Surprising High-Touch Areas in Your Office
February 15, 2021 | AUTHOR: Office Pride
How Office Pride Can Help Keep Your Workplace Safer and Healthier
Offices around the country continue to escalate their cleaning and disinfection protocols in order to keep their teams and customers safe. Businesses are taking additional steps and precautions to keep workplaces as clean as possible for the benefit of their employees and clients.
Use a commercial cleaning crew that is trained in the proper use of chemicals approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to kill bacteria and viruses that cause flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses. With a more thorough cleaning process and the use of safe yet powerful chemicals and cleaning procedures, using professional commercial cleaners can add certain benefits that go above and beyond what in-house cleaning can provide.
What are the extra steps that can be taken to keep your workplaces safe and clean? Regular sanitization and disinfection of high-touch and high-traffic areas can help to create a cleaner, safer work environment.
So, you might be wondering: What are the high-touch areas in your office?
- Elevator buttons
- Entry keypad
- Remote controls
- Microwave buttons
- Handrails
- Air conditioning controls
- Light switches
- Doorknobs
- Handles
- Copy machine buttons
- Faucets
This list can vary according to industry or facility, so these are but a few of the high-touch areas that must be sanitized and disinfected frequently to help stop the spread of fungi, bacteria and viruses that can accumulate on these surfaces and spread illness.
What is the difference between sanitization and disinfection?
Sanitizing is a cleaning process that reduces the total number of pathogens and bacteria on a surface. This puts the total number of pathogens at a significantly lower and safer level. Disinfecting is a more advanced and thorough cleaning process. But remember, disinfecting does not last forever. And no matter how strong your disinfectant is, when one person walks by and touches the doorknob that was just disinfected, it is no longer germ-free. That’s why disinfection, even if done regularly, is only part of the solution to keeping your office healthy. The other part of the equation is educating employees on the need to frequently wash their hands and wipe down surfaces throughout the day, observe social distancing practices, wear face masks when social distancing is not possible, staying home when showing signs of illness and following all CDC and other health agency guidelines to help prevent the spread of germs.
How does using electrostatic sprayers and misters help?
This process, generally performed weekly except where noted, is an enhancement to CDC health guidelines. An electrostatic sprayer or mister evenly covers surfaces with a commercial-grade disinfectant. There is no need for wiping, which allows the disinfectant to remain on the surface for the required dwell time. Following the recommended dwell time ensures the disinfectant kills germs. The spray contains positively charged particles that aggressively adhere to surfaces and objects allowing the applicator to increase coverage significantly.
For more information about how to create a safe and healthy workplace for employees and clients, check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s information on COVID-19 Employer Information for Office Buildings.
Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services, an industry leader with more than 28 years of experience, is one of the most respected full-service commercial cleaning companies in the nation. If you are looking for a commercial cleaning partner to help keep your business clean and safe, Office Pride has a proven track record for providing excellent maintenance cleaning and deep-cleaning services. To learn more or to get a free, no-obligation quote, please find an Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services location near you.