White House ‘to spend $44,000 on deep cleaning carpets’ ahead of Biden’s inauguration

A cleaning crew wipes down the White House press briefing room's lectern in April 2020

Credit: Alex Brandon /AP

The White House will reportedly spend $44,000 on carpet cleaning ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration as part of a deep-clean of the premises amid ongoing coronavirus fears.

While it is customary for the White House to receive a thorough clean on Inauguration Day, when one president departs and a new commander-in-chief is installed, this January’s turnover is expected to include a much more extensive cleaning process.

According to federal financial documents seen by website TMZ, more than $44,000 (£32,700) will also be spent on "Inauguration Carpet Cleaning".

It is unclear how many rooms will have fresh carpeting, but the 55,000 square foot mansion boasts 132 rooms including 16 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms.

The General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that handles the White House cleaning, was not immediately available to comment on the figure.

The White House has been regularly deep cleaned since a string of Covid-19 outbreaks earlier this year

Credit: Win McNamee / Getty 

It comes after several outbreaks of Covid-19 in the White House in the last few months, including among the First Family.

President Donald Trump, the First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron all became infected with Covid-19 earlier this year. Since then, the GSA has contracted cleaners to regularly disinfect the building.

It is thought that the five-hour window between Mr Trump’s departure and Mr Biden’s arrival on Inauguration Day will include a much more exhaustive cleaning process this year.

It is understood that this additional clean will tackle parts of the building that cleaners do not usually have access to — such as the inside of personal wardrobes and other private areas.

"During the transition GSA works closely with the Executive Office of the President to ensure that all building areas are prepared for the incoming Administration and completed within the allocated time frame," a GSA spokesperson told The Telegraph.

The spokesperson said the deep-clean will include disinfecting "all furniture, flooring, window treatments, handrails, door knobs, light switches, countertops, elevator buttons and restroom fixtures".

The executive residence — the president and his family’s private quarters — will be deep-cleaned and disinfected "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," a White House official told CNN.