Your typical office desk normally has 400 more times bacteria than your average toilet seat. That’s one reason why it’s so important to have a clean workplace.
But how should you be cleaning and sanitizing your business?
Keep reading for a few tips on how to clean your workspace.
Know Difference About Different Types Of Cleaning
When it comes to business cleaning, there are a few different types of cleaning.
When you just want to clean, you’ll want to remove dirt, impurities, and germs from any objects or surfaces. You can use soap and water to physically remove the germs.
However, it doesn’t kill the germs; it just removes them and gives you a lower risk of infection.
If you disinfect your surface, you’ll actually kill the germs on the objects or surfaces. You’ll use chemicals to kill the germs.
However, it doesn’t really clean the dirty surface; it’s more focused on killing the germs.
You can also sanitize your space. This will reduce the number of germs in your workspace to a safer level according to public health standards. This also uses chemicals, but it removes dirt and also kills all germs.
All of these types of cleaning are important to do to ensure that your workspace is free of dirt and germs.
Be Strategic
Now that you understand the different types of cleaning, you can start cleaning your workspace. However, there is one technique you should use: the one-way wipe down.
You’ll need to wipe down the surface in one direction and not go back over it in the opposite direction. If you do this, then you’ll spread all the germs that you just picked up. This process is also just more efficient than wiping and cleaning in a circular motion.
You may also want to try color-coded cleaning. This is where you color-code your color supplies to match what area of the building they’re used for.
For example, you might want to use a blue cloth and bucket for material that is meant for the kitchen, and yellow cloth and bucket for the bathroom.
This will help to prevent cross-contamination in addition to the one-way wipe-down method.
Get The Right Supplies
You’ll also need to ensure that you have the right supplies to clean everything.
According to the CDC, you should use cleaning agents that can clean countertops, surfaces, and doorknobs. You should always follow the directions on the labels of the products that you’re using.
If you’re going to be wiping down surfaces that are commonly used, they recommend using disposable wipes.
Keep in mind that all disinfectants are different in their chemistry, which means that the application will be different. For example, just because something says it kills pathogens doesn’t mean that it will kill everything else.
You also shouldn’t use chemicals that are too harsh and could be dangerous, like peroxide or bleach.
Clean Frequently
You’ll want to create a frequent cleaning schedule, but this will depend on your work environment and how often it’s used.
If you have a high contact and high touch area, you should clean this ideally after everyone touches it. However, this may be impractical, so you can try to clean it every day.
Focus on areas that people regularly touch, like light switches, door handles, or stair handrails. You should focus on cleaning those, but also disinfecting them to prevent the spread of infection as well.
You’ll also reduce the risk of touch transmission by breaking a chain of any bacteria growth that could be happening.
Focus On Certain Areas
When you clean, there are some areas that will need more attention than others. You might want to section it into different areas, like:
- Doorways
- Hallways
- Individual offices
- Exam rooms
- Break rooms
- Reception areas
- Meeting rooms
- Waiting rooms
- Reception
Now that you have a general cleaning map, you can focus on cleaning certain areas within those places.
You’ll want to focus on cleaning commonly touched areas like:
- Soap dispensers at QBIC Washrooms
- Toilet flush handles
- Countertops
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Computers
- Phones
- Tabletops
- Bathroom latches
- Door handles
- Sink
- Fridge handle
There are many more places to clean, but if you want to get an idea of where to clean, observe the space and see what people touch the most.
Dispose Of Waste
Once you’re done cleaning everything, you’ll need to get rid of any waste that you collected during the cleaning process.
For example, you’ll need to get rid of any gloves, disposable wipes, sponges, or anything else that you used to clean a space.
When you’re done cleaning, make sure that you wash your hands with soap and water after touching the infected cleaning supplies. Dispose of them quickly so that no one else can touch them or be contaminated by them as well.
Maintain Cleanliness After
After you’ve cleaned your area, you’ll want to keep that standard of cleanliness up. Many people often forget this step.
It’s inevitable that germs will be introduced into the workspace, but you’ll want to try and keep it down to a minimum.
You should have hand-washing warnings and stations. You may even want to include different hand sanitizing stations around the office as well.
Discover More About Cleaning And Sanitizing
These are only a few strategies to know when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing your workspace, but you should still focus on keeping a clean workplace.
We know that business cleaning can sometimes be confusing, but it’s important as a business owner.
If you’re interested in more help for business owners, explore our website for more topics just like this one!
