Janitorial Services – Where Germs Lurk in your Office

Janitorial Services – Where Germs Lurk in your Office

Janitorial services eliminate germs throughout your office that can cause mild to severe illness and cost your business thousands of dollars annually.

Janitorial Services - Where Germs Lurk - Bakersfield CA

Janitorial Services Eliminate Germs in your Office

From the handle on the door into the building to your bathroom and desk, germs are lurking everywhere in your office and ready to make you sick.

Routine janitorial services can help keep your building safe and protect the well-being of your workers and customers.

 

The Unexpected Places where Germs Lurk

Paradoxically, it turns out that the places in your office that you would most suspect of being filthy are orders of magnitude cleaner than the germiest places in your workplace, some of which you may have never thought of.

Whenever most people think of germs and filth, they automatically assume the bathroom and toilet.

Surprisingly, that mentality has led to very sanitary restrooms and stalls, especially when compared to the handle on the break room sink, or the buttons on the vending machine.

The issue is compounded exponentially in workplaces frequently trafficked by the public.

 

The Top 10 Germiest Places in your Office

We have, in the past, touched on several studies conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba in his pursuit to identify and help eliminate germs in the workplace.

  • Break room sink faucet handles
  • Microwave door handles
  • Keyboards
  • Refrigerator door handles
  • Water fountain buttons
  • Computer Mice
  • Desk phones
  • Coffee pots and dispensers
  • Vending machine buttons

What these nine hot spots have in common turns out to be the filthiest thing in your office.

You!

More specifically, your hands; and it's a more significant problem than you might think.

 

Save a Child - Wash your Hands

Who knew that something as simple as using soap and water regularly to wash your hands could have such a profound effect on our lives, and the future of our children?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world.

Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia.

Although people around the world clean their hands with water, very few use soap to wash their hands.

Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance.

Good handwashing early in life may help improve child development in some settings

-Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your Hands?

 

The Rapid Spread of Germs in the Workplace

In a 2011 study conducted by Dr. Gerba, a virus which does not affect humans, MS-2, was used to contaminate high-touch surfaces throughout several offices.

The results showed that:

  • After 4 hours, traces of the MS-2 virus were found on the hands of 48% of the employees, and;
  • After 7 hours, the traces were still evident on the hands of 26% of the employees.

Of the non-contaminated surfaces tested for the presence of MS-2, the first place the virus showed up was the break room coffee pot handle.

Think about that for a moment.

A contagious person walks into the office.

They go straight for a cup of coffee to slug it out through the day.

Within 4 hours, half of your office is now contaminated.

Within 7 hours, a quarter of your office is probably infected.

Within a week, a good chunk of your workforce will be at home on paid sick leave, or at the office getting everyone else ill while operating at a reduced capacity.

If the sick employee has a spouse or children at home, they will most likely fall ill as well; the child missing school, the spouse missing work, someone has to stay home with the sick kid--all because Bob from accounting doesn't like to take sick days, and more than a few people in your company need to up their hygiene standards.

 

Tips to Fight Back

Fortunately, there are ways to combat the spread of germs in the office.

  • Don't just wash your hands, scrub them for 45 seconds. A tip for children is to have them sing the ABC song while they wash with soap and warm water.
  • Cough into your sleeve or elbow.
  • Avoid bad habits, like chewing on pens.
  • Disinfect high-touch hot spots daily. Start with the list above and identify additional areas in your office.
  • If you're sick, stay home.

 

References

 

Takeaway

Germs are lurking everywhere in your office, and apparently in unexpected places.

Washing your hands with soap and water and a daily janitorial regimen of green cleaning disinfectant on high-touch surfaces will remove up to 99% of germs and bacteria.

Germs spread quickly,and can cause long-lasting issues with vulnerable groups, especially children.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of professional janitorial services for your business, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield CA, call 661-395-3009

In Fresno CA, call 559-473-1790


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley