5 Surfaces to Keep Clean for a Safe Workspace

With many people being encouraged to go back to office working it’s important to make sure that your workplace is kept safe by ensuring proper cleanliness.

What is the safest way to clean?

  1. You should always wear gloves when disinfecting an area. These gloves should then be disposed of after each clean. If disposable gloves aren’t accessible, the gloves used should only be used to clean surfaces of COVID-19 and not for any other purposes. Wash reusable gloves with detergent and water after use and leave to dry. Your hands should also be washed after removing the gloves.

 

  1. Thoroughly clean the surface with detergent and water, clean from the cleanest surfaces to the dirtiest surfaces to minimise cross contamination.

 

  1. If you need to use a disinfectant this should be applied to the surface after the detergent as this does not kill germs.

When returning to work its important that these cleaning practices be maintained for COVID safety. Here are the top 5 surfaces you should clean to ensure a safe workspace:

  1. Door Handles: Door handles are one of the most forgotten surfaces when cleaning. With COVID-19 now a primary concern this is one of the most important surfaces that should be cleaned. Nearly all of your staff will come in contact with the door handles within your office throughout the day. These surfaces should be cleaned regularly.
  2. Communal Spaces: Communal spaces will be the main issue in workspaces when employees return to work. To ensure safe working these spaces should be minimised in terms of contact. This means no more communal M&M bowls! All kitchen areas and meeting areas should be cleaned before and after use. At Winya we’ve put in place a staff routine for kitchen use which involves each staff member wiping down all kitchen surfaces before and after use to keep our staff safe.
  3. Mobile Phones & Telephones: This is something your employees are constantly in contact with inside and outside the office. According to a study done by StateFoodSafety, your phone is covered in germs: 25,127 bacteria per square inch whereas door handles only have 8,643 per square inch! Make sure employees regularly disinfect their mobile phones and telephones.
  4. Desks & Chairs: Your employees are in contact with their desks for the majority of the day and are seated on their chairs for the same period. Not only this but between moving from their desks and getting seated again office chairs are touched regularly and often overlooked in terms of cleaning. The desk is an easy fix, just wipe down the surface. At Winya, we’ve tested cleaning upholstered chairs and have devised a way for you to keep them clean and dry. Check out our cleaning tips below! Note: this method should not be used on mesh back chairs as it has not been tested in terms of damage to elasticity of the mesh over long periods of exposure
  5. Keyboards & Laptops: Your employees are in contact with their keyboards and computers for their entire working day. This is often overlooked as a surface that needs cleaning. At Winya, we’re wiping down these surfaces before and after use; in the morning, before and after coffee and lunch breaks and when our employees complete their work for the day.

You should also be providing access to hand sanitiser at your office entries, spacing out employees and minimising crowded hall and walk ways.