Everyone grows up learning that to regularly wash their hands. Or at least they should. We have all heard stories about the excessive amounts of bacteria lurking everywhere, and there have been entire industries built on battling that bacteria from hand soap to home cleaning disinfectants. But what you may not think about is how prevalent these germs are in areas that you might not expect.
As technology has grown and become a staple in most homes, schools, and business settings, there are now even more surfaces for germs to gather on. And because they are located in environments that are typically quite clean, people often do not pay much mind to what they could be touching all day every day. This is why office cleaning is so important.
Office cleaning services for a healthier workplace
It is a common occurrence for an individual to go in to work even though he or she is feeling under the weather. The way that most employment contracts work don’t allow for much time off, so when people think that they can power through a work day with a sickness, they will more often than not do just that. At least one in every three people go to work when they are sick.
The problem is, they are bringing those illnesses into the office, where these things can easily spread quite quickly, especially if devices such as computers and phones, or even pens and staplers, are shared. An average desk can easily host 10 million bacteria, and any given elevator button could have germs numbering in the millions as well. Breaking those numbers down even further, a single office phone can have over 25,000 germs on every square inch of the device. Quality janitorial cleaning services can diminish these overwhelming numbers, but not bringing in contagious bugs helps considerably.
Office cleaning vs. sick employees
Commercial cleaning contractors can help to keep an office clean, but it likely will not be sterile, especially when employees pass on taking a sick day. Even if an employee gives in and goes home early, the damage may have already been done. For example, the flu virus can survive on a hard surface such as a desk, telephone, or keyboard for as many as 48 hours. And one National Health Interview Survey reported that influenza is the culprit behind 75 million days of missed work, and 200 million days of reduced workplace productivity.
Battling viruses and bacteria in the workplace begins with the vigilance of the employees, not only by staying home when necessary, but also by keeping their own work spaces clean, using disinfectant on shared supplies and on other materials that are used often. Don’t rely solely on the janitorial services to keep all of the viruses out of the office. They have plenty to do already, and it should be a team effort anyway.
It is possible to have a clean and healthy office. It simply requires the cooperation and contribution of everyone in the workspace.
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