Slowing The Spread of the Office Flu

It's that season again…flu season.  Where offices are overtaken by illness, that seems to hit one or more team members at a time, leaving you short staffed and under productive.

Cleaning and disinfecting your office are part of a broad approach to slowing the spread of flu.  Here are some tips for keeping your office environment healthy during the flu season:

Routine cleaning and disinfecting

It’s important to match your cleaning and disinfecting activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill. Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface.1 Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them.

Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often

Germs thrive on human touch, so anything that gets regular contact — telephone, mouse, keyboard — is a threat. Daily sanitizing of surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, phones, computer keyboards, countertops, doorknobs, and faucet handles is essential.

Remove waste regularly

It is important to safely and regularly, empty waste baskets as items such as tissues will still hold flu virus.

Vacuum and clean carpets

Regular vacuuming and deep cleaning of carpets during the flu season can help reduce germs and improve indoor air quality.

Keep office chairs and other fabric furniture clean

Deep clean upholstery and protect them with anti-bacterial fabric protectors.

1 Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention