The White House will receive a deep, exhaustive cleaning before President-elect Joe Biden and his family move in, according to a White House official.
The cleaning is one of many changes the White House will make once outgoing President Donald Trump
leaves the residence. A General Services Administration (GSA) spokesperson told the Daily Mail that both the East and West Wings will be cleaned Jan. 20.The agency is responsible for the cleaning and told CNN there will be a “thorough disinfecting and cleansing” of every surface in the 55,000-square-foot mansion. Additionally, door knobs and handles, light switches, rugs and window treatments will also be cleaned.
“GSA will thoroughly clean and disinfect the building spaces between the administrations and ensure that everything is up to standard. Cleaning will include, but is not limited to, all furniture, flooring,
window treatments, handrails, door knobs, light switches, countertops, elevator buttons, restroom fixtures and dispensers, door handles and push plates, and lighting fixtures,'” the spokesperson said.The agency also approved a contract with a cleaning company to provide disinfectant misting services due to COVID-19 at the White House over the next year. Medical officials have said the virus can last on surfaces for up to three days.
Since White House aide Hope Hicks announced she contracted the coronavirus in early October, more than 20 people close to Trump have contracted the virus.
The list includes President Trump; his wife, Melania; his son Barron; his son Donald Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle; Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani; former Senior Counselor Kellyanne Conway, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; HUD Secretary Ben Carson; White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany; and others, including Herman Cain, who died of the disease.
Trump, who has downplayed the coronavirus since it hit the U.S., also had a significantly relaxed policy in the White House where no one wore face masks and parties weren’t socially distanced. The White House polices around the coronavirus were so relaxed, even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’s avoided the White House for months.