It doesn’t take much searching to find plenty of study and poll results showing that one of the most prevalent factors that contribute to a productive environment is to have a tidy one. But more than that, it is helpful for the workspace to actually be clean. There is a difference between putting everything away in its proper place, and actually cleaning the space so that it is free of bacteria and germs. It may not be something that everyone thinks about regularly, as many businesses employ janitorial services that allow employees to come into a clean and welcoming workspace each morning.
You will certainly want to ensure that the office cleaning services that you do use are doing a thorough and efficient job. But on top of being thorough, one element that many people are starting to consider more and more, and rightly so, is the use of green cleaning services.
Keeping it clean and staying healthy at work
Just about everyone can identify with the worry of catching a virus at their place of employment. When you are constantly surrounded by a number of people, and in close quarters, it isn’t too hard to unintentionally share germs, bacteria, and viruses that no one would prefer to pick up. Some things are more obvious than others. For example, it will be very noticeable if a colleague leaves dirty dishes in the office kitchen sink, or if they come in clearly suffering from a cold and fail to wash their hands or cover their sneezes. These are all factors that we learn to be very aware of. But there are other things to think about as well.
It has been estimated that a particularly dirty desk can become the home of 400 times the amount of bacteria than can be found on a typical toilet seat. One survey showed that almost a third of those responding to the poll acknowledge that their phones and computer keyboards are likely the dirtiest items to be found in the office, as a result of being handled so often, and not always by clean hands, but not even 10% of those individuals clean those objects very often. This is why it is crucial to have an effective cleaning team, but for the health of everyone in the office, it is also best to choose a cleaning crew from those that offer green cleaning services, so as not to bring harsh chemicals into the workplace.
The benefits of green cleaning services
The world is slowly waking up to the fact that we need to be taking better care of the earth. Our species has done some pretty significant damage to the environment, and the focus on turning around that negative impact seems to be growing, albeit at a slow pace. Green cleaning services are important, as it takes a shift in every area of our daily lives to make a difference. Many of the chemicals in the cleaning products that are used end up being flushed or washed down drains, and making their way into natural water sources, harming habitats and rendering the water and nearby resources unusable. And it isn’t just the chemicals being washed away that are doing the harm.
On the market today, there are approximately 17,000 chemicals that can be used for cleaning the home or workplace, and yet of those, just 30% of them have been through the appropriate testing to determine the safety for exposure to both the environment and human wellness. It makes a difference. These chemicals can do quite a bit of damage. It has been estimated that about 80% of all cancer types are the result of something harmful in the environment as opposed to genetic factors. Many carcinogenic chemicals that are found in typical cleaning products can be considered at fault for these environmental factors. Using a cleaning service that places a high priority and value on environmentally friendly products and procedures is a major step in the right direction.
Going green is an obvious move. If we want to create a better world for ourselves and future generations, it is time to start paying attention to every action that we can take to make a difference.
