It’s no secret that Americans work hard. The average American works almost 35 hours a week and some work even longer than that.
But whether you’re working part-time, full-time or working from home, chances are good you’re being exposed to a lot of germs. The average desk is home to 10 million bacteria and most of the everyday equipment used in an office is covered in bacteria too.
On average, office phones have 25,127 germs per square inch and the average elevator button harbors millions of germs. In an office setting, workers are likely to sit in cubicles at their desks and all of those things harbor germs too. The average keyboard, chair and computer mouse harbor some 21,000 germs per square inch.
Chances are those statistics cause you to raise an eyebrow or two. They may even make you reach out to commercial cleaners who do routine maintenance at your office and ask them to clean your work space more thoroughly. But don’t fret. The fact is that germs are everywhere, on every surface and you come into contact with thousands of them every day.
The statistics on workplace germs might be a little unsettling, but there are many commercial cleaning tips and tricks to keep your work space as germ-free as possible.
- Use Post-It notes to clean crumbs from your keyboard.
- Cut down on your paperwork by marking documents with dates and how long you might expect to need them for.
- Wipe the grime from the inside of the office microwave by running the microwave for 3-5 minutes with some wet paper towel inside. When it’s done running, wipe up the grime with the paper towel. The steam from the towels helps soften those stubborn globs that won’t come off.
- To cut down on desktop clutter, only keep what you really need. Free knick-knacks from trade shows are fun, but if they’re causing clutter on your desk, ditch them and hold on to the important things like family photos and momentos.
- If your trash bin at your desk is always messy, try putting newspaper in the bottom to help absorb any liquids.
- Ease the frustration of tangled computer chords by using binder clips to keep them organized.
- Use a label maker to keep track of everything from files to storage bins to important papers.
- Straighten up your work space at the end of the day so you have a clean desk to come back to the next day. Try wiping the top of your desk down with antibacterial wipes and using Lysol wipes or spray to clean your keyboard, mouse and phone or headset.
In addition to these commercial cleaning tips and tricks, you can everyone in your office a favor by staying home if you’re sick. One out of three people go to work when they’re sick and while they may be able to tough it out, they’re putting their co-workers at risk.
According to a National Health Interview Survey, influenza alone is responsible for 200 million days of diminished productivity and 75 million days of work absence. Flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours, so those germs plus the thousands already floating around in the office can leave workers very susceptible to illness.
Knowing these commercial cleaning tips and tricks can also help your office save money. Using cleaning and janitorial services can get your office squeaky clean, but it can also be costly. Emptying the trash and light cleaning in an extremely small office starts around $20 to $30 per visit and goes up depending on office size, the number of restrooms and type and amount of cleaning requested.
If your workplace is in need of cleaning, these steps and the commercial cleaning tips and tricks listed above will have it spick and span in no time at all.