Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[MaintenanceOne]

It only takes a cough from the colleague sitting next to us to turn us all into hypochondriacs. We immediately think we are being infected with swine flu and run to the nearest pharmacy only to find out that all the facemasks are gone.

It’s true that we have to be cautious in regards to swine flu; it is very contagious since it expands through droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. An infected individual can infect others even one day after symptoms start and up to seven days after being sick, however all extremes are dangerous. Not everyone with a cold is infected with swine flu; remember that the symptoms are very similar to those associated with a common cold: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills, and fatigue, and only a doctor can confirm if someone is indeed infected with swine flu. What we all can and should do is work on prevention. Prevention is the key to stop this dreaded virus for good.

We have to be especially careful around crowded places, and this is why keeping a clean environment in the office is vital to ensure your safety while at work. A clean office will not allow the virus to spread, because it will not survive for too long.

Every office, be it small, medium, or large, must be cleaned daily. If yours was cleaned three times a week until now, request a change. Your commercial cleaning service will work with you to define a daily schedule that is right for you.

Encourage visitors, clients, associates, and suppliers that come to the office to sanitize their hands by placing respectful requests and signs in the appropriate places.

And personally, what can you do to stay healthy and avoid being the cause of others getting sick? As much as possible, avoid commuting with the crowd, so ask for a flexible schedule at work. Wash your hands frequently, and as soon as you arrive to the office or home no matter where you have been; always have a hand sanitizer with you in case there is no way to wash your hands. Cover you mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Clip your nails regularly and keep them clean because they are where viruses love to reside. Exercise regularly, learn to manage stress, and get a good night’s sleep. Drink lots of liquids and eat healthy foods, and most importantly, do not go to work if you feel even a little sick.

Professional commercial cleaning services are trained to use the most efficient cleaning methods to ensure your office is 100% free of viruses. They make sure employees have a good supply of tissues on their desks, keep a close eye on the stock of soap and hand drying supplies to make sure these are always available, and clean those difficult areas that are normally forgotten but touched continuously, for example, light switches, corners, door knobs, keyboards, and phones.

Do your part and let the professionals deal with the rest, so that you can work and live in peace and health.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention Maintenance One as the original source).

Rachel Clarkson
commercial cleaning

[cleanway]

Nice, informative once arousing health consciousness.

[greenj26]

I currently clean a few medical offices and I am always surprised when even the medical staff isn't up-to-date on disinfecting technology. The other day I was talking to a doctor (a prospective client) who wanted his office cleaned. He cleaned his surgery room, where he does minor cutting, with bleach. I always use quaternary disinfectants for cleaning a room such as this. I didn't think anyone still used bleach. Anyways, he was complaining that smudges kept coming back after they were wiped down with the bleach. Upon examination, I saw they were fingerprints. I told him that although sodium hypochlorite (bleach) disinfects, it does not clean - it does a poor job degreasing. From my understanding different areas need different levels of clean. A counter top, for example, can be sanitized, whereas a room used for surgery would need to be disinfected...and the surgical tools themselves would need to be sterilized. I currently am thinking about using Benefect, a botanical epa registered disinfectant. Any thoughts - what do you guys and gals use to make things sanity and/or disinfected.