How does your desk look like? Does it look clean? Look closer! This article will cite surprising cleaning industry statistics and facts in Australia which will give you enough reason to hire professional commercial cleaning services.
You might as well take a second look at your workspace and think about when was the last time you cleaned it. Embrace yourself as the horrifying truth unfolds in front of you.
Clean Group, an office cleaning Melbourne company will answer all these doubts and fears about the underlying truth behind why you should hire a professional to clean for you.
10 Cleaning Industry Statistics Australia
Let us start this article by making you aware of the top 10 cleaning industry statistics according to the dirtiest places in the office. The tool to measure the dirtiness of a surface is called an ATP meter. Any surface with an ATP reading of over 300 is at serious risk of spreading illness. Anything over 100 requires a severe wipe down.
Coffee Pots
48% of all coffee pots and dispensers have enough bacteria that you should wash your hands after using them.
Here are some tips on how you can keep your coffee machine clean to serve you great-tasting coffee every time:
Coffee oil tends to build up in the machine. The coffee oil build-up in the pot, in the brew basket, and in the showerhead. Commercial Cleaning Melbourne uses soapy water to rinse it out.
They make sure that it is clean every time you finish using it. When you are done with the solution, pour it on the back, let it run for one cup, and switch it off. Let it sit for an hour.
You need to clean the coffee machine for it to function correctly. When the scale build-up, it can affect the thermometer and the water quantity coming out of the pot. It helps if you can make your de-scaling solution. You can mix half-part vinegar and half-part water.
Make sure to sanitize and handles and the surfaces too.
Mouse
51% of computer mice needed a thorough wipe down. It is no coincidence that your computer mouse is as dirty as the real live mouse that lives in the gutter.
With a sanitary wipe, give your mouse a good wipe before and after you start working. This will somehow decrease the number of germs and bacteria that may be present on it.
Toilet Seat
Coming in on an ATP meter at a 200 does not mean it is clean by any means. Use a toilet seat cover.
Let us leave the toilet cleaning in the office to the hands of our professional cleaners. Office Cleaning Melbourne shared these tips on how they ensure clean, fresh, and sanitized toilets for their customers. Please feel free to dive into these steps and methods.
- Start by squirting a toilet bowl cleaner under the rim and letting it sit. Scrub the interior of the bowl with a brush. Once clean, flush the toilet.
- Spray and wipe disinfectant to the toilet bowl seat
- Wipe the exterior of the toilet bowl too
Vending Machine Buttons
21%of all vending machine buttons have a high potential for spreading illness. This is because a lot of people use and touch the pins of these machines. It will help if you wash your hands after getting a snack from the machine.
You can also ask your office cleaner if they can wipe and disinfect these buttons at least once a week to eliminate the germs and bacteria that had seated on them.
Water Fountain Buttons
23% of all water fountain buttons have enough bacteria to make you sick. I know that it might sound ironic because water sustains us, but let us not forget that water can also make us sick.
Personally, I do not drink from water fountains. The best way for you to protect yourself from these contaminants is to buy your drinking glass or water container and refill it some other way rather than using the water fountain.
Refrigerator Door Handles
26% of refrigerator handles have an ATP level of over 300. This makes sense because there are so many employees that touch the fridge handle ever so often in a day.
Simple and Easy Cleaning Steps for Fridges in the office
- Prepare an all-purpose cleaner, microfiber cloth, recycling bin, and garbage bin before cleaning the fridge.
The first step to cleaning the fridge is by taking everything out of it. - Spray the all-purpose cleaner on all the shelves from top to bottom. Let it sit while you work on the door shelving of the fridge.
- Remove the crisper drawers entirely so that you can also clean the area underneath. Just be gentle on how you wipe the components of the fridge.
- Once the cleaning product had enough time to sit, wipe all areas clean with a microfiber cloth. It is also essential to get to the underside of the shelves, especially if it is made out of glass. Sometimes, tall bottles can grease the bottom of the underside shelves and leave grime on them.
- Make you get the sides and the back of the fridge as well.
- It is also essential to make sure that everything is dry. This is the best way to ensure that you will contain the mildew situation happening inside the fridge.
Keyboard
27% came in at levels that are high enough to make you sick.
Would you also believe that apart from your desktop, your keyboard also contributes another 20,000 germs per square inch? Keyboards are notoriously filthy. I am also guilty of this. I like snacking while working.
