The Worst Places to Clean in Your Office
It’s the start of the New Year, so to mark another fresh beginning, what better way than to give your office a deep clean? Cleaning work surfaces and floors are quite easy, but in some difficult-to-reach areas dust, gunk and dirt can build up, making them tricky to clean.
Let’s talk about some of the dirtiest, most neglected and inaccessible places to clean, and why you should make it a priority to clean them when you return to the office in the New Year.
The Microwave
Even though it’s used to cook food, the microwave can be one of the most germ-ridden places in the office. From soups and pasta to ready meals and baked beans, all kinds of food heated in a microwave can splash, bubble or even explode during cooking, coating the insides of the microwave with a layer gunk.
Because of all this, your office microwave can quickly become a health hazard with all the old food and grease that accumulates there.
This can harden over time too, becoming more difficult to clean. Bacteria can grow in your microwave, creating an unpleasant odour not just in the microwave but in the rest of the kitchen as well.
Top tip: Try and clean the inside of your microwave at least once a week to keep it and your kitchen clean, hygienic, and free of unpleasant odours.
Your Dishwasher
For many offices, a dishwasher is a lifesaver, saving employees washing up time that could be spent being productive.
But if your people don’t use the dishwasher correctly or don’t rinse their dirty dishes before putting them in, it can result in a build-up of dirt.
It is common for food waste to block up the drain, preventing proper draining and affecting cleaning quality. It can also produce an unpleasant smell.
At the same time, dishwashers can be quite difficult to clean, especially as there are lots of awkward nooks and crannies that are almost impossible to get to.
Top tip: Clean out the dishwasher drain from time to time to remove the gunk. Then run a hot water cycle with dishwasher cleaner once all the dishes and cups have been removed to destroy any excess build-up that you can’t get to.
Office Toilets
Toilets and washrooms are essential for any workplace. Unfortunately, they are often neglected and can become unsanitary, leading to nasty smells and lots of germ-ridden surfaces.
Nobody likes filthy, smelly toilets and washrooms. If cleaning is neglected, it can lead to problems such as increased illness and low productivity.
Regular cleaning of washrooms and toilets can eliminate germs, bacteria, and viruses, making the office clean and hygienic for employees – and potentially improving morale and boosting motivation.
Top tip: Prioritise cleaning toilets, sinks, and floors in washroom areas to reduce bacteria and maintain a more hygienic working environment for your employees.
Office Desks
Although it’s hard to believe, desks are some of the most unsanitary places in the office. In fact, studies show that they can actually harbour 400 times more germs than a toilet seat!
Think about it, office employees work at a desk virtually all day every day. And many employees eat their lunchtime meals on them, leaving traces of food waste behind. It’s easy to see why desks can be home to so many germs.
Having a clean and tidy desk is vital to keep your employees healthy but also to keep them productive.
Studies have shown that a cluttered desk negatively affects mental health, which in turn, massively reduces productivity. Our brains like order. Seeing constant disorganisation uses up valuable brainpower that increases stress and greatly reduces our focus.
Top Tip: Ensure employees tidy up their desks after every workday. It’s also a good idea to wipe down desks, especially the keyboard and mouse, to reduce germs and bacteria in these areas.
Office Bins
It is no surprise that your office bins will be some of the worst places for germs and bacteria. With Salmonella and Listeria often being found in dirty bins, they need regular cleaning.
This is not the nicest of jobs to do, but you can potentially reduce illness in the office if you clean your bins regularly.
Top Tip: The lids of your flip top bins are frequently touched by employees, so clean these several times each week to keep them free from bacteria. We also recommend cleaning the inside of your bins every week.
Get Office Cleaning Help with Wixted Cleaning
At Wixted Cleaning, we have over 20 years of experience providing clean offices throughout the UK. We are committed to providing you with a commercial office cleaning team you can trust with services tailored specifically to your needs. And with a thorough process from quotation to cleaning, as evidenced above, you are sure to receive a clean office every time.
Hopefully, the tips we provided should help you out with cleaning some of the worst places in the office. If you want some more ideas, check out our 9 office cleaning tips for making your office as clean as possible.
However, if you need a great cleaning service with excellent standards, the team at Wixted Cleaning can help. With many years of experience cleaning some of the worst places to be found in the workplace, we know exactly how to make your office as safe as possible for you and your team.
Interested? Contact us today and we’ll be happy to help!