The Dangers of an Unhygienic Office

Have you ever gone through one of those winters when you seem to catch every single bug going around?  It seems as though you’ve only just got over your cold, when you’re hit by a nasty stomach bug, and then a few weeks later it’s a terrible cough.  As soon as you get some time off work, you come down with the flu and spend your holiday lying in bed feeling miserable.  May be your co-workers have even started to comment on how much time you’re spending on sick leave.  But could a lack of effective office cleaning be to blame for your illnesses?

Coming down with even minor illnesses on a regular basis can make your life a misery, so if this sounds familiar you’ll probably already have been down to your local chemist or health food shop in search of a miracle cure, and you may have scoured the web looking for advice on how to boost your immune system, perhaps you’ve even over-hauled your diet, or started meditating to reduce your stress levels.  But may be you should start by looking around you instead and in particular at your office environment. Unless your company employs a regular office cleaning service, you could be surrounded by germs, from Monday to Friday, and from 9 to 5.

One of the key things doctors recommend you do to prevent picking up bugs is to wash your hands regularly, so as to avoid passing the germs you encounter lingering on every day objects in to your blood stream.  But if you work in an office, then no matter how often you wash your hands, as soon as you return to your desk, you will probably just be picking up the germs once again.  This is because your desk, computer keyboard and phone may well be riddled with all sorts of bacteria.  And this is where an office cleaning service could be vital to your health.

The germs which spread colds are often passed on when we come into contact with a contaminated object, so just stop and think for a minute how often your colleagues touch the objects on your desk.  May be they answer the phone for you while you’re in a meeting.  Perhaps you ask someone to help you do a mail merge and they end up using your computer, possibly they come and perch on the edge of your desk for a chat, or may be you even share your workspace with someone else altogether.  If this is the case, then if any of your colleagues have forgotten to keep their hands nice and clean, they may be bringing germs to your desk.  And before you know it, you’ll have caught the latest cold doing the rounds. 

Secondly, large numbers of us are now admitting to eating at our desks.  May be it’s just the odd biscuit or piece of cake to celebrate a birthday, or may be you are one of a growing number who actually eat your lunch at your desk, possibly because you’re snowed under with work, or may be to save money you’ve brought sandwiches in from home.  Many offices don’t have adequate canteen facilities, and besides it’s often more comfortable to eat sitting at your desk, and may be you even like to browse the internet while you eat, sandwich in one hand and the other clicking the mouse.  But have you stopped to think about how hygienic this is?  You may well be leaving particles of food all over your desk and keyboard, and are you sure they are being cleaned up properly? 

A dedicated office cleaning service will be experienced in getting rid of the sorts of bacteria that can easily build up on desks and other office equipment, giving you the peace of mind that your office is no longer making you sick.  For information on Sloane Cleaning, a London-based office cleaning company providing shop, restaurant, bar and office cleaners across the Greater London area, visit www.sloanecleaning.co.uk

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