5 Things That Need Cleaning in the Office

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Did you know research has found that the average desk contains 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat

This bacteria in shared spaces like desks accumulates over time because surfaces, desks, phones and even keyboards aren’t wiped down as regularly as they should be with antibacterial wipes.  When an office becomes a hotbed of bacteria, it makes it an environment where workers will be more prone to illness. But there are some simple steps you can take to prevent this.

To help keep on top of a clean and healthy office environment, we have compiled a list of the top items that need to be cleaned frequently and why.

  • Telephone
    This will come as no surprise, but the top item that needs cleaning in the office is the telephone. As there are a number of buttons on a telephone, this means there is also room for gunk to build up. And it’s no wonder this spreads germs as the phone is designed to sit right by your face. To keep the telephone clean, simply use a cotton bud dipped in an anti-bacterial cleaning solution to clean the area around the buttons, the receiver and the mouthpiece. Also, spray a microfiber cloth with disinfectant, and wipe the entire phone down, including the body and the entire receiver. If you see that there is ear wax built-up in the receiver or gunk in the mouthpiece, take a dry toothbrush, gently brush out the debris and clean the phone.

 

  • Mouse
    There are a number of items that are used frequently, every day in an office, and if you have a desktop computer, one of those is of course, the mouse. This also means that it will draw a plethora of bacteria to it. Like the telephone, it is a good idea to clean this item weekly. If you would like to do a deep clean, firstly, ensure the mouse is turned off or pop out the batteries. If you find that there is debris stuck in the mouse, use some compressed air to blast it out or a dry cleaning toothbrush. Hold the mouse upright and brush down so that you don’t re-populate your mouse with its own debris. This is great to use around track wheels and buttons. Once done, take a microfiber cloth sprayed with disinfectant and wipe the mouse down. If you notice dust built up on the bottom of your mouse, use a small and sharp item like a toothpick or a corner of a sticky note to scratch it out.

 

  • The Kitchen
    It comes as no surprise that a kitchen is one of the most important places to keep on top of, especially in a shared office space. As the items in the office kitchen are used by everyone, it means they will easily collect bacteria, especially if they are not cleaned regularly. This can be everything from the microwave, worktop, water cooler, fridge and so on. The only way to rectify this is to clean as you go on or do it on a weekly basis. Wipe down the worktops with antibacterial wipes and do the same with everything else. Encourage co-workers to do the same, and it goes without saying how important it is to always remember to wash your hands!

 

  • Keyboard
    With it being commonplace for staff to snack whilst at their desk or even eat a full lunch while working through deadlines, crumbs can be collected in a keyboard and need to be kept on top of. The best way to clean a keyboard is to firstly, unplug your keyboard or take out the batteries and stand it upright. Then starting at the top, blast your keys starting from top to bottom with a can of compressed air. Let everything fall to the surface, you’ll wipe them up after. Once this is done, use a cotton swab dipped in an anti-bacterial solution to swab around each key. Finish off by spraying a cloth with disinfectant and wipe the keyboard. Now, wipe up that crumb collection and plug your keyboard back in.

 

  • Plants
  • For the benefit of the staff’s well-being, plants have become more and more popular within the workplace and have been proven to come with health benefits that aid productivity levels. With this, they are fantastic at cleaning the air but love to gather dust. Make sure you get the feather duster out to keep the plants clean and fit for purpose. If the office greenery is there purely for the aesthetic side of things and therefore happen to be artificial plants, then there will be less mess to clean up after them. But with current trends, things like ‘living’ or ‘moss walls’ are becoming more and more popular and will need to tending to accordingly.

 

As the office is a communal area with people working together in close proximities, the whole place needs to be kept clean and tidy. This is where we can help take the pressure off and leave you to concentrate on the work in hand. We are a well established cleaning service based in Birmingham and servicing the Midlands. We can offer a bespoke office cleaning service to suit your needs and ensure that nothing in your office becomes a hotbed of bacteria. Contact us to find out more about our cleaning service in Birmingham and one of our friendly experts will happily discuss our services further.