Office Cleaning Protocols For Flu Season
Flu season is a productivity killer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, U.S. employees miss 17 million days of work each year because of the flu, costing employers an estimated $7 billion in lost productivity. This flu season is complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another productivity killer. In fact, an analysis by the non-profit Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) found that spending for absent workers due to the coronavirus is estimated to total $50.5 billion. Now is the time to review and update your office cleaning protocols to prepare for this double threat.
Review Current Office Cleaning Protocols
A good place to start is by reviewing your current office cleaning protocols. Is your current cleaning regimen effective enough to mitigate the risks posed by both influenza and COVID-19?
Hopefully, you are being proactive in response to the ongoing pandemic. If so, your cleaning protocols have likely been upgraded in the last twelve months. If you are one of the millions of businesses that have enlisted the services of a commercial office cleaning service, you are already ahead of the game.
Even if you are utilizing a commercial office cleaning company, now is a good time to speak with them about what steps they will be taking to help mitigate the risks of the dual viral threat. Your office cleaning company should be able to tell you what steps they are currently taking to prevent the spread of germs and offer suggestions as to how to enhance your cleaning protocols.
What Your Cleaning Regimen Should Include
Your office cleaning regimen, be it in-house or outsourced, should include regular deep cleanings, high-touch surface disinfection protocols, and policies and procedures for avoiding cross-contamination. In addition, you should be considering ventilation system cleaning and pre-season carpet and upholstery cleaning.
Hot Spots and High-Touch Surfaces- Hot spots and high-touch surfaces are those areas that are shared and used frequently throughout the day. They typically include door handles and knobs, telephones, elevator buttons, shared office equipment, keyboards, computer mice, water coolers, coffee pots, and any common areas like restrooms, breakrooms, and kitchens.
These areas should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every day and routinely wiped down with proper disinfectants throughout the day.
Regular Deep Cleaning – Deep cleanings should be left to a qualified office cleaning company that has the tools and experience to do the job right. This type of cleaning is time-consuming and requires experienced cleaning crews. A deep cleaning will include cleaning of areas that are not typically covered during routine upkeep.
A deep cleaning will include things like inside and behind refrigerators and microwaves, under cabinets, carpet, blinds/curtains, and upholsteries. It will involve detailed floor scsrubbing and polishing, comprehensive restroom cleaning and sanitization, thorough cleabning of workstations and common areas, and dusting of vents and baseboards .
Avoiding Cross-Contamination – This is another area where it pays to utilize a commercial office cleaning company. Commercial office cleaning staff understand the danger of cross-contamination and how to mitigate it. They follow a cleaning process which often utilizes color coded equipment for use in certain areas of your office to avoid moving germs and bacteria from one area to the next. They also have sufficient cleaning supplies so that they can replace cleaning cloths, mop heads, etc when cleaning seperate areas.
Need Help With Your Office Cleaning Protocols
Complete Care Maintenance can help you to evaluate your current office cleaning protocols and offer suggestions on how they can be improved. Call or contact us today and let us help your office stay safe and sanitary this flu season.
