Now more than ever, employee expectations for cleanliness in the workplace are high. To provide a safe environment for all and maintain workplace cleanliness standards, you need to develop a commercial cleaning schedule built on best practices, and stick to it.
These are the office cleaning best practices you can implement to help you in your fight against dirt, dust, germs and viruses:
- Understand the Importance of Cleanliness and Sanitation in a Workplace
- Follow CDC Cleaning Guidelines for Offices
- Commit to a Consistent Office Cleaning Schedule
- Create a Seasonal Deep Cleaning Checklists
- Create a Workplace Cleanliness Policy
1. Understand the Importance of Cleanliness and Sanitation in a Workplace
To understand the value of workplace cleaning standards, you first need to know what’s at stake. Here’s the importance of cleanliness and sanitation in a workplace, illustrated in numbers:
- 80% of common colds and viral infections are transmitted by touch alone.
- The average person touches a surface or object that exposes them to 840,000 germs every 30 minutes.
- An average of $260 billion is lost annually due to missed work and lost productivity caused by illness.
2. Follow CDC Cleaning Guidelines for Offices
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidance for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces. The CDC recommends you evaluate all of the frequently touched objects and surfaces in your environment, as these are sure to be germ hotspots.
Examples of these include:
- Countertops
- Coffee makers
- Water coolers
- Conference tables
- Doorknobs
- Light switches
- Handles
- Shared keyboards
- Stair railing
- Elevator buttons
- Toilets
- Faucets
- Sinks
- And more!
Next, the CDC recommends your business be cleaned with powerful, EPA-registered disinfectant products that can eliminate hard-to-kill viruses, such as those that cause colds, flu and COVID-19. Keep in mind, germs don’t only reside on objects and surfaces; they can exist in the air as well, especially in areas with inadequate ventilation. For cleaner indoor air, the CDC recommends using vacuums equipped with HEPA filters, which remove 99.97% of allergens from the air.
3. Commit To a Consistent Office Cleaning Schedule
How often should you be cleaning office surfaces? Research into how long viruses remain on surfaces is ongoing, but findings range from a few hours to days.
To provide as safe and healthy a space as possible, your workplace should be cleaned daily. Maintain cleanliness by wiping down frequently touched surfaces following CDC guidelines, tidying up common areas in the workplace, emptying trash bins and vacuuming floors. It’s recommended that you keep your own EPA-registered disinfectants on hand, and if you don’t have those, use a solution containing 70% alcohol.
4. Create a Seasonal Deep Cleaning Checklist
While frequently touched surfaces and common areas are highly important to pay attention to, remember to address the needs of your whole workspace. Consider creating a checklist that you use to refresh your workplace each season, after a big event or annually. It should include easily overlooked areas that require a deeper clean, like personal touch points, as well as upholstery, windows and floors. The build-up of germs and dirt can eventually lead to a more hazardous environment, or diminish the quality of expensive, hard-to-replace business assets over time.
So, in addition to fulfilling everyday cleaning needs like dusting, disinfection wiping, mopping, vacuuming and trash removal, you’ll want to incorporate deep cleaning and preventative maintenance services into your office cleaning schedule for the most thorough results.
5. Create a Workplace Cleanliness Policy
Many offices offer hand sanitizer throughout the space, encourage hand-washing and may ask employees to pitch in with wiping down frequently touched surfaces. While these actions can help in small ways, there is a limit to their efficacy. In order to handle some of the most powerful products and solutions, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires training in the safe use of cleaning chemicals in the workplace, and offering this type of training is not practical for all workplaces.
The most effective means of cleaning and disinfecting your office is by turning to the professionals. A commercial cleaning provider will correctly employ highly advanced cleaning products and techniques at the optimal frequency to supplement your workplace cleanliness policy with consistent, thorough results.
Get Professional Office Cleaning Services With Coverall
If all this cleaning seems daunting, just remember you don't have to do it all on your own. A professional commercial cleaning service can help you maintain the high level of cleanliness your workplace requires.
At Coverall® , we train our independent Franchise Business Owners in our proprietary Core 4® Cleaning Process, built on CDC and AORN guidelines for a hospital-grade clean. Featuring tools like HEPA vacuums and no-dip flat mops that prevent cross-contamination, and following proper techniques for using EPA-registered disinfectants, we ensure your workplace not only meets but exceeds cleanliness standards.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about our professional office cleaning services! Our Franchise Business Owners will work with you to prepare a free, custom quote that factors in your office’s unique cleaning considerations as well as your budget, so you’re left with a healthier, safer space for all.