When you think of the dirtiest places that you can be, you wouldn’t necessarily think of your office but the average desk is covered in approximately 10 million bacteria, which is 400 times the amount for on your toilet seat. Bacteria can lurk in all kinds of nooks and crannies including your phone, keyboard, the office coffee maker and in communal areas, not to mention in the recycled air from heating and air conditioning units. Even with regular cleaning, do you know how clean your office actually is?
As well as making for an unpleasant working environment, it means that illnesses and infections are quickly spread from person to person. This germ-ridden environment is caused by multiple factors but mainly by poor personal hygiene, for example not washing hands after using the toilet, not covering mouths when coughing or sneezing, leaving dirty mugs, crockery and utensils out and coming into work whilst in the contagious stage of an illness. If you are an employer, a dirty office that promotes the spread of illnesses can prove rather costly as sick days cost £28.8 billion each year in the UK.
A lot of offices are implementing rules such as removing food from the fridge by the end of the week or removing mugs from desks by the end of the day but bacteria multiplies extremely quickly. Whilst this does play a part in helping to keep an office clean and tidy, it does not negate the germs left in their wake on the desk or dirt and grime left in the refrigerator as this area is usually outside of an office cleaner’s jurisdiction. On top of this, 60% of office workers eat at their desks due to busy schedules which means that food particles and bacteria are quickly spread around.
One of the quickest ways that people spread germs is via unwashed hands; if you think about how many things you touch on a daily basis from the doorknobs in your home to handrails on public transport and how many other people touch those items, thousands of bacteria are spread. This number increases at an alarming rate when there are just a few people who don’t wash their hands. Using antibacterial hand gel can help but does not get rid of viruses or grime so you should make sure you always wash your hands often. Phones and keyboards are also major culprits for harbouring bacteria, housing 25,127 microbes and 3,295 microbes per square inch respectively. Giving them a quick once-over with antibacterial wipes on a regular basis can help to keep germs at bay.
Most offices have a regular cleaner but this tends to be surface cleaning, such as emptying bins, vacuuming and giving desks a quick wipe. However, Spotless includes deep cleans help to remove dirt, grime and bacteria from hard to reach and neglected areas including the backs of computers and air vents. Thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting the office water cooler, coffee machine and fridge are also included in a deep clean to remove any dirt, mildew and mould. Little steps can go a long way in keeping an office much cleaner and healthier for the people in it.
Credit: Chris Gash
As commercial cleaners in the Cambridge area, we can support your work in remaining clean and safe. Contact our team today to discuss your requirements.
