As we move through the end of spring and get ready to head into summer, it’s a great time to double-check your spring-cleaning list.
Winter and early spring lead to a lot of time indoors, which can lead to the accumulation of dirt in buildings. Unfortunately, a dirty office isn’t just an aesthetic issue; it can hurt occupants’ health. A clean office, on the other hand, can keep people safe and benefit your building’s reputation with employees and customers.
With that in mind, as the weather warms up, here are three quick tips to help you finish up spring cleaning for your office this year.
1. Follow the updated guidelines for keeping spaces sanitary.
By “keeping spaces sanitary,” we mean keeping them reasonably safe from germs – including Covid-19 and more familiar bugs like the flu and the cold.
It doesn’t mean disinfecting spaces without need.
This past year has probably seen more disinfecting procedures carried out than any other. In the early stages of the pandemic, that was understandable – there was limited data on Covid-19’s ability to spread via surfaces, and disinfecting seemed like a way to reduce risk. That meant frequent application of harsh chemicals to be as cautious about limiting the spread of the virus as possible.
We now know that the levels of excessive disinfection many organizations pursued was probably overkill. The CDC notes that “the risk of infection from touching a surface is low,” and recommends regular cleaning using soap and water to reduce the risk of infection. In fact, the reality is that because disinfection tends to use harsher chemicals than standard cleaning procedures do, it should only be used when necessary.
According to updated guidelines, disinfection is only explicitly recommended in instances when someone has tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 24 hours in a facility.
To keep your people healthy this spring and summer, operate with that in mind.
2. Clean common areas regularly.
Pandemic or no pandemic, spring is always a great time to go through and freshen up your building’s common areas.
As we’ve written before, shared spaces have a large impact on the health of office occupants; those are the areas that tend to play the biggest role in spreading germs. Research indicates that more than half of Americans don’t wash their hands after touching shared equipment, public transportation, and other heavily trafficked surfaces. Given that, regular cleaning is a must.
But spring is also a great time to do a deep clean of areas that aren’t considered as often – spots like behind the microwave, behind the sink, or inside the fridge. These places can be fertile breeding grounds for germs, but simply wiping them down with a disinfecting wipe can go a long way toward sanitizing your space.
You can read more about cleaning your office common areas here.
3. Go green to keep people healthy.
Finally, as the weather warms up and the world turns green, it’s a great time to consider implementing green cleaning procedures in your facility.
Green cleaning, contrary to a common misconception, is not only about cleaning in a way that protects the environment. That’s an important part of it, yes – but green cleaning is primarily focused on improving human health.
Traditional cleaning methods use cleaning products that can be harsh on humans as well as dirt and germs. They also tend to use processes that are designed to maintain cleanly aesthetics, not necessarily human health.
At Wilburn, we’re proud to be GS-42 certified by Green Seal. This means that we’re committed to:
- Reducing chemical waste through the efficient use of chemicals
- Reducing solid waste
- Optimizing cleaning frequencies
- Providing continuing training to staff
- Ensuring transparent communication with clients and employees
While we earned our certification in 2018, it’s an achievement we won’t stop talking about, partly because we won’t stop working on it; maintaining certification requires ongoing effort through training, innovation, and optimization.
You can read more about the specifics on our green cleaning initiatives here.
Looking for a partner to keep your office clean this spring, summer, and beyond?
If you have any questions about any of the tips listed above (or about office cleaning services in general), let us know. Don’t forgo spring cleaning for your office this year – it’s a valuable checkpoint. After all, office cleaning isn’t just a utility; it’s a critical factor in maintaining the health of people, the condition of your building, and the safety of our environment.
At The Wilburn Company, we’re passionate about cleaning for health because it means caring for people. We’d love to partner with you in keeping your building clean and your people healthy this spring, this summer, and beyond.