As your employees prepare to return from their summer vacation holidays, now is a great time to ensure offices are thoroughly cleaned. Offices can harbour many bacteria, and it’s often underestimated how many bacteria and viruses are present in and around the workplace. The reason for this is simple: we touch many different surfaces that hundreds of others might be in contact with.

So, which areas are most important to clean? In this article, we’ll explore the key areas that you should consider cleaning, and preventive measures to help mitigate the risk of illnesses as we approach the colder months.

Why cleanliness in the office matters

In today’s fast-paced work environment, maintaining a clean office is crucial not only for aesthetic reasons but also for the health and well-being of employees. Bacteria and viruses can easily spread in communal spaces, leading to increased absenteeism and decreased productivity.

Every time you touch your desk, keyboard, or telephone, you invite germs into your workspace. Did you know a typical office desk is more than three times dirtier and can hold up to 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat?

Areas of focus

There are many areas to consider cleaning in and around the office to remove dirt, grime, and bacteria. Research carried out by Furniture at Work tested several areas of the office to discover the amount of relative light units (RLU), something that can be directly correlated with the number of contaminants and bacteria in an area. This data truly highlights the importance of maintaining a clean office space. Here are some areas to consider and how to clean them: Office chairs and upholstery

Office workers spend many hours sitting at their desks each day. If that means sitting on a chair that hasn’t been cleaned in a while, you could be exposing your workforce to health complaints caused by dust mites. The dust trapped in the fabrics can cause dust mites, and a study of dust mite allergens in the office environment found that office chairs. Ongoing exposure to dust mites can be a trigger for people with allergies and asthma, impacting the health of employees, from mild cases such as watery eyes and sneezing to severe cases such as persistent coughing or even an asthma attack.

Running a vacuum over the chair regularly is a proactive step towards maintaining a healthy workspace. It’s a good way to remove loose dirt, dust, and debris. We strongly suggest following the furniture’s cleaning instructions.

Door handles According to the Furniture at Work tests, door handles produced the highest RLU reading of any other area in the office, almost four times more than the keyboard reading. Ensuring door handles are wiped clean daily is vital for preventing the spread of unwanted germs and bacteria.

Air conditioning

Air quality is also vitally important. During the summer, air conditioning units may have seen heavy use. An air conditioning system can be infected by microbial contamination, such as bacteria, mould, and fungi, and these contaminants in the air are inhaled every time your air conditioner turns on. It is, therefore, important that proper maintenance is carried out by professionals to ensure the system is cleaned thoroughly and serviced properly to improve air quality.

The desk

As highlighted, desks, keyboards, and telephones invite germs into the workspace. Ensuring desks are kept clean and tidy and wiped down with antibacterial spray or wipes can help keep desks free of viral bacteria. Having easily accessible cleaning stations around the office can be a good way to promote a cleaner office, as it gives staff the responsibility of maintaining cleaner spaces and the resources to do it.

Hiring experts to carry out cleaning

A clean and well-maintained office can be viewed as part of an overall investment in employees’ wellbeing, keeping staff healthy, boosting productivity, and reflecting a company’s broader values.

We understand that it can be challenging for your team to remember to clean their space and be solely responsible for maintaining a bacteria and virus-free space. Bringing in experts to carry out daily cleaning can ease some of that pressure and provide a reliable and consistent approach to ensuring high daily cleaning standards are maintained.

At the Tudor Group, we provide a comprehensive cleaning service, ranging from standard scheduled office cleaning to deep cleaning, maintenance duties and specialist cleaning. Options are tailored to specific customer requirements.

 

To talk to us about your specific requirements, get in touch at 0161 789 3550 or via sales@tudorcc.com.