It's Time to Deep Clean the Office

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:47:33 GMT

Flu seasons vary, but the risk of getting a flu virus generally increases in October, peaks from December to February, and may last until May. With peak flu season just around the corner, it's time to get your work environment clean and sanitized.

An annual deep cleaning of the office doesn't only eliminate viruses and bacteria on germ-infested surfaces, but it also allows you and your employees to have a tidy working environment. A deep cleaning addresses the overlooked spaces that have built up clutter, dirt, grime, and germs. Get started deep cleaning your office with these tips.

Create a Schedule

Attempting to deep clean a dirty office can quickly become an overwhelming task. You can make it easier on yourself by making a list of what needs to be cleaned and on what day each task should be conquered. Tackle one room each day or tackle a specific task, such as cleaning the windows one day and the carpets the next day.

Encourage everyone in the office to get involved, or at least instruct them to deep clean their individual area. Breaking down the to do list to step-by-step tasks will help you realize which areas are the top priority and keep track of what is and isn't done.

Dust Every Inch of Every Room

Grab a microfiber cleaning cloth and starting at the ceiling, work your way down each wall. Don't forget to dust hanging lights, air vents, and ceiling fan blades. To make dusting easier, use a microfiber dusting wand for hard-to-reach areas, such as ceiling fans and the tops of shelves. Dust every nook and cranny, especially vent covers and corners where dust often gets trapped.

As tedious as this task may be, it is especially important if you, your employees, and/or your clients suffer from allergies. Eliminating the dust will reduce sneezing, which may help to prevent the spread of germs and viruses. Reducing dust can also improve the air quality of your office, making the space feel less stuffy.

Disinfect/Sanitize Hot Spots

Any surface in the office that comes in contact with hands or food is going to have a large amount of bacteria and germs. For this reason, disinfect phones, breakroom appliances and countertops, door handles, and the refrigerator shelves. Be sure to use a quality, industrial-strength disinfectant.

You must disinfect every inch of the bathrooms, including the stall doors, exposed plumbing, and hand dryers. Also, remember to sanitize all of the sink faucets and handles, as well as the doorknobs, especially on the entry doors.

Clean and Organize Desks

The majority of infections get spread by contaminated surfaces, so the first place to start defending your office against the flu is at desks and other work stations. Start by removing all non-work-related items from the desks. This is also a great time to create a physical filing system for your active and archived documents.

Have two garbage bags ready, one for recycling and one for papers to shred. Put away everything that goes elsewhere in the office. Use disinfecting wipes to remove dust, fingerprints, grime, and germs from electronics, such as keyboards, mouses, and phones.

One of the best ways to ensure the office stays cleaned and sanitized is to hire a cleaning company. By outsourcing cleaning, you leave your employees with more time to do their jobs. In addition, a cleaning company could help save you time and money in employee sick days.

If you need a hand keeping your office space clean and germ-free, contact Ariel Janitorial Services, Inc. We offer janitorial services for offices throughout the Houston, Texas area.

5 Ways to Improve the Cleanliness of Your Veterinary Clinic

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 00:28:08 GMT

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Like any medical clinic, your veterinary practice is a place where you turn health problems and crises into healing and recovery.

K eeping the clinic, exam rooms, and public areas clean can often be more challenging than with a doctor's office. Sick or injured animals may urinate, bring in unwanted dirt and debris, or leave fur all over the office. While you love them, you also want to protect yourselves, the clients, and the animals.

How can you boost cleanliness at your veterinary clinic? Here are 5 tips any veterinarian can use.

Hire a Service

Your staff members are trained and professional animal caregivers, but they probably aren't professional cleaners. For the best result s , hire an outside service at least once per week to give your clinic a proper sanitization and cleaning.

Look for companies with experience in medical or dental clinics as well as veterinary settings. In addition to regular disinfecting, you may also want to have them perform monthly and quarterly deep cleans in different areas.

Write a Checklist

Clean ing up the office may seem like an obvious request that's easy to follow, but do you have established practices for doing cleaning tasks? Are they written and posted so that everyone can see and follow them?

Create written instructions for vital tasks such as disinfecting exam rooms and operating rooms before and after use, handwashing and tool sanitization, and thorough cleaning of kennels. Go over the instructions with all employees and post them in easy to spot locations .

Checklists are a valuable tool even if they seem like overkill. You may want to prepare an opening and closing checklist , as well as checklists for cleaning rooms after patient use. Have employees initial tasks as they complete them.

Add Ventilation

Concentrating on the floors and surfaces in the office may cause you to forget about the invisible cleaning aids in your office. One of these is the ventilation system .

Veterinary practices sometimes develop an odor due to an animal ’ s condition , and clients may notice this as soon as they enter the reception area. Circulati ng air properly out of the exam rooms , bathrooms, and kennels helps prevent germs from settling and causing odors .

Work with an experienced ventilation service to determine how best to filter and recirculate air in these key areas. Air from certain rooms, such as the kennels or any isolation wards, should not mix with the rest of the clinic's circulation.

Remove Clutter

The less items you have on the floors and along walls, the fewer places dust and debris will accumulate. Removing unnecessary clutter helps the cleaning service be thorough and makes emergency cleanups easier for your staff.

Many practice s can cut down on clutter in a few ways. One is by working to digitize records and paperwork with electronic documentation, cloud storage services, and online portals for patients. Digitizing paperwork reduces piles of papers, client files, and clutter on desks.

In addition, do a thorough spring cleaning at least once per year and consider storing unused equipment or documentation at a safe location offsite.

Choose Good Products

Make sure you choose high qu ality disinfecting products and teach everyone how to use them properly.

For example, you should dilute many products. However , d iluting them too much makes them less effective as a sanitizer and diluting them too little can cause skin damage or inhalation risk s for both humans and animals.

Work with your cleaning service to determine effective alternatives to harsh chemicals and animal-friendly varieties where chemicals are necessary.

To get your veterinary clinic on the road to thorough cleanliness and sanitation, contact us at Ariel Janitorial Services, Inc. With experience in all commercial and medical settings, we can help you create both internal controls and a cleaning routine that will protect the health of you, your patients, and their owners.

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It's Time to Deep Clean the Office

5 Ways to Improve the Cleanliness of Your Veterinary Clinic