Cleaning, Health and Safety
When you book a vacation at The Helm House we want you to wake up daily to the look and smell of pristine living that feels just like your own home (or perhaps even better)! We take the cleaning, health and safety of our guests seriously which is why we leave between 2-3 days between guests. This gives us enough time to properly assess the home, do an inventory and have enough time to strategically clean, sanitize and replenish needed amenities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we understood, first-hand how important it is to keep YOUR health and safety in mind. At The Helm House, we have created COVID-19 safety and cleaning practices for our guests that are based on guidance from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control. Despite The Helm House inplementing guidelines to help address health and safety concerns, these measures cannot eliminate all risk. Especially if you're in a higher risk category (ex: people above the age of 65 or people with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease), we recommend obtaining professional guidance and taking extra precautions.
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We understand how important it is for you to know that The Helm House been cleaned in depth and that you will feel comfortable traveling to our home. To help ensure your safety and well-being and our safety, we consulted with government, health, and travel industry experts and implemented best practices for cleaning and disinfecting our vacation rental property.
A major update to our cleaning process is that we allowing extra time for enhanced cleaning procedures to take place between stays, based upon the use of CDC cleaning and sanitization procedures. In addition, we have increased the number of days between reservations to allow more time between guests in the home. With high expectations, increased risk to guests and continued labor shortages, the property owners are in full control of the the following cleaning practices and procedures - ensuring our guests will be safe and the property is ready for your arrival.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
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Removing shoes when entering the property and leaving them at the entrance (if possible, outside of the home).
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Practice good hand hygiene by using hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap products at property entry points and key areas, we also encouraging handwashing regularly with water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
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Make sure to follow local and state regulations, where applicable.
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WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP
Prepare
Any individual entering the home to clean or perform maintenance is provided a complimentary COVID-19 antigen test, must have a negative test result and is not exhibiting symptoms of any illness. We prepare all cleaning supplies and cleaning equipment prior to entering the home. We open all outside doors and windows and using ventilating fans to increase air circulation in the space before beginning to clean and disinfect. We wear protective equipment such as disposable gloves, aprons or gowns.
Clean
We begin cleaning the home to remove germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects, by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
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We start by removing all dirty garbage to prevent contaminating the space once it has been cleaned. Making sure to line all the garbage cans, which will make it easier to dispose of tissues and other waste.
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Wash all linens at the highest heat setting recommended by the manufacturer
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Wash all the dishes – even ones in the cabinet – to help ensure hygienic standards
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Clean all soft surfaces based o
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Sanitize
We sanitize all high-touch areas, appliances, and electronics with chemicals that reduce bacteria on surfaces such as doorknobs and TV remotes. We:
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Spray high-touch surfaces in each room with an approved disinfectant spray
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Let the disinfectant stand for the length of time specified on the product label
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Allow the surface to air-dry
Check & Reset
Prior to each guest arrival, we review our room-by-room checklist in our cleaning handbook to make sure we haven’t missed a spot. To further help prevent cross-contamination, we finish cleaning and sanitizing a room before replacing items for the next guest:
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Washing our hands and changing nitrile gloves before replacing guest supplies, linens, and cleaning kits
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Safely disposing of or wash cleaning supplies and protective gear outside the home
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Never re-entering a room once it’s been sanitized
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Cleaning our equipment between each turnover
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Cleaning all cleaning products and hand sanitizers that were available for guest use