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Identifying the Dirtiest Spots and Items in Your Workplace

January 7, 2022
Written By
Miguel Zabludovsky
January 7, 2022

While most businesses strive to keep their offices clean, it’s critical to understand where the dirtiest spots are to maintain your workplace clean and sanitary. Unfortunately, the most contaminated areas in your office building are often the ones that go unnoticed.

The following paragraphs show you some of the dirtiest areas of your workplace, how you should be careful around them, and how to keep them bacteria-free and sanitary for all work team members.

The Space Around Your Keyboard, Mouse, and Computer

Because you’re touching your keyboard and mouse for hours at a time, they’re full of dead skin cells, food particles, and dust that you can spread to other office items. Even bacteria that only live for a few hours on certain surfaces will keep coming back every day. Unless you keep these surfaces and your hands clean with disinfectant and proper washing, cross-contamination can be a very possible and frequent issue.

Your Office Coffee Maker

Bacteria thrive in the moist, dark inside of the coffee maker after being used. To disinfect it DIY style, fill a coffee maker halfway with two to three cups of plain white vinegar and set it aside for 30 minutes. Then let it run through three or more times with water until the vinegar smell has gone away. Thankfully, you can just get commercial cleaning services to disinfect the spot for a faster and more professional cleaning.

Faucet Handles in Your Workplace’s Break Room

According to a survey, 75 percent of all faucet handles in workplace break rooms can make people sick by spreading infections, and over 90 percent should be cleansed correctly. A safer option to keep yourself and others healthy would be to use hand sanitizer after touching the handles or a paper towel to switch them on and off.

Microwave Handles

The microwave at the office is definitely used more often than you think. Microwave oven interiors are an excellent breeding habitat for bacteria since they include a mixture of meat and vegetable particles. Germs multiply by consuming heat, food, and water, and steam from cooked food isn’t hot or long enough to kill most bacteria strains.

Drinking Fountains

One study found out that water fountains at the Denver Public Library and a nearby bus terminal were common sources of rotavirus and influenza A contamination. As a precaution, enforce your employees to allow around seven seconds for the water to run before taking a sip from the tap.

Refrigerator Door Handles

Bacteria grow in unmanaged office refrigerators, which house leaky food dishes, dirty take-out containers, and abandoned moldy juice pouches. Ensure the workplace fridge is cleaned and disinfected once a week with a strong antibacterial cleaner. For a fresh start on Monday, this may be set closer to the beginning of the week or near the finish.

Restrooms

Restrooms are some of the areas where commercial cleaning services are most helpful. While many people know the dangers of germs in the toilet, they don’t always know the specific risks they’re facing.

Bacteria such as E. coli may colonize practically every surface, and even washing your hands may be futile if the faucet handles are particularly filthy. One thing you can do as protection is to hold a paper towel to turn the water on and off or push the handle to flush the toilet to protect your hand from contact with the handles.

Conclusion

Make sure your cleaning procedure wash and sanitize the mentioned areas every day. Employers might also set up a sign-up sheet for volunteer employees to begin daily spot cleaning and disinfecting for the entire office. You’d be shocked how many people jump at the chance to secure their workplaces and coworkers better. In the end, though, maintaining the office’s sanitation is still the admin’s job.

If you’re looking for reliable office cleaning services in NYC, you will be delighted with Slate NYC. As a top-rated cleaning service, we offer busy New Yorkers high-quality residential and commercial cleaning services. Visit our website now to book trusted, trained, and insured professional commercial cleaners!

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