Spring Cleaning: Keep Your Employees Happy and Healthy! 

You want your office to be in the best shape possible at all times. To achieve this, you have to keep it clean. Keeping your office clean offers many benefits, including happy and healthy employees. With the current worry around the coronavirus, keeping your office germ free is more important than ever. While there are certain things that should be left up to the professionals, such as deep cleaning, carpet cleaning or window washing, there are many things you can do on your own throughout the day to try and keep germs out of your office.

Where are Germs Hiding?

Understanding the common places germs lurk is the first step to maintaining a clean office. With the threat of coronavirus, many people are becoming more aware of the things they touch and the germs they spread. Many office workers cringe when they use shared bathroom facilities, assuming they house the most germs. However, research conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional, revealed that employee break rooms undoubtedly take the top honors as one of the dirtiest spots in the workplace. 

Surprisingly, the report did not tag tables and counters in employee break areas as problematic. Perhaps employees often clean these surfaces themselves, especially if the tables show signs of crumbs or stickiness. The places registering high ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels, where you need to use caution, include the following appliance handles, which multiple people touch every day:

• Tap or faucet handles in the kitchenette sink
• Microwave handles
• Refrigerator handles
• Coffee pot or hot pot handles
• Vending machine handles and buttons

Be sure to clean the handles and buttons with a disinfectant wipe before touching them. Alternatively, you could use a paper towel or napkin for protection.

Other items that registered high on the ATP scale are located on desks, where most office workers spend the majority of their workday. Depending on job duties, these three germ-breeding items are used regularly in the average cubicle:

• Keyboards
• Computer mice
• Desk phones
• Be Proactive

Many people are stocking their desks with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. If you manage an office or commercial building, you may want to provide similar items for public areas to encourage good habits. Act fast, as the panic surrounding coronavirus and the spread of the flu increases, cleaning supplies are disappearing rapidly.

Cooperation is key. Viruses are spread by people, so make sure your employees are doing their part to stop the spread of germs. Consider different ways to remind individuals to wash their hands frequently, cover their mouth when they cough, or wipe down surfaces after use. You can spread these reminders by placing signs throughout the office or send out friendly emails. 

Maintain the Clean

If you work with a professional cleaning company, it is important to do your part to maintain a clean environment. Professionals may do a deep clean of your facility, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore daily cleanup. Encourage your employees to wipe down their area on a regular basis, especially after eating or drinking in a common space. If you want to keep your office clean and germ free, the most important thing to remind your employees is to stay home if they feel sick. Unfortunately, we know this isn’t always followed, so doing your part in limiting the spread of germs is vital. 

Need More Help? 

It’s important to make sure your cleaning service embraces the sanitation of problem items and equipment in break locations, desk areas and other stations. Regular cleaning of handles and equipment goes a long way toward curbing bacteria and germs.

At U.S. Servico, we offer solutions to prepare and educate you and your staff on ways to reduce the risk of coronavirus and other viruses in your work environment. We have been the experts in disinfecting and keeping surgical rooms operational for over 30 years by killing multiple strands of viruses.

Let us provide consultation for the best proactive sanitization practices customized to the needs of your facility. We offer a variety of services from full-service disinfecting to daily prevention plans. Contact us today by calling 248-671-4229 or sending us an email to set up your free initial consultation meeting.