Germs are disease-causing organisms; according to biology, germs are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Whatever language it’s being called, what we know is that they are harmful to humans and animals.

Germs are not a respecter of persons or locations; they can be found everywhere because they are majorly airborne, and can easily penetrate any part of the home or offices. In a previous article, we have mentioned some tips to keep your home and office clean and hygienic.

We sometimes take a sparkling clean surface as safe and hygienic; forgetting that germs can hide anywhere. In this article, we are going to be sharing with you 5 places where germs can be found in the offices.

5 Secret Hotspots for Germs in the Office

At first glance, one would mention the bathroom and kitchen as areas where germs can be found because of the frequent use of water and a high probability of having stagnant water. The other ‘secret germ hotspots’ are places where germs are found frequently but less disinfected, sometimes not even disinfected for as long as 1 year!

Trust this is going to be a good read for you; No. 4 is one of the most unidentified germs spots.

1. The Telephone

It will be hard to find someone in this digital age without having to pick up a phone in one day! Mobile phones have now become an essential gadget in our everyday life. In the office, especially for customer service personnel, picking up the phone is a routine task.

How do germs perch on the phone?

Let’s take an instance, you are having some skin irritation or running nose, and momentarily you scratched your body or use your fingers to wipe your nose. If you pick up your phone without washing your hands, the germ will remain on the phone and if someone else picks up the phone the germ will be transmitted.

The same thing happens when you share your phone with someone else, let’s say you give your phone to someone to help you take a picture, that person could have some germs on his or hand and transmit germ to you and vice versa.

The hands are needed for important things, but it’s also an agent for spreading germs. Using disinfectant or towel moistened with a disinfectant can be a good germ preventive option you can implement.

2. Wall Switches

The switches are also essential electronic equipment that we can’t do without. At some point, you want to plug your phone or laptop for charging, perhaps plug in your TV in order to watch your favourite program.

Whatever your reason is for using any electronic gadget, you still need to use the switch. The only reason why you will likely not touch the switch is if you don’t have power supply! As mentioned earlier the hands are a carrier of germs, so as long as you have your hand pressing your wall switches, you can transfer germs to someone and vice versa.

Action point?

Insist that your office cleaner disinfects your switches when doing their regular cleaning. At Kleenrite, we don’t wait to be told, we clean even the most negligible area of your offices.

Develop a habit of washing your hands every time, especially after using the restroom.

3. Door Handles And Lift Buttons

People who live or work in high rise buildings are no strangers to using the lift to move from one floor of the building to another – the lift buttons are deposits for germs as well.

More health-conscious businesses have the hand-sanitizers strategically located at the entrance because they understand the harm an unsanitized hand could do to the health of their customers and staff.

One will easily recall the measures that were put in place by the Nigerian Government when the Ebola Virus was first reported in July 2014. That year, schools and other public centres were instructed to have running water, soap and sanitizer for disinfection.

If you don’t live or work in high rise buildings trust you use the door handles; the door handles are places germs can be found.

Does this mean you shouldn’t open doors anymore? No! Instead, we should ensure that before our hands go into the mouth, the hands must be washed with soap and water. Cleaners should also do a more thorough cleaning of the door handles and lift buttons, from time to time the door handle must be cleaned with a sanitizing solution.

4. Remotes

The remotes control to the air conditioners, cars, TV are accessories are where germs can be found! It is easy to overlook these small electronic accessories when doing our regular cleaning.

When doing your office cleaning; we recommend you try to clean your remotes controls first and keep before other things. This is because there is a higher probability that you will forget to clean your remote. So basically, start from the simplest to the most complex of your cleaning task.

For us at Kleenrite, we put attention to every detail and this is one of the reasons why many of our clients trust us with their home and office cleaning tasks.

5. Printers And Photocopiers

Office Printers and Photocopiers are another save haven for germs, especially if it’s being shared. Despite advancement in technology, you find out that companies still find a need to have some document printed or duplicated.

Business centre operators, banks, schools all use the printers and photocopiers. If you work in any of the aforementioned, just imagine the number of staffs that have placed their fingers on these types of equipment. Little wonder, health conditions like coughs and flu are easily transmitted.

Don’t assume that your equipment is germs free because they are looking clean. Do well to clean them regularly with sanitizing wet wipes.

Other secret hotspots for germs in the office are stairs railings, chair arm-rest and kitchen wares.

 Conclusion

Germs are a menace to our health, the best way to be germ-free is through proper cleaning and sanitization of the environment. Recent research shows that a worker takes an average 4 days each year as sick day/leaf.

If you want your team to be productive and minimize disruption due to contagious illnesses, you need to have improved hygiene within the office.

The first rule for a hygienic living is to wash your hands before you eat anything, why? Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water.

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