How clean is your office? With so much to think about on a day to day basis, it’s only natural for workplace cleanliness to be overlooked. However, from giving off a bad impression to increasing the likelihood of employee sickness, a dirty office can cause numerous problems for your business. Keen to clean up your act? Here are the four dirtiest places in your office along with a few tips to help you keep on top of things.
Computer keyboards
Numerous studies suggest that computer keyboards are dirtier than toilet seats.
In fact, the average keyboard is home to millions of bacteria and viruses along with hair and dead skin. With many workers eating at their desks and some people failing to wash their hands regularly, it’s easy to see how our computers get so dirty and why germs are spread so easily.
Thankfully, computer keyboards are extremely easy to clean by following these steps:
– Turn off your computer and turn your keyboard upside down to remove the crumbs
– Use a soft paintbrush or toothbrush to sweep crumbs from under the keys
– Clean the keys with an antibacterial cleaning wipe specially designed for keyboard use
– If any crumbs or debris remains in the keys, use a small piece of paper to coax them out
Office carpets
While many of us like to take our shoes off when we enter our own homes, this isn’t a habit we tend to carry over to the workplace. Considering how many people walk around the average office each day, is it any wonder that office carpets are one of the dirtiest places in the environment?
Worryingly, it’s believed that an average carpet harbours 200,000 bacteria per square inch.
If you want to slash this figure and reduce the likelihood of germs being spread, regular maintenance is required.
Vacuuming the carpet can help to remove dirt and debris from the floor. For great results, it’s worth investing in an industrial vacuum cleaner designed for professional environments.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a deeper clean, look into carpet extractor hire. A carpet extractor will not only remove hairs and crumbs from your floor, it will also use rotating brushes and specialist detergent to give the carpet a thorough wash.
Door handles
With so many hands touching the door handles in your workplace each day, it’s unsurprising how quickly germs can be spread. All it takes is for one employee with the flu to open a door after sneezing on their hand and before you know it, the virus has spread to several workers and has driven productivity into the ground. Aside from encouraging sick employees to stay at home, it’s wise to keep handles as clean as possible across your office.
Switches and buttons
Light switches, the buttons in the elevator, and the dials on the microwave can become bacteria breeding grounds thanks to the number of people who touch them each day.
Whether your cleaner operates on a daily or weekly basis, ensure they take these areas into account when cleaning your workplace.
