Offices and their facilities are some of the most commonly used areas you will find. While you may imagine that most areas within an office are clean, many are dirtier than you may expect. Yes, any office is regularly cleaned and may look clean on the surface. However, many people working in the same area can be a breeding ground for germs. It can create a surprisingly unhygienic environment for all.
What do you think is dirtier, your toilet seat or your office keyboard? Well, today, we’re going to find out. This article will explore how dirty an office can get, and the extra measures you can and should take to ensure your office is as clean as possible.
How dirty is your office?
Many people can’t believe the truth, but the fact is that your office is way filthier than you think! The average workplace is almost 100 times dirtier than a chopping board in your kitchen. A workplace is made up of people who all have their habits and standards of hygiene, meaning the workplace is a breeding ground for all types of germs. As the number of germs and microbes in the workplace has grown in every area, it can be a nightmare to try to keep this clean and manageable.
It may surprise you that the average workplace in the UK holds approximately 400x more germs than the toilet seat in your home. The main question that usually comes to mind when people discover this is, “How is that even possible?”. Well, many reasons contribute to this.
Firstly, many workers admit that they don’t wash their hands regularly. What makes this worse is that some workers admit to not washing their hands after going to the toilet! When they reintegrate into the office environment, all of the germs on them spread across the environment.
Other contributing factors are everyday workplace activities that have a significant effect on the cleanliness of the workplace as a whole. Things that are seen as daily activities like eating at your desk and keeping unnecessary items on your desk that need to be binned can allow germs to linger. These items would be acceptable if the workplace was cleaned after each activity. Still, the truth is that this is simply impractical in most situations.
Did you know?
- Crumbs are one of the
- workplace’s most common sources of bacteria.
- Approximately 1 in 10 workers never clean their keyboards.
- Approximately 85% of infections sp
read in the workplace because of uncleaned surfaces. - Shockingly, 1 in 3 workers admit to not washing their hands after using the toilet!
- 1 in 4 people have faecal bacteria on their hands right now.
With these facts being true across countless workplaces in the UK, it is easy to see just how easy it is for germs to take hold.
How to keep your office clean
Now that you’ve heard just how filthy an office can become (even if you can’t always see it), it is essential to understand what can be done to counteract this. Creating a plan to preserve a clean, hygienic working environment is vital. Many basic methods can be used to ensure that workplace germs are kept at a minimum and those hygienic problems are kept at bay.
Removing clutter
The first and easiest thing you can do is remove all excess, un-needed items from your desk. When you have unnecessary items strung across your desktop, it allows germs to build up and create a negative environment for you to work in. Removing clutter that isn’t needed from your desk removes areas for germs to breed. As well as this, you create a happier working environment for yourself.
Maintain your worktop
Now that you’ve de-cluttered your workplace, it is crucial to keep on top of things to make sure you don’t provide an optimal environment for germs to breed and grow. The best way to do this is to give your desk a quick wipe several times throughout the day and remove any potential germs that may spread throughout the day.
Keep windows sparkling
Cleanliness doesn’t only affect your physical health through infection. Certain aspects can also have an impact on your productivity and motivation levels. Natural light is one of the primary sources of productivity in the workplace. If you want to keep workers happy, motivation high and productivity consistent, keeping your windows clean is a small but effective way of achieving this.
Clean handles & switches
Did you know that germs found on a single door handle or light switch have the potential to pass a virus around a whole office within just one day? With germs that can spread at such an alarmingly rapid rate, it is crucial to regularly wipe down door handles and light switches. In such commonly accessed areas of the office, eliminating the risk posed by hidden bacteria must be an absolute priority.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know more about the hygienic hazards faced daily in the workplace and what can be done to combat them, get in touch! Our team of experts are on hand to answer any questions you have. Alternatively, you can look at our office cleaning service and how we can help you maintain your workplace, keeping it as hygienic and happy as possible.
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