Cleaning Services for Computer Repair Companies

Cleaning Services for Computer Repair Companies

Green cleaning services are the perfect solution for the health and safety challenges facing computer repair shops and technicians.

Cleaning Services for Computer Repair Companies - Valencia CA

Green Cleaning Services for Computer Repair Shops and Technicians

Due to the nature of their employment, computer repair technicians and consultants come into contact with a wide variety of germs and illness-causing bacteria on a daily basis, typically from the unlikeliest of sources--the equipment they are repairing.

Studies have found hazardous levels of infectious disease, far greater than the average toilet seat, on items such as:

  • Keyboards.
  • Mice.
  • Smartphones.
  • Tablets.
  • Monitors, and;
  • Printers.

The germs are passed from the device to the technician via surface-to-skin contact, then on to other staff members, customers, or ingested via hand-to-mouth contact, typically while eating, or absorbed through the eyes or nostrils, usually when touching or rubbing the face.

This type of ongoing exposure will lead to poor worker health, cognitive function, and productivity.

If left unchecked within the repair shop, and combined with poor cleaning procedures and low quality lighting and air, the issue can be exacerbated to the point where many employees begin to experience a phenomenon referred to as sick building syndrome, whereby an individual's presence in a building triggers illness-like symptoms that are only relieved by exiting the building entirely for an extended period of time.

 

Comparing Computer Equipment and Toilet Seats

Which?, an online publication and consumer watchdog, made headlines in the last few years after swabbing several common-use items throughout the office and comparing the samples to swabs taken from underneath a toilet seat, in the same office.

The results, to put it mildly, were disgusting.

A typical swab of a toilet seat would yield a culture of2 0 or fewer units of Staphylococcus aureus, or e.coli.

Of the 90 devices tested, Which? discovered;

  • An iPad with a Staphylococcus aureus count of 600.
  • A keyboard with a bacterial count of 480, and;
  • An iPhone with a bacterial count of 140.

Meaning these devices, upon close inspection, were found to house, on the surface, anywhere between seven and thirty times the amount of infectious bacteria commonly found on the average office toilet seat.

According to Which?

The results showed that shockingly, many keyboards and tablets were dirtier than an office toilet seat.

And in some cases we had to immediately inform the owners that their tech needed serious cleaning.

Could your tech be dirtier than a toilet seat?

To put that into perspective, according to James Francis, the microbiologist who carried out our testing;

In the food industry, if we found those levels of bacteria from a hand swab of a food handler, they’d have to be taken out of the workplace and retrained in basic hygiene.

How clean is your iPad? – a Which? hygiene investigation

Now, ask yourself; when is the last time your cleaning services vendor sanitized your computer and phone?

Don't you think someone should?

See Also:

 

Your Building is Sick

A high bacterial count combined with toxic chemical cleaners, unnatural sunlight, and low-quality air flow--common operational scenarios in computer repair, operations desks, and server rooms--can make your employees feel sick at the office, even if they 'technically' are not.

This phenomenon is commonly referred to as Sick Building Syndrome and may be responsible for low profits, worker fatigue, lack of job satisfaction, as well as poor occupant health and performance, through the off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pollutes the indoor air supply, and has a profoundly negative impact on everyone.

In general, this is the self-defeating cycle encountered in many computer repair and consulting businesses:

  • Employees either come in sick or encounter infectious germs and bacteria on customer or in-house equipment.
  • The employee then, unknowingly, will be responsible for affecting well over half the staff in the office--more so if it is a busy office with lots of personal interaction--within approximately four hours.
  • Due to security requirements, access restrictions, and dust control mechanisms, many of the staff likely work in tightly controlled environments that do not correspond to natural lighting or air flow.
  • Nearly everything in your office, including the paint, carpeting, and ink toner off-gasses VOCs.
  • In that type of environment, the indoor ozone level can rise to as much as five times higher than outdoor levels.
  • Most commercial cleaning products also off-gas VOCs, as well as add numerous other toxic chemicals to the air and water.
  • Combined with the onslaught of bacteria and germ exposure, the low-quality indoor environment, and exposure to toxic cleaning chemicals will have a significantly negative impact on cognitive function, decision making, and time for task completion.

See Also:

 

Green Cleaning Tips

  • The single best defense against germs and bacteria is proper hand hygiene, so it is in the best interests of everyone to enforce a strong hand washing policy, especially before eating.
  • Do not allow employees to eat at their desks.
  • Provide technicians with easy access to alcohol-free liquid hand sanitizer, and ensure the restroom(s) and kitchen(s) are fully stocked with soap and clean paper towels.
  • Eliminate the use of toxic cleaning products and replace with certified Green Seal sanitizers and disinfectants.
  • Don't forget to sanitize the inside of company vehicles, and remember to place a travel bottle of alcohol-free liquid hand sanitizer in the glovebox.
  • Use a dry microfiber towel to sanitize the surface of smartphones and tablets.
  • Make sure to shut down computer equipment prior to sanitizing with an approved green cleaning wipe.
  • Don't forget to sanitize the top of the desk and work tables on a regular basis.
  • Make certain that employees are wiping down their laptop keyboards and monitors as well.

 

References & Resources

 

Takeaway

Most people never think of their technology equipment as they go through their, oblivious to the vast cultures of germs and bacteria they expose themselves to throughout the day.

Computer equipment cleaning is necessary for the health and wellbeing of any office worker, but especially to those who service multiple systems, shared by any number of users, on a daily basis.

Proper hand hygiene can go a long way in preventative care, but a partnership with an experienced green cleaning services vendor will ensure that the chemicals and procedures used to clean your office and sensitive equipment will not negatively impact the health of workers or the local environment.

If you would like to learn more about the advantages of green cleaning services for your computer repair or consulting business, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 395-3009

In Fresno CA, call (559) 473-1790

In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 395-3009


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley