Get Rid of Germs in Your Office

Work culture is often unhealthy by-default, both physically and mentally, but it doesn’t need to be. Too many employees show up to work with some type of “cold” or “stomach virus” without thinking about taking time off as long as their symptoms aren’t serious enough to prevent them from sitting or standing.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona found a virus from just one worker in an office was able to within 4hrs, contaminate over 50% of all commonly touched surfaces door handles, refrigerators and desktops.

Traces of the virus was also detected on the hands of 39% of all the people working within the office.

Researchers also found they could reduce the rate of transfer from 39% to 10% (on peoples hands) by implementing simple measures such as providing the workers of disinfecting wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

With over 80% of people admitting they would still go to work when they are sick, it is up to you to create the best line of defense from potential nasties while in the office.  Here are some precautions you should be taking to help keep your office germ free –

cleaning office wipes

Don’t let your office lack the essentials

With all the office supplies that get replenished regularly, and without fail, some of the most important supplies are often forgotten or neglected. Don’t let your workplace off the hook by constantly running out of the essential tools against the war on germs: disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizers, washroom supplies, and tissues, to name just a few.

Keep your beverages protectedoffice cup

Germs can cover a lot of ground when they go airborne. An open-mouthed beverage container is like an instant magnet for any foreign objects in the air. Even if you rinse it out every time you do a refill, it can still be harboring germs. Step one is to ditch any water bottle that isn’t made from non-porous materials, i.e. glass or aluminum. Step two is to always rinse with dish-washing soap and water. Wash it in the bathroom if you have to, just steer of using antibacterial soap as recent evidence has shown they don’t help and potentially contribute to an increase in antibiotic resistant super bugs.

maintained workspaceMaintain your work space

This includes wiping down all your surfaces every day (or telling your cleaner to do it) and keeping things organized. By having space which is not overly cluttered, you are limiting the opportunities for germs to survive. Yes, they can survive on and under your piles of paperwork, let’s not make it easier for them by providing a dark, moist environment for them to grow. Same goes for food and snacks, organize them so that you aren’t risking cross-contamination or inadvertently leaving behind germs on other surfaces.

Stop Touching Your Face
office man touching face

This one might take a bit more determination and practice, but there is one bad habit that could drastically reduce the amount of germs that get past your body’s first line of defense. With the vast majority of infectious diseases needing to be physically transferred through contact with our hands, it would be a huge benefit to limit the amount of times we habitually rub our face. We rub our eyes, mouth, nose, chin, and etc. so much but those are express tickets to through the body’s front doors. It may seem impossible at first, but as you catch yourself more and more, you can slowly become more conscious of these once innocuous behaviors. You can look into reducing itchiness of the face by using lotions and anti-allergy creams.

Read more about the Study by the University of Arizona can be found here and check out our article about 5 things in your office making you sick!

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2 Responses

  1. I have a warehouse space in Mascot which is 600 square meters. Do you service this area and how do I organise a quote?

    1. Hi Ray,
      Thanks for reaching out to us.
      Yes, we service your area and are already cleaning a number of warehouses in Mascot / Alexandria. I’ve sent you an email and would like to organise a time to go out and see the facility.

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