Before we get into the details about our meticulous, CDC-approved cleaning procedures at Kiawah Island Getaways, we want to share a message from the vacation rental industry.
This short video—called “To Guests, with Love”—showcases in 4 minutes just what guests mean to us “mom & pop” vacation rental companies. Give it a watch!
Here’s our part of the story: We began our business twenty years ago to share our favorite place—Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We’ve stayed small and local so that we could keep our impeccable standards at every single property.
We just added our 15th lovely property to our portfolio and we can’t wait to welcome you this summer. With Kiawah’s plethora of wide-open spaces—from golf courses and nature walks to beautiful beaches and marshes ideal for kayaking—it is the perfect place to make your post-quarantine escape and come back to life.
Check out our blog post about social-distancing friendly activities on Kiawah Island.
OK, now let’s talk cleanliness!
How Clean Are Kiawah Island Getaways’ Properties?
If you’ve stayed with us, you know we’ve always provided spotless places to stay. Now, in these unprecedented times, we’re going even further to protect our guests and our housekeeping crew.
Our procedure follows CDC guidelines as well as the Safe Home guidelines—a joint project from the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) and Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP) which address the specifics of COVID-19 cleanliness for vacation rentals.
What Specific Steps Are You Taking for Cleanliness?
The in-depth cleaning procedure at every one of our properties includes the following:
- We make sure all housekeeping staff have—and know how to use—PPE (protective personal equipment) and maintain social distancing from each other while cleaning.
We follow this CDC procedure for surface-cleaning:
- Wash all surfaces with soap and warm, clean water.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Spray down the surfaces with a mixture of bleach and clean water.
- Allow the surfaces to air dry.
- When we clean, we are sure to thoroughly disinfect high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and light switches.
- As of now, there is little information about the way COVID-19 behaves on fabrics. To play it safe, we spray linens, furniture and other soft surfaces with a disinfecting spray as well.
- Our cleaning products are included in the EPA’s list of surface disinfectants that can be used to protect against coronavirus.
- We allow all surfaces to have “dwell time” after being disinfected to ensure the product has time to be effective.
- To minimize in-person contact, our guests are emailed vehicle passes and check-in on their own using our digital door locks.
How Guests Can Help
VRMA’s guidelines also include a couple of guidelines for guests, which we would like to pass on to you.
- Turn on ceiling fans when you leave the property to help the air to circulate.
- The VRMA guidelines advise that we avoid entering the property during your stay unless absolutely necessary. To that end, we may not be able to answer small maintenance requests that can wait until after checkout. Thank you for understanding!
When Can We Come?
Anytime after May 16th, 2020. Our portfolio of vacation homes is open for business!
As of May 8, 2020, the South Carolina Health Department has lifted all travel restrictions and mandatory quarantine protocols for incoming visitors.
Starting May 16, 2020, Kiawah is once again permitted to host short-term rentals. That means you can arrive on our island and enjoy your ultra-clean, ultra-private vacation just as you would in times past.
Even more good news: Beginning May 11, 2020, Kiawah Island restaurants are allowed to open for indoor and outdoor dining, following South Carolina’s guidelines for doing so. Sit down and let someone else do the cooking!
