Expect a White House Deep Clean When Biden Moves In

A member of the White House cleaning staff sprays a disinfectant in the James Brady Press Briefing room in Washington in October 2020.

By Kate Bennett, CNN

When the White House welcomes a new first family it gets a thorough cleaning in the five hours allotted for the turnover. But with a global pandemic raging -- and an outgoing President whose orbit is rife with people shunning public health guidelines and coming down with Covid-19, this January 20 is expected to include a deeper, more exhaustive cleaning, according to a White House official.

It's one of many changes expected around how the White House operates when President-elect Joe Biden takes over. His campaign has diligently modeled public health guidelines with mask wearing and social distancing even as he campaigned against outgoing President Donald Trump, who instead held large rallies packed with people, many of whom did not wear masks.

While there are not "firm plans" for execution, the agency in charge of things, the General Services Administration, is handling what will be a "thorough disinfecting and cleansing" of every surface in the 55,000 square foot mansion. 

Rugs and window treatments, if kept, will also be deep-cleaned, according to the official. The executive residence will be deep-cleaned and likely sprayed "in the same manner as the West Wing and the rest of the White House has been since Covid regulations and guidelines were implemented months ago."