Despite the pandemic, the office is still an important business essential for many different companies. Bringing staff together, even if it’s only for one or two days a week can maintain a sense of community that remote working just can’t achieve.
That being said, an office is still a costly investment – even above the basic rent and bills you need to pay. Keeping your office space clean and tidy is a time-consuming process that can’t be forgotten or sacrificed in an effort to keep costs down.
Nevertheless, even the cleanest of us forget a few things from time to time. Here are 5 items in the office that you need to remember to clean little and often.
Kettles
If your workforce loves a morning coffee, the kettle will be one of the most touched surfaces in your office – and because of this, the handle and any key touchpoints can harbour dirt, germs and bacteria.
Make sure you or your cleaning staff wipe down the kettle with an antibacterial cleaner as often as possible to reduce the chances of nasty bugs from forming.
For the inside of your kettle, to keep your hot drinks tasting great, we’d recommend descaling it once a month to remove any limescale that may have built up around the heating element and the sides of your appliance. You can buy ready mixed descaling solutions from many retailers.
Door handles
Door handles have the potential to harbour a variety of bacteria and viruses. Because they’re non-porous, any germs will sit on the surface of the handle meaning that every time they are touched, they can spread from person to person.
The first way to reduce this is an education piece, and ensuring staff are washing their hands regularly to remove germs that may be lingering on their skin. But it’s impossible to track if individuals are following this type of hygiene guidance.
Mitigating this with regular cleaning of door handles will help reduce any transmission of bacteria and viruses between individuals and it can be as simple as cleaning the handle with an antibacterial wipe or a spray and cloth if necessary.
Dish cloths and sponges
Dish cloths and sponges are a common sight in both residential and commercial kitchens, but they can be full of bacteria. Once a cloth has been used to clean something, it becomes contaminated by the bacteria on that surface.
Rinsing the cloth or sponge with water in the sink isn’t enough to kill the bacteria, so it’s important to regularly wash them at a high temperature or submerge in bleach (careful with this method) to kill as much of the bacteria as possible.
Some sponges can be cleaned in the dishwasher but make sure you check on the individual packaging to see if this is the case before going ahead.
Another option is to not use dish cloths and sponges and stick to a disposable roll and surface sanitiser instead.
Keyboards and mice
No not the furry kind. A survey by IT firm CBT Nuggets found that computer and laptop keyboards on average were 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Researchers have found a common bacterium on keyboards called Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause stomach upsets.
Yet cleaning keyboards is one of the easiest things to get right. It can be as simple as cleaning the surface thoroughly with a skin-safe antibacterial solution or wipe, though this will of course only clean the surface of the keyboard.
The spaces in between and underneath each individual key are a magnet for dropped food crumbs, but they are much harder to clean. To clean this quickly and efficiently, just follow these helpful steps:
- Unplug your keyboard or switch off your laptop.
- Shake the keyboard upside down (if this is a laptop keyboard, do it gently).
- Grab a cotton bud and some rubbing alcohol to clean in between the keys.
- You can also buy washable covers for keyboards which could be worth investing in.
For your mouse, give it a good wipe with a skin-safe antibacterial solution and leave to dry before using it again.
Fridges
The humble communal fridge is an often-neglected appliance. From spilt milk to food that’s been left for months, every office suffers from a similar problem. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
As you would at home, cleaning the office fridge little and often is important to keep odours and bacteria at bay. The best way to do this is to ensure any fridges in your building are cleaned once a week – removing any food or drinks that are past their use-by dates and putting them in the bin.
You could make this a company policy so staff know that fridges are routinely inspected and food removed. This way, you can keep your fridges smelling – and looking great.
And there you have it – 5 easy ways to keep the office clean. If you are still wondering how to keep an office clean and tidy, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Crystal Cleaning Servicing experts who are on hand to answer any questions you might have about hiring professional cleaners.
