You probably thought you knew how to keep your office relatively clean pre-pandemic, but COVID-19 has elevated everyone’s hygiene awareness. Cleaning, isn’t enough, now disinfection is paramount. This leaves many in St. Charles, IL wondering, what are the most critical areas to disinfect in a large office? The places consist mainly of high-touch surfaces, and these should be individually listed in your cleaning plan when applicable.
10 Most Critical Areas to Disinfect in a Large Office
1. Countertops/Tables: Just thinking about how many people come into your office and touch your countertops and tables should be enough to get out a can of Lysol once in a while. However, these cleanings need to be performed routinely throughout the day. There are multiple Clorox and Lysol products on the market that will properly disinfect against COVID-19, but you should confirm your product is effective on the CDC’s list. These surfaces need to be cleaned routinely even if you don’t have customers entering the office, especially when multiple employees all use a common surface.
2. Doorknobs: It goes without saying that many people touch the doorknobs to certain entrances and exits each day. Note high-use areas, but don’t neglect closet door knobs, cabinet handles, and drawer pulls.
3. Remotes: if you have a remote in your waiting area, it is sure to have some type of germ on it. Especially in busy waiting areas, routine cleaning is essential to disinfection. Remotes for employees should also be routinely cleaned with approved disinfectants.
4. Bathroom: Bathrooms should have always been on the list for regular cleaning and now more emphasis is on them as we recommend faucets and toilets being cleaned multiple times throughout the day if possible.
5. Telephones: Using a phone is a double whammy for coronavirus because not only are you touching it, but you’re breathing and talking on it. For single-user phones, occasional cleaning will suffice. All phones should be disinfected between users.
6. Light Switches: Some light switches aren’t really high-touch, so this one depends on the facility. However, it is likely that multiple people will touch the switch in some circumstances, so make sure they are considered in cleaning plans.
7. ATM/Keypad: The ATM or any keypad should be disinfected between users when possible, or at least routinely. There are covers available for most keypads to reduce wear from multiple cleanings.
8. Touch Screens: Touch screens don’t seem as dirty as keypads because they don’t have the spaces for dirt to creep in. If you follow the new, however, you may remember that a certain fast-food chain found fecal matter on their touch screens when they were tested. They need to be disinfected too. COVID-19 may be able to live for hours or days on some surfaces.
9. Multi-user Keyboards: Just like the phone, keyboards are a haven for the distribution of viruses and other germs, especially if employees eat at their desks. Even though these are typically only touched by one employee, it’s best practice to make sure these are cleaned routinely.
10. Arms of Chairs/Furniture: Porous surfaces are tougher to clean routinely, but the arms of chairs or other furniture are often made of plastic or wood, which can be disinfected. This is nice because these are often high-touch surfaces.
High-Touch Areas are the Most Critical Areas to Disinfect in a Large Office
Every large office in St. Charles, IL is different, so look around your office and evaluate which surfaces are high-touch. These are the critical areas to disinfect regularly to help protect the health of your employees and customers.
If you need a disinfecting services for your large office give IMS a call today at 630.377.7103.