Part of preventing the spread of germs is basic cleaning and sanitizing of the environment around you. Think about your shared office space and all the gross little germs that float around and stick to your belongings and things you use on the daily. Things like your keyboard and mouse are easy pipelines for germ transmission. But what about other items?
Here are five things you should sanitize in your office immediately to help prevent the spread of disease in your office:
- Keyboard, wrist rest, mouse and mousepad – you touch your face almost as much as you touch your keyboard and mouse. That’s just nasty. No biggie though. Just lock your computer before cleaning those keys. Spray a nontoxic cleaner onto a microfiber rag first and then get to cleaning. Try this gel to get in the crevices.
- Telephone/cellphone – you’d be surprised how much oil and makeup get caked onto telephone receivers and cellphones. A little cotton pad and rubbing alcohol go a long way in this process. If you have a phone cover, be sure to use a qtip and clean those crevices where the microphone, selfie camera, charge port, headphone jack and earpiece are located. If you have a landline, make sure to get into the crevices of the phone cradle too.
- Desk and filing cabinet handles – you can take a glance at your desk right now and probably see all kinds of smudges and prints. You better believe germs are lurking right there. Use a clean microfiber rag for the most efficient results.
- Doorknobs and light switches – the first things you touch on your way in and out of your office should definitely get sanitized. Particularly if you’re a smoker, you can avoid the tar buildup on the switch and knobs by doing this frequently.
- Purse/Wallet/Lunch Bag – When was the last time you sanitized your handbag? Your lunch bag? I know, pretty gross, right? Maybe that stomach issue you had yesterday was from one of the billions of bacteria or fungi lurking in your bag that magically made its way onto your face after you pulled out your lip balm. Piece of gum any one? Fellas…you nasty too! I’m pretty sure you never thought about cleaning your billfold since you got it. Why do you think it’s sometimes called “dirty money?”
Insider Tip: Review your cleaning contract. Most commercial cleaning services have terms in place that prevent them from touching anything on your desk–let alone your keyboard and mouse. If your service is supposed to include your desk and items on it, and these things aren’t being cleaned, your cleaning company is putting you at risk. Maybe it’s time to start looking for a commercial cleaning service that places customer service and your health first.
Contact us for a FREE estimate. We’ll spend the time to get to know your pain points and wishlist, then tailor a cleaning program just for your office.
Picking Up The Blitz
Keep in mind that when you use toxic chemicals to sanitize you are likely killing all microbes–both bad and good.
The good ones are known as probiotics and are all around us. They are on our skin, in our mouth, in our gut, in the air we breathe even the dirt we grow food in and play with. Probiotics act as the first line of defense from harmful germs.
Toxic chemicals kill these good microbes and leave us more defenseless when under attack from the flu, cold, and, yes, coronavirus. It’s like a quarterback being attacked by a blitz and no offensive line is even on the field for protection.
Don’t get sacked! Use probiotic cleaners for the ultimate protection.
Probiotic cleaners contain good bacteria that help maintain a healthy microflora in your environment. They protect you from germs in the following ways:
- Probiotics eat the food sources germs would normally eat. Germs die of starvation.
- Probiotics crowd out germs so they have no place to live. No shelter, germs die.
- Probiotics “eat up the dead bodies on the battlefield.” When most disinfectants kill every living thing, unless you wipe and clean afterwards, they leave dead microbes behind on the surface. These dead microbes act as a buffet for the next germs to come along, feed, and grow stronger. This helps lead to the creation of superbugs too. Probiotics, on the other hand, eat up the dead microbes because these microbes are food for them too. Less food in the food supply and germs die of eventual starvation.
- Probiotics reduce allergens. They eat up pollen, pet dander, dead skin cells, dust, etc. With less allergens attacking your body, your immune system can focus on the more sinister threats like viruses.
- Probiotics “quorum sense.” When bacteria and other microorganisms get together, they take a vote. This is called quorum sensing. If they’ve multiplied enough and have the numbers, they’ll vote to turn on their virulence and infect their host. However, if they hold the vote and determine they are outnumbered by the probiotics and won’t be successful in their attempt to infect, they won’t turn on their virulence. In other words, as long as the good germs outnumber the bad, the bad germs have very little chance of survival and you stay healthier.
Keep your office healthier this season and sanitize the items you use every day every day.