Office Cleaning and Hand Washing- They Go Hand In Hand
Excuse the punny language, but when you look into the figures about cross contamination we need need to talk about hands and office cleaning. A recent article in the Cleaning Matters magazine highlights the importance of cleaning hands to reduce the spread of viruses at work. Did you know- contaminated hands can spread germs and viruses onto SEVEN surfaces and these can be passed on to the next 14 people who touch that object. That’s almost 100 potential cross contaminations from one set of dirty hands! For example the buttons in lifts, or the light switch in the toilet, and even the taps you use to wash your hands. These unpleasant figures show how important office cleaning is to keep your workspace safe. Especially during the pandemic.
More Fun Facts About Office Cleaning And Clean Hands
It’s not just viruses like coronavirus that spread when we don’t wash our hands. Germs like salmonella, ecoli and hand foot and mouth can be spread by dirty hands. Hand washing is so important it even has its own international day. On the 5th May every year the World Health Organisation celebrates World Hand Hygiene Day. And with your desk potentially being more dirty than your office toilets, consistent cleaning standards are vital. Its all a bit grim. That’s where excellent office cleaning combined with personal hand hygiene comes in.
What Can I Do To Protect Myself Between Office Cleans?
When you’re in the office, its a great idea to clean your hands either with alcohol gel or hand washing when you:
- get to the office
- sit down at your desk- perhaps you touched a lift button or the stair rail or door handle on the way to your seat.
- leave your desk
- when you use the toilet
- when you get back to your desk from the toilet
- before you eat
- after you eat
- before you leave the office
You can also be extra cautious and clean your hands when you touch shared office objects or your own personal items. Why? Because research has found that our smartphones can have more germs on them than the office toilet. And even kettle handles have been found to have faecal particles on them. Grim.
But How Can Office Cleaning Help?
Office cleaning helps reduce the spread of viruses by keeping surfaces touched by multiple people clean. We call these objects and areas high traffic areas. This might be the doors between the main office and the toilets that everyone touches, or the reception desk or key fob point we use to leave the building. There are multiple benefits from office cleaning. The potential to clean surfaces and reduce cross contamination of viruses. Giving staff and customers confidence to come into your office. As well as creating a relaxed environment which people know is clean and safe. We’ve introduced lots of new practices since the start of the pandemic to keep offices clean and reduce the spread of viruses in the workplace.
What Hand Sanitising Options Can We Put In Place As Part Of Our Office Cleaning?
There are a variety of hand sanitising options available. Including individual sanitiser bottles for each desk and surface, so that sanitiser is always in reach. If you’re looking to decrease your use of plastic in your office, these bottles can be used multiple times with our industrial sized hand sanitiser refills. Wall mounted sanitising stations can be installed too. Options include manual pumps that must be pressed to release sanitiser. Or electronic pumps that detect a hand waiting to be sanitised. Freestanding all in one sanitising stations are also available. These stations include a bin for any wipes or tissues, keeping the office nice and tidy. And reducing the spread of any potentially contaminated waste to one sealed area in the office. If you’d like to talk about your office space and how we could help you invest in your sanitiser stations we’re happy to help!
I’d Like To Talk To You About Our Office Cleaning- Can You Help Me?
Yes we can! Contact us on 01908 030031 to find out how we can support your office cleaning. If you’re based in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Luton, Hemel Hempstead or Watford or the surrounding areas we’re here for you. And we’re ready for a contact free or virtual no obligation office cleaning quotation. Get in touch today or email us.