When we think about offices and their germs, we often think about keyboards, phones, and door handles. While all of those are great spaces for bacteria to grow and sickness to spread, we need to talk about some of the other often overlooked areas in offices that can hide and harbor plenty of germs and bacteria.
Waiting Room Furniture
If you have a business that has a waiting room, you might not put much thought into cleaning your chairs. Some simple cleaning areas can be hard surfaces such as the arms of chairs and the surfaces of coffee tables, but what about fabric surfaces that never get cleaned? This might be something you think about in a doctor’s office, but what about at a bank, or anywhere else you’re required to wait? It is suggested that upholstery in waiting rooms be professionally cleaned at minimum every six months, but at most every twelve months. Are you keeping up on cleaning your waiting room furniture?
Office Desks & Chairs
It’s reported that the average office desk contains 400 times more germs than a toilet seat. You can help keep that number down by wiping with an antibacterial cloth on a regular basis, but while we often wipe down the desk, what about areas like the arms on your seat, or even the seat itself? Office chairs, especially those with upholstery, should be cleaned regularly and replaced when there’s evidence of rips or tears.
Checking and cleaning chairs regularly can help keep away rust and keep chairs functioning for as long as possible as well as providing health benefits to reducing the growth of bacterias that can cause office smells or even sickness.
Buttons & Switches
While we’ve talked about how gross office phones can be in the past, you should consider how often other frequently used buttons and switches may be used in your workplace. When’s the last time someone wiped down the buttons on the office copier or fax machine? Probably never. If you’re not able to wipe down the copier from week to week, you may want to consider avoiding eating after using the copier or rubbing your eyes, at least until you can go wash your hands.
Consider other buttons and switches as well, such as combo keypads for lockers or for authorization areas. Elevator buttons are another big one, so make sure to tackle those as well.
Remember, a great way to prevent the spread of office germs is to make sure that your cleaning company is cleaning as effectively as possible. Make sure your cleaners are using eco-friendly products to help keep from harming your employees or coworkers with harsh chemicals. Don’t have an eco-friendly cleaner? Contact EcoSource today to get started!
