Sanitation has just become one of the biggest topics out there. With offices closing worldwide in the middle of a pandemic, that underappreciated little bottle of hand sanitizer on the corner of your desk is suddenly in the limelight.
You spend countless hours cooped up in your workspace with others. Now is a better time than ever for office managers to make in-depth sanitation practices a major priority from this point forward. If you want to maintain a work environment that’s hygienic and therefore conducive to glowing health for all of your employees, customers and clients, then these cleanliness strategies can go a long way for you.
Concentrate on Computer Keyboards
It’s not a desk if it doesn’t have a keyboard on it. And most of us already know that our keyboards are sanctuaries for germs, grime and Jammie Dodger crumbs. But you may be a little unsure as to how to clean electronic devices like keyboards. Here are a couple of tips on that.
There are two main types of keyboards out there today: mechanical keyboards and membrane keyboards. Membrane keyboards are much more waterproof than mechanical because there is a membrane layer between the key and the switch. With keyboards like this, you are safe using alcohol wipes or isopropyl alcohol applied to a cotton swab to get in between the keys.
The mechanical variety tends to be higher end and more tactile. They have a pronounced “click” each time you press a key and tend to bit louder as well. Chances are, you have a membrane keyboard but if yours is mechanical, you’ll need to take extra care not to damage the keyboard in the process. Use a can of compressed air with a straw attachment to get in between the keys and blast out those crumbs. Then follow up sparingly with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab.
While you’re doing this, don’t forget about your mouse. You can disinfect it in the same way.
Zero in on Doors and Chairs
Doors and chairs may be nastier than you realize. Imagine how many people touch a doorknob on an hourly basis. If you want to disinfect doorknobs the right way, keep disinfectant sprays and wipes handy at your office and give them a quick once-over at the end of the day as you’re locking up the office. Keep a dry microfiber cloth at hand as well so you can dry off the handle. The acrid smell of disinfectant can be comforting to your inner germaphobe, but no one wants a handful of Lysol. While you’re wiping down door handles, don’t neglect one of the most important yet overlooked ones: the handles on your washroom toilet partitions. These are easily overlooked.
Writing Tools
Do you share pens and pencils with other people in the office? If not, then you might have a little problem with sharing. But at least you’ll be more germ free than your other less miserly workmates. For the rest of us, keeping a personal supply of antibacterial wipes in a desk drawer will make it possible to do a quick clean-down of those chewed-up pens before getting to work with them.
Think About Headsets and Telephones
While telephones are indispensable to communication, they’re also remarkably dirty and are likely to see little cleaning if any. If you want to take care of those spit-riddled headset mouthpieces, then you need to have isopropyl alcohol on hand at your desk. For telephones, grab a washcloth that’s just a tad moist, dab a little soap on, and wipe the phone down.
Make Covers for Light Switches a Priority
Light switches are major bacteria hot spots. People rely on them as frequently as they rely on door handles. If you want to keep these switches clean, fresh and devoid of immoderate amounts of bacteria, then unholster your trusty disinfectant spray. You know what to do next.
Of course, if you’re using automatic lights that flip on and off when they detect motion, you’ve already bypassed this scenario.
Strong Office Sanitization Strategies to Consider Adopting Right Away
For some of us, “good enough” just isn’t good enough. What if you want to achieve and maintain a workspace that is the epitome of hygiene? Chances are the only thing that truly stands in your way is routine.
You need a full-fledged plan. It’s time to fire up Excel and break out some graph paper. What exact materials do you need to maintain a highly germ-free environment? Plan to have them routinely stocked and provide yourself with an oversupply of anything that doesn’t expire. That way next time a pandemic causes a run on cleaners you’ll already be well stocked, laughing it up inside your ivory tower filled with hand sanitizer.
How often does cleaning need to occur? If you work at a commercial office, chances are you already use a commercial cleaning company london for routine cleaning. But we’re not talking about that. While cleaning staff can be asked to do specific tasks, nothing beats taking sanitation into your own hands. They can’t follow employees around with a can of Lysol everywhere you go. But you can. Make a calendar and add it as an event just like you would a meeting with a client. Otherwise, “optional” tasks like sanitizing will be overshadowed by other tasks and fall by the wayside.
Grasp the Definition of “Sanitization”
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that “sanitization” and “cleaning” are identical concepts. They’re most certainly not. Cleaning can help do away with remnants of surface debris. That doesn’t mean that it does away with pesky germs. Sanitizing, on the other hand, involves the extraction of germs. Disinfecting entails eradicating bacteria and germs that aren’t visible to anyone. If you grasp these terms, then you won’t be as likely to make mistakes any time you purchase cleaning products for your office.
Identify the Nastiest Sections of Your Office
If you want your office to be sparkling clean, then you should identify its nastiest and filthiest sections. If there are any particularly nasty areas that you are concerned could attract pests, be sure to arrange inspection and treatment from a reputable pest control company like https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/new-york/. Refrain from squandering excessive energy on sections of your office that barely ever see the light of day. Instead, concentrate on sections that get notoriously icky. Put extra attention into parts of your office that receive significant contact with human hands and feet. You may want to put a lot of effort into floor coverings such as rugs. There’s no arguing that office rugs can turn into nightmare zones pretty rapidly.
Few things can matter more than maintaining a work space that defines freshness and hygiene. If you want to do so, these strategies can push you in the correct direction.