14th March 2015 – As we spend much of our waking lives sat at our desks and most of that time working rather than cleaning, it’s not surprising that our computer keyboards are far from spotless. Just how clean is your working environment and what effect does that have on your business?

In tests, which have been conducted on the cleanliness of the office environment, it has been proved that your cubicle is much less hygienic than the communal areas because they are used more often.

Your keyboard is in constant contact with your hands and can become a breeding ground for bacteria. Microbiologist Dr. Peter Wilson states that your keyboard is “a reflection of what is in your nose and in your gut” with over 3,000 bacteria per surface (that’s 5 times more bacteria than a toilet seat!) All of which can be responsible for such illnesses as food poisoning and pneumonia. Add to this food crumbs, dead skin, hair and even insect pieces, we will never look at our keyboards the same way again!

Your desk phone is harbouring even more bacteria with over 25,000 bacteria per surface as it’s put up to your mouth and ear but rarely, if ever, cleaned.

This obviously has an impact upon our general health and in 2013 Britons took 131 million days off due to ill health, costing the economy £29 billion. Although London had the lowest absence rate in the country, employees coming to work with an illness can spread the bacteria around and have a negative effect on the productivity of a whole office.

However, the office environment doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Studies have shown that workers who rated their office ‘clean’ had increased productivity and felt that they produced better quality work. Workers who described their office space as ‘tidy’ felt that this allowed them to be more creative in their work. The cleanliness of a working environment directly correlates with how happy workers felt in their environment reducing absenteeism and staff turnover.

With the sun appearing from behind winter clouds across London, what better time to give your business a spring-clean? A professional office cleaning service could give your business and employees a physical and psychological boost.

If you are in the London area, call us for a free, no obligation quote.