How do you disinfect your office from COVID-19?

1. Furniture
2. Surface Areas
3. Tools and Appliances
4. Pantry, Kitchen, and Refreshment Areas
5. Promote and Implement Good Hygiene

Fears over the rapidly spreading pandemic, COVID-19, has left many individuals wondering how they can protect themselves from this illness. While many individuals are highly encouraged to practice social distancing through community quarantine and self-isolation, many employers are allowing their employees to work from home. However, some workers are still expected to come into the office to get things done. With the number of cases increasing day per day, you may be wondering how you can protect yourself from this virus while at work. The best way to do this is by taking steps to disinfect your office from COVID-19. We want to help everyone stay healthy and virus-free while sharing common workplaces in these times, so we’ll cover the basics of disinfecting the workplace environment through healthy office culture and cleaning solutions.

Before discussing the different ways to tackle disinfection in the workplace, you must first know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. To put it simply, cleaning removes impurities from objects and surfaces but does not necessarily kill off germs. On the other hand, disinfecting thoroughly kills germs on the surface by using proper materials, chemicals, and substances. For ultimate safety during this pandemic, always clean before you disinfect. This will ensure that the germs are not hidden from being disinfected when applied.

Use the tips below for your own reference as you clean up your office spaces to make sure you are protecting yourself and those around you from pandemics and future diseases:

Furniture

It’s important to know how to disinfect office furniture to make sure that you and your coworkers and colleagues are safe. Regardless of what kind of furniture you have, you should always consult the tag for cleaning instructions before heading on to disinfecting. This will prevent you from ruining the material.

If a commercial disinfectant is not available, you can create a simple disinfectant by mixing a 2:1 ratio of rubbing alcohol to water in a spray bottle. Spray this formula unto your furniture to disinfect the area. Aside from this, you can also apply steam to most furniture pieces if you prefer to avoid chemical disinfectants. Steam effectively sanitizes furniture because of the high temperatures in steam vapors.

Surface Areas

You can create a simple solution for high-traffic surface areas like tabletops, end tables, and armrest by mixing a teaspoon of bleach to a cup of water in a spray bottle. After spraying these onto your surfaces, make sure that it stays wet for at least 1-2 minutes to give time to completely disinfect the area. Wipe down with a microfiber cloth in one direction. Ensure that you don’t go back over it in the opposite direction to reduce redepositing germs.

To keep surface areas germ and virus-free, it’s best to provide your personal space with disinfectant wipes to clean your own workspace area at least once a day.

Tools and Appliances

Besides your tables and furniture, your office equipment are some of the most used objects in the workplace. These are what harbors possible germs from your hands, ears, face, and mouth. Ensure that your office equipment is always clean and disinfected through these tips:

• Computer Keyboards and Mouses: Make sure that your computer is completely turned off and unplugged before proceeding to clean and disinfect it. Use a can of compressed air to force out the remaining dust or particles from beneath the keys. After doing this, dip cotton swabs in alcohol and swipe them above and between hard-to-reach spaces. Lastly, lightly mist with a mild cleaning solution and wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
• Monitor: Use a solution of mild soap and water and gently wipe down with a microfiber or lint-free cloth.
  Headsets: Gently wipe your headsets with a mild solution. For the end pieces of your headset, it’s best to remove them for thorough cleaning.
• Other office equipment: Ensure that your office equipment such as your staplers, tape dispensers, fidget toys, staplers, and writing materials are wiped down with sanitary wipes.

Pantry, Kitchen, and Refreshment Areas

For most offices, your refreshment areas may be a separate space where food and snacks are stored. These spaces carry high contamination risks. Ensure that individuals are applying safe food handling precautions while preparing and eating food. Along the side, wipe spaces down with sanitary wipes. Make sure that you don’t spray the aerosol in this space as chemicals may contaminate containers and food.

Key Takeaway

Viruses and bacteria are easily passed on through physical contact. Keeping your workspace and offices sanitized is the best way to keep you and those around you healthy throughout this time and even the entire year. We hope that these tips on how to disinfect your office from COVID can confidently help your workplace navigate the challenges of this pandemic.