The Benefits of Spring Cleaning your Workplace or Home

No-doubt you’ve heard of the age-old tradition of ‘spring cleaning’. As winter comes to end and the weather starts to warm up, it’s the start of new beginnings and many like to give their homes and lives a refresh. This year more so than ever, spring cleaning should be seen as a necessity. The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which originated in China in December last year and has quickly spread across the globe, making it a world-wide pandemic, highlights the importance of proper hygiene.

Protect yourself against the COVID-19 coronavirus

This is especially important in workplaces, particularly if your work is classed as essential so your employees have to continue to attend work or even for those who are working from home where they live with others. Recent statistics state that in the UK alone, there have been 11,660 confirmed cases of coronavirus, resulting in 578 deaths.

The coronavirus can easily and quickly spread, especially in places where there are a large number of people in close contact with someone who is infected. The virus is spread through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air which people then breath in, or onto a surface which others can then touch and then touch their nose, mouth or eyes. There is currently no cure for the coronavirus, so prevention is incredibly important. This is why the UK government, like many governments all over the world, has put the UK on lockdown.

The benefits of spring cleaning

A single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets, these droplets can then land on other people, clothing, and surfaces around them. Research has found that the droplets can survive for up to three hours after being coughed into the air, and can live up to 24 hours on cardboard, and 2-3 days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces. These findings suggest that the virus may last a considerable amount of time on everyday surfaces like door handles, worktops, boxes, files and other hard surfaces.

Now, more so than ever, is the ideal time to deep clean your workplaces and homes, to ensure the safety of yourselves, your family, and your employees. We have put together a list of benefits to spring cleaning and some tips on how to give any space a thorough deep clean.

Keep you, your employees, and your family healthy

As discussed earlier, germs and viruses can last a substantial amount of time on everyday surfaces. This makes it even easier for yourself, your employees, or your family to become infected, even hours after someone with symptoms leaves. In fact, some people can spread diseases like COVID-19 without having any symptoms themselves so you wouldn’t know to take extra precautions.

If it has been a while since your workplace or home has been properly cleaned, now is definitely the time to give it a thorough and deep clean. Desks, phones, keyboards, mice, door handles, and worktops are notorious for harbouring germs and bacteria. If you have a lot of clutter, the chances are germs could be using this as refuge.

Research has shown that coronaviruses can be inactivated in as little as a minute by disinfecting surfaces with 62-71% alcohol, or 0.5% hydrogen peroxide bleach or household bleach. Kays Medical stocks a range of Responsebeta products which can be used to thoroughly disinfect a variety of areas. Responsebeta is a scientifically proven infection control product, as a broad-spectrum biocide it can effectively kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and spores and remains active for two hours after application. It is also skin-safe, alcohol free and designed specifically for human hygiene use, making it ideal for use in childcare and healthcare industries, and in places where alcohol-based products are prohibited, such as prisons. 

Cleaning up work surfaces, breakrooms, desks, shelves, bathrooms and other work spaces can help make sure germs aren’t lingering around and keep those around you safe. Also, by reducing the risk of infection in work places you can reduce the levels of absenteeism and the costs associated with this.

Prevent injuries

This is particularly beneficial for workplaces. You don’t want your employees getting sick, but you really don’t want them getting injured. If your office is full of clutter, obstructions like storage boxes, old equipment, filing cabinets and stacks of other objects blocking walkways or surrounding your employee’s workspace, this can be very dangerous and lead to some serious injuries.

Workplace injuries can be very expensive. If an employee injures themselves at work as a result of your negligence, they could have the right to sue you for a substantial amount of money, depending on the severity of their injuries. As an employer you have a legal obligation to look after the health and safety of all your employees and provide a safe working environment. Not only can it cost you money, but it can cost you time and productivity, especially if a key member of staff if hurt and away from work for a significant amount of time.

Similarly, if your home is full of clutter like piles of clothing, bags you’ve been meaning to give away to the charity shop or throw out, or you have a lot of old kids toys lying around, this could cause injuries at home for you or your family. If you are working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, as many people are, giving it a good clear up, de-cluttering and organising can help you to feel more organised and prepared to work and minimise distractions.

Increase productivity

Organising your workspace is a crucial part of helping you and your employees work to the best of their abilities. Organising a workspace can help to organise your mind and de-cluttering can help you stay more focused as it minimises distractions. It also helps with workflow as if you’re halfway through doing something and then you have to stop to search for something you need like, a file or piece of paperwork, or piece of equipment then you can disrupt productivity and creativity. When your workspace is organised in a way where everything has its own space and people know where to find things, then productivity will flow, and work can get done much quicker. A good spring clean and de-clutter can help you minimise or eliminate distractions.

Keep track of what you have

How often have you searched for something you swore you had but can’t find it and then end up buying a new one, only to find the original a few weeks later? If your workspace or even home space is disorganised, you’re likely spending a lot of money on things you already have. Spring cleaning gives you the opportunity to compile all your work inventory and organise it into easily accessible places, so you can see exactly what you have and can cut down on excessive spending for duplicate items.

Take the time to spring clean your office or home to dispose of unneeded clutter, help you keep your space organised, improve productivity and most importantly keep yourselves, your family, and your employees safe and healthy. For advanced protection from germs when cleaning your workplace or home try our Responsebeta disinfectant or Responsebeta wipes.