houses are homes from home. And whilst we are being extremely thorough we cannot clean everything. There will be some decorative and styled items that we will sign clearly that have not been cleaned. You can then decide if you want to touch them or not, or wash them and use them. For example, decorative items on a kitchen dresser.

If we use, or someone else has used styled & decorative items + toys & games (that aren’t paper) that are in the house?

We are asking you to put any items that you have used, that are not paper-based, or that are plasticy-paper, on the kitchen table when you leave i.e. board games, packs of cards, fabric toys etc. These will then be wiped down and rotated through the house at the next changeover.

Welcome baskets: Will I get one?

NFE as going to still provide welcome products for guests. We will leave the cake boxed and the milk in the fridge – they will have been cleaned and wiped with disinfectant.

When we arrive will we still get the ‘essential items’ in the house, like tea, coffee, milk, oils, herbs, foil, cling film etc?

Yes. But the amount will be reduced and we will provide these in their original supermarket packaging.

Will cleaners wear PPE at changeover?

Yes. Anyone entering the house in changeover will have worn PPE. To include: Face-masks. Gloves. Aprons.

What are you doing your 'clean & disinfect' with?

The short answer is that the three-stage cleaning process that we have adopted reduces a virus load significantly. We are cleaning (with a soap agent and/or supermarket products) then waiting for it to dry, then disinfecting with a bleach based product, or other disinfecting products (to BS EN Standard 14476 as per PASC guidelines) to ensure removal of the virus to 99.999% Soap and water, then bleach products are the simplest way to remove the virus.

How will I know what you've cleaned and disinfected?

A cleaning sign-off sheet will be provided for you at checkin, this will allow you to see exactly what we’ve cleaned. And don’t worry – we are using stickers on the key box and front door to tell you what has been cleaned so you can get to the cleaning list but know what you first touch if safe.

Will the house welcome notes have been cleaned and disinfected?

Yes. They are laminated and will be cleaned and disinfected just like everything else.

Will the outdoor furniture have been cleaned and disinfected?

We will be cleaning and disinfecting all very high use areas outside the house including the BBQ.

How do you clean fabrics?

We will remove unnecessary fabrics from the house where possible, rotating them through the house every other group. We are using a virucidal spray on fabrics where they can’t be washed, or removed, at changeover. If you arrive and the sofa has a cover on it, that is tightly tucked in, please leave it on. It will mean that we can’t clean that fabric but we can clean the throw. We are trying to reduce the amount of spray that the cleaners and you have to live with…

For curtains we are going to fog spray the areas that are most used – where the curtain is pulled only, so do please avoid touching the whole curtain.

What do I do if I get or arrive with COVID-19 symptoms?

We really hope this doesn’t happen. Please be very careful and do not travel if you are feeling unwell. If you do develop symptoms, you must call and email us immediately. You will be asked to leave the property and return home so that we can spend more time cleaning the property.