Are you noticing how quickly a common cold or stomach bug can sweep through your office leaving staff members off sick and productivity disrupted?
It’s not just close proximity that allows germs and bacteria to spread, frequently touched surfaces around the workplace are often overlooked, creating the perfect environment for infections to thrive.
Maintaining a clean and hygienic workspace is essential, not only for protecting your employees’ health but also for fostering a professional environment and supporting productivity.
In this blog, we’ll highlight the top 10 high-touch areas that are commonly missed during routine cleaning, explaining why these spots matter and showing how a professional contracted commercial cleaning partner can help keep your workplace safe and healthy.
What Are High-Touch Areas?
High-touch areas are surfaces handled frequently by multiple people. These surfaces act as germ hotspots, increasing the risk of bacterial and viral transmission.
Why Are High-Touch Areas Important to Clean?
High-touch surfaces are hotspots for germs and bacteria because they are handled constantly, sometimes by hundreds of people each day.
Even with regular cleaning, these areas are often overlooked, allowing germs to build up and spread quickly throughout your workplace.
Paying close attention to these high-touch areas is crucial because it helps to:
- Reduce the risk of illness spreading among employees, visitors and clients.
- Maintain a hygienic and safe working environment for everyone.
- Support productivity by minimising staff sickness and absences.
- Demonstrate a professional and responsible workplace to visitors and inspectors.
Regular attention to these surfaces is a simple but highly effective step in protecting your workplace from infections and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.
Top 10 Overlooked High-Touch Areas
1. Door Handles
With constant use throughout the day, door handles can quickly become hotspots for germs.
If not cleaned regularly, door handles can easily contribute to the spread of bacteria and viruses.
2. Light Switches
Although small, light switches are touched dozens of times a day but are often forgotten in routine cleaning.
Regularly disinfecting them helps maintain hygiene in offices, meeting rooms, and communal areas.
3. Computer Keyboards & Mice
Keyboards and mice are used for long periods and can collect dust, food particles, and bacteria from repeated contact.
Shared workstations increase the risk of contamination, making these surfaces essential to include in cleaning schedules.
4. Telephone Handsets
Phones are handled frequently and are often held close to the face, which makes them a key vector for germs.
Regular cleaning helps prevent the transfer of bacteria between users.
5. Lift Buttons
From ground floor to top floor, every person entering or leaving the lift presses the same buttons, which allows bacteria and viruses to spread easily.
Without regularly disinfecting, they can quickly become a hotspot for germs.
6. Handrails
Stair and corridor handrails provide support but are constantly handled by staff and visitors.
Frequent deep cleaning helps prevent the spread of bacteria.
7. Tap Handles
Tap handles are used both before and after handwashing, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
Keeping them sanitised is essential for bathroom hygiene.
8. Shared Kitchen Appliances
Microwaves, kettles, coffee machines and fridge handles are used by multiple employees throughout the day.
Regular cleaning keeps communal kitchens hygienic.
9. Reception Desks & Countertops
Reception areas see constant interaction, from signing people in to collecting deliveries.
Cleaning these services regularly helps maintain a professional and hygienic entrance.
10. Printers & Photocopiers
Shared printers and photocopiers are handled by many staff members daily.
Buttons, touchscreens and control panels should be disinfected to reduce germ build-up.
Regular janitorial cleaning, along with occasional deep cleans, help keeps high-touch areas clean, reduces the spread of germs, and creates a healthier workplace for everyone.
The Risks of Neglecting High-Touch Areas
Neglecting, high-touch areas can have serious consequences for your workplace, affecting health, productivity, and your company’s reputation.
- Increased spread of illness– Germs on frequently touched surfaces can spread quickly, putting employees, visitors, and clients at risk.
- Lower employee productivity – Sickness leads to missed workdays, slowing operations and increasing costs.
- Poor first impressions – Dirty surfaces in reception or shared spaces can make your business appear unprofessional and careless about hygiene. First impressions count.
- Health & safety compliance risks – Failing to maintain clean, high-touch areas may breach regulations, resulting in fines and reputational damage.
How Professional Cleaning Services Can Help
Keeping track of high-touch surfaces in busy workplaces can be challenging.
Professional cleaning services take the stress away by ensuring these areas are consistently sanitised and maintained.
Contracted cleaners provide:
- Structured cleaning schedules to cover all high-touch areas efficiently.
- Professional-grade disinfectants and equipment for deeper, more effective cleaning.
- Consistent hygiene standards across the entire workplace.
- Support for specialised environments, such as CQC compliant spaces.
- Assistance with workplace compliance, helping meet health and safety regulations.
By using commercial cleaning services, businesses can keep high-touch areas clean and hygienic, creating a healthier, safer, and more productive workplace.
Ready to take the stress out of workplace hygiene? Contact us today to schedule a professional cleaning plan tailored to your workplace.