Healthy Cleaning In Commercial Offices

Once customers come around to the benefits of cleaning for health, their distributors should serve as trusted resources for information on best practices. Suppliers can ask manufacturers for continuing education or explore third-party certification programs to achieve expert status.
Rather than simply supplying the items a customer has always used, distributors can educate their customers on the reasons certain products keep illness-causing germs at bay.

“For years, cleaning professionals relied on their senses to determine whether something was clean or dirty,” says Mark Searcy, a business development manager for Coverall North America in Deerfield Beach, Florida. “Those old-fashioned methods don’t work anymore and can actually make problems worse.”

Microfiber cloths and mops capture dirt rather than moving it around. Color-coding these products will prevent the spread of germs from one room to the next. In addition to microfiber, suppliers can also talk to their customers about switching to a high-particulate filtration vacuum. HEPA vacuums can be used on everything from floors and vents to blinds and light fixtures to more effectively reduce dust and allergens.

Germs spread when an infected person touches a surface and then a healthy person touches the same thing, picking up the virus. Janitors should have a list of frequently touched objects that need regular cleaning. The worst areas in an office are doorknobs, light switches, handrails, drinking fountains, copy machines, elevator and ATM buttons, telephones, desks and tabletops, break-room appliances and restroom fixtures.

“Whether janitors are cleaning a multi-floor office or a school, the healthiest strategy is to work from the cleanest area to the most soiled. Cleaning staff should also be trained to remove dirt, not just move it around.

“This is not rocket science. It’s simple things like not cleaning a toilet and then using the same cloth to wipe down a desk,” Sopha says. “Unfortunately, the reality is things like this happen and they shouldn’t.”