If you are office-based, you probably think you are lucky to work in a clean, safe, and healthy environment. You likely enjoy the benefits of sitting in a comfy chair in a heated room all day. Many staff members consider office cleaning as nothing more than throwing your rubbish in the bin.
You will spend a significant amount of time in your office, typically at least forty hours per week. You may even eat your lunch at your desk, which is the case for one in three UK workers.
Considering the length of time you spend in your office and the lack of office cleaning, you really shouldn’t be surprised to know that the space, its surfaces, and its equipment are highly contaminated by bacteria, fungi, microbes, and viruses. All of these have the potential to cause sickness and absenteeism. This is something both worker and company want to avoid.
The risks of falling ill as an office worker are increased through what occurs during the day. Close collaboration, workspace sharing, socialising, and using shared equipment such as printers all contribute to depositing and passing harmful germs.
Furthermore, almost half of all UK office workers admit to not washing their hands properly. Poor handwashing practices include washing them too quickly and not washing them at all. The thought of this alone should have you on the phone or drafting an email to arrange regular office cleaning.
Your Desks Are 400 Times Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat
According to an article published by the Independent, your desks are four hundred times dirtier than a toilet seat. The nasty and dangerous germs found on the average office desk include E-coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Helicobacter pylori, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The numbers are pretty disturbing, with an average of 20,961 germs per square inch. This is significantly greater than the number of germs on a toilet seat, which has 49 per square inch.
If you are wondering if men are dirtier than women, then we are afraid to say that this is also true. As a result, men’s desks, drawers, phones, keyboards, and mice harbour three to four times the amount of bacteria. Theories for this include men having lower personal grooming standards and men having larger desks than women.
When Was The Last Time You Cleaned Your Equipment?
Many items of equipment are never cleaned, and this is quite concerning. Every tap on keyboard deposits and picks up germs and microorganisms, which can then easily be transferred to your face, which most people touch hundreds of times a day.
Phones are another area of concern because they are used close to entry points into the human body, such as the ear, nose, mouth, and eyes. In fact, research shows that the typical phone carries ten times more bacteria than a typical toilet seat.
While cleaning falls under health and safety regulations, it is still the case that washrooms and kitchens have regular cleaning, while offices get little attention. At the same time, much of the fixtures, equipment, and furniture in the office itself are neglected when cleaning does take place. It is definitely time to ask when the last time you cleaned your equipment was?
Ratcliffe cleaning can help you achieve and maintain a safe working environment with our office cleaning services. With professional office cleaning carried out by a highly trained team of cleaning technicians, you will enjoy standards that meet and exceed health and safety regulations.
If you would like to get a price for our office cleaning services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
