Every office has germs. But did you know certain parts of the office have more bacteria than others? A new study conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional found six parts of an average office environment are more likely to house hundreds of germs than other spaces.
The study investigated office environments in insurance companies, health care companies, call centers, manufacturing facilities, and law firms. The highest levels of bacteria were found to be on the surfaces of the following office items:
-
- Refrigerator door handles
-
- Keyboards
-
- Break room sink faucet handles
-
- Microwave door handles
-
- Drinking fountain buttons
-
- Vending machine buttons
But how do bacteria get to these places? What can be done to make these germ-infested office spots clean and antibacterial?
Why the six dirtiest office places are the way they are
Many office environments are considered clean environments. Hand sanitizer is used regularly, Clorox wipes help to get rid of the 10 million bacteria on the average desk, and employees wash their hands after using the restroom.
However, there's a common factor among these six areas in the office environment: they're commonly touched surfaces, but not the surfaces often thought about. An employee is likely to wipe down a desk they touch throughout the day, but not the drinking fountain buttons they touch two or three times throughout the day.
This is because when the surface is out of sight, it's out of mind. However, so many people touch these surfaces that they become health hazards no one is aware of. Therefore, cleaning one's hands and desk surface isn't enough to stop bacteria from infecting your fellow office workers.
How to fight back against bacteria
Cleaning janitorial services are essential to every working environment. When employees perform office cleaning tasks, they're taking their time away from their work, reducing productivity. They also don't completely clean the surfaces they're trying to clean because they're not professional office cleaning workers.
Janitorial services are trained in methods to get rid of bacteria from both the dirtiest surfaces and the least dirty surfaces. If you're looking for a janitor to ensure the health of your workers, contact the janitorial services of Gemini Janitorial Service and Supplies today.