Most of the crumbs of whatever I am eating that day get stuck on the keys, and I will not usually clean it after my shift ends. Until one day, ants started to climb up my desk. Here are some helpful ways on how you can also maintain a clean keyboard like how Commercial Cleaning Melbourne does it.
A university in Arizona, USA, had studied that an average desktop has 21,000 germs per square inch while the office toilet seat has only 49.
That is why it is vital that you clean and disinfect your workstation as often and regularly as you can. Plus, cleaning your desk can burn 200 calories.
One of the DIY methods that I use when cleaning my keyboard is sticky notes. I put the sticky part in between the keys and give it a good rub. Once you are done, you will see the accumulated dust, grimes, hair, and food crumbs.
But if you are more on proper cleaning, you can buy a compressed air duster and spray all the way through the gaps and spaces. Once you are done spraying, you can simply wipe the dirt away. Wipe the front and back of the keyboard, including the cords.
Microwave Door Handles
48% of all microwave door handles have enough bacteria that you need to wipe it down with bleach and wash your hands after you use it.
How to clean your microwave squeaky clean? These are the tips:
- Get a bowl and fill it halfway with water, you can either put lemon in the water, or you can simply pour an all-purpose cleaner into it. Then put the solution in the microwave for five minutes. We suggest you use lemon because the water and the lemon produce steam that breaks the grime and grease on the walls of the microwave.
- Use a dampened microfiber cloth. Clean the insides of the microwave, starting with the sides and getting the top as well as the bottom.
- Remove the plate and clean that as well.
- Office Cleaning Melbourne suggests cleaning the microwave when it is still warm because it will make the cleaning easier.
- If the microfiber cloth is not able to remove all the grime, you can switch to a double-sided sponge or a scraper. That will help in getting rid of all the filth that had built up in the microwave.
- Once you are done with the inside, you can use the same solution to wipe off the outside of the microwave, including all the buttons and dials.
Faucet Handles
75% of all breakroom faucet have enough bacteria to send you home for a few days.
Usually, your cleaner will clean and sanitize this for you. The best tip for you to get rid of these bacteria is simply to apply a hand gel sanitiser when you get back to your desk.
Ever wonder how our hard-working Commercial Cleaning Melbourne does the cleaning for taps and other chrome fixtures in the office? Read through, and you will know how:
- For a water deposit, you can make your cleaning solution by squeezing half a lemon in a container and adding baking soda. Mix it well.
- After you are done concocting your cleaner, apply it to the tap and chrome with a scrubber.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes
- Clean it with an all-purpose cleaner. Give it a good scrub until you got the result that you desire. After that, rinse it with water.
Cellphone
An average cellphone gives over 900 ATP readings. Just make sure you wipe down your phone every once in a while. We know that a lot of people are using their phones in the toilet.
Out of the 19 people that we asked, 75% actually said yes, that they take their phone in the bathroom. Only 2 of that 75 % of individuals have positive growth for bacteria that would typically associate with stool or feces.
Let us just keep in mind that we just take a snapshot of cellphones that were within one office.
This only supports the fact that we need to clean our phones every once in a while. Disinfect it thoroughly to avoid catching bacteria that may later on harming your health.
We are aware that a large percentage of our time is spent outside. An average person spends 87% of their day in the office. Your desk or your workspace should be a breeding ground for your creativity and productivity. It should not be a breeding place for bacteria.
Office Cleaning Melbourne ensures that all desks are wiped and get disinfected as often as possible. In the absence of a professional cleaner, you can also these simple steps to work your way to a healthier, cleaner desk:
- Designate a time each day to clean your office with disinfecting wipes. Make sure to include your desk, phone, mouse, and keyboard.
- Keep your workspace tidy and clutter-free. There will be less mess where germs can accumulate.
- Bring a small house plant. Plants help filter the air and can help squelch airborne bacteria.
- Clean up thoroughly before and after lunch if you eat at your desk. Wash glasses and mugs frequently. Keep refrigerated food and dry food in separate closed plastic containers in the office kitchen.
- Wash your hands after each trip to the restroom. Use soap and warm water and rub vigorously for 20 seconds.
- Keep antibacterial hand wipes or gel on your desk and use them when you can not get into a sink.
- Avoid contact with sick co-workers. It may seem rude, but you will not be the one calling in sick the next day.
- Go home or stay at home if you are the one who is sick. It is the best way to avoid contaminating your office and spreading germs to co-workers.
Now that you have seen the statistics, are you still having a second thoughts about hiring professionals to do the cleaning for you? Always remember that your employee’s health is at stake, and you must provide them with a safe and healthy workplace.
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