Is your office really clean enough to work in?
Most business owners pay attention to basic office cleaning tasks like sweeping and vacuuming the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, and taking out the trash. This is a good start, but with so many people sharing the same space, a basic cleaning isn’t enough.
There are countless areas in your office that are swarming with germs. Here’s a dirty little secret: an office coffee pot handle contains 34 times more bacteria than a toilet seat!
Learn the 7 most overlooked areas of your office that need to be cleaned regularly to keep your facility productive, healthy, and safe.
80% of infections spread via contact with contaminated surfaces.
1. Handles
The handles in your office are a hot spot for germs. Door handles are an obvious culprit, but there’s much more to pay attention to than that. Some of dirtiest handles in your office belong to:
- Sinks
- Refrigerators
- Microwaves
- Coffee pots
- Handrails
2. Buttons & Switches
Just like the handles in your building, you should also pay attention to the buttons scattered around your space.
- Water fountains
- Vending machines
- Elevators
- Light switches
3. Breakroom
Your break or lunch room area is one of the germiest places in your office. One study — the most comprehensive ever conducted on workplace cleanliness — found a huge number of breakroom surfaces to have a high level of bacteria contamination.
- 75% of break room sink faucet handles
- 48% of microwave door handles
- 26% of refrigerator door handles
- 23% of water fountain buttons
- 21% of vending machine buttons
All of these surfaces can be found in a typical office break or lunchroom. Employees may be spreading germs throughout the workplace every time they heat up lunch, make coffee, or grab something from the vending machine.
4. Desk equipment
An employee’s desk surface is home to about 10 million germs at any one time!
Personal workspaces need to be wiped down and disinfected on a regular basis. Although you can hope each employee will practice these proper hygiene habits, its best not to leave the health of the entire office in their hands.
Take a trip around your office. How many phones will you find with pockets of gunk in the receiver or in-between numbers? Are computer screens covered in dust? Are there crumbs between keyboards? The answer is probably yes. But even if they appear to be relatively clean, there’s a lot you’re not seeing!
Phones, computers, keyboards, mouse…these are things your employees are touching on a daily basis. You need to keep them clean to help avoid the spread of germs throughout your office.
5. Furniture & Upholstery
Office furniture often slips under the radar when it comes to cleaning tasks. After all, if it doesn’t look dirty, why clean it? But in this case, what you can’t see can still hurt you.
Even if your office furniture doesn’t look dirty, dust, oil, residue, and bacteria are piling up on a daily basis. These pieces should be cleaned regularly to help stop the spread of germs throughout your office.
Don’t forget to clean:
- Lobby seating
- Employee lounge seating
- Desk chairs
- Cubicle partitions
- Anything made from a fabric material
6. Curtains & Blinds
You probably already clean your windows regularly, but what about your blinds, shades, or curtains? Just like your other upholstery, these things need to be cleaned regularly.
Window coverings collect dust super easily. The longer you wait to clean them, the more unhealthy dust will spread around your office. Prevent the spread of germs and ensure healthy air quality for your team.
How to fight germs in your office
Getting your office on a regular, thorough cleaning schedule is the first step toward a cleaner, healthier workspace.
Talk with a local cleaning service and discuss the frequency and specific services your space needs. Make sure the cleaning company you choose has a proven track record and will do more than just sweep the floors and run a rag over your countertops. When it comes to cleaning your office, look for a detail-oriented and thorough team.
For your bacteria-free office dreams to come true, you’ll also need the help of your employees. Practicing good office hygiene is imperative. Here are some good strategies to get everyone on board:
- Post handwashing signs in the bathroom (1 in 6 men don’t wash their hands after using the restroom!)
- Schedule time on the calendar for monthly desk cleaning sessions, encouraging employees to clean their workspace
- Keep cleaning supplies at the ready for employees who need them
- Form a daily kitchen cleaning schedule, delegating responsibility to a different team every week
Taking steps to keep your space as clean as possible is important. You must take your responsibility to provide a clean and sanitary workplace to your employees seriously. However, despite your best efforts, there will always be some germs in your space — it’s inevitable in an office building!
We’re here to help. No matter the size of your facility, we can create a customized cleaning plan just for you. Contact us now to schedule an in-person quote.
