Did you know that the average computer keyboard contains five times more germs than a lavatory seat? Whilst our offices may not look so dirty, it’s possible that they could be crawling with bacteria – bacteria that could be making you and your workforce sick.
Whilst you may already have a cleaning routine in place to keep the office tidy and presentable, here are just some of the measures you can take to tackle those hidden bacteria breeding ground.
Have a yearly deep clean
You may already have cleaners that come in on a weekly or monthly basis, but they’re likely to only do the surface level stuff such as getting rid of dust and mopping stains of tiles. Many businesses will invest in an annual deep clean on a day when no-one is in the office in order to fully sterilize the office from top to bottom. A professional company will be able to scrub away any mold and use a carpet cleaning machine to fumigate any foul flooring. This annual purge will stop any bacteria from setting in.
Use cleaner tech
The tech choices you use can help your business to stay cleaner. When it comes to toilets, don’t let these become smelly and unappealing – do your research into the most effective urinal cleaning practices so that they’re always fresh. Also consider air conditioning units that have an auto-clean feature. Air con units can build up with dust and bacteria over time, which is then circulated around the office. You can keep this air constantly clean by buying the right tech.
Sterilize cups
A grim study of office mugs found that twenty per cent carried fecal bacteria. Office mugs may gather germs simply from certain people on the office skimping back on cleaning. It could be worth every so often sterilising all cups in bleach. Alternatively, you could keep onto your own cup and take it home with you (few workplaces have dishwashers – if you have one at home why not use this?).
Make ill employees go home
Ill employees shouldn’t be in the office. Some bosses may like to keep staff in due to under-staffing, but what they may not realize is that this behavior could be causing more under-staffing in the long run as more employees catch the bug. Besides, if you’re dealing with clients face to face, it doesn’t look good on your company if you’re surrounded by coughing and sniffling employees.
Don’t forget about your smartphone
Few of us clean this personal device, which we take everywhere with us. Some of us may even use our phone when sitting on the loo. Even if you don’t use your phone for work, many of us are likely to put it on our desk where the germs can then spread onto other objects in the office. Regularly clean your smartphone with microfiber pads (avoid alcohol solutions as these can damage the screen) and it will no longer be a contaminant.