We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about virus avoidance, but today we thought we would go into things you can do to keep another type of virus--specifically COVID-19--away from you and your technology.

It’s known that bacteria and viruses (including COVID-19 and many others) thrive in environments like a typical office. There are usually many people in a confined space and a lot of places that microorganisms and germs can get picked up.

To back up these claims (that only really need corroboration from workers that get sick from their contemporaries regularly), research suggests that the average office phone features more than 25,000 different types of bacteria, the average keyboard sports 3,000 per square inch, and the mouse has over half that. For reference, the average toilet has less than 300 per square inch. This tells you just how important it is to make efforts to keep your workspace clean. 

Virus Removal

You can’t just dump hand sanitizer on your keyboard and expect it to be clean. Here are some tips designed to help you keep yourself healthy:

Traditional Cleaning

It is important that you keep your office clean. Using soap and water to clean surfaces that are able to be cleaned that way and keeping the floors clean with a broom and mop will keep the office in good shape. 

Obviously, you shouldn’t clean your computing components with the same haphazard cleaning that you would do on your floors. You don’t want to ruin them with careless actions. 

Disinfecting Wipes

The disinfecting wipes can be quite useful to build a healthier office, as long as you are diligent about which wipes to buy. You’ll want to get the ones that tell you about their disinfecting power on the label.  You will want to check the labels to see if your supply says they kill viruses.

By using these disinfectant wipes, you will likely see fewer sick people. Cleaning surfaces like door handles, light switches, phones, chairs,  keyboards, and mice will go a long way toward sanitizing your whole office. Be sure to pay special attention to high-traffic areas in the office, like the staff refrigerator, vending machines, coffee machines, and the microwave, to properly disinfect them as well.

Encourage Hygiene

The thing that is going to keep your staff safe against contamination the most is their own hygiene. You’ll want to make a point to remind everyone in the office that they need to be washing their hands after they use the bathroom. You can also make sure that they have access to hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and other useful products that promote a sterile workplace.  Also, you would be wise to tell sick people to stay home from the office or allow them to work remotely if needed. 

Ultimately, with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing these issues to the forefront, you will likely begin to see people making these steps a priority. Nobody wants to get sick, so everyone has a reason to keep their workspace as clean as possible, but since every office has at least one slob, you will want to make sure to make it a priority for them to keep their desk clean. 

What does your company do to promote staff health? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.