Category Archives: Office Cleaning

The Office’s Dirty Little Secret

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Here’s a dirty little secret…

Know what the dirtiest place in the office is?

Everyone will tell you it’s the bathroom. True, but let’s step out of the potty for a minute and think about this.

Did you know you are supposed to lather up for 15 seconds to actually get the germs, feces and bacteria off your hands? Think about it, how many people actually do that?

They also cough & sneeze into their hands making it super easy to spread sickness. You’ve seen the “hand rinsers”… that does absolutely nothing! You have to actually wash your hands with soap to prevent spreading the nasties. Try singing happy birthday to yourself while you lather and rinse at the end.

Think about this scenario:
A person goes to the john and then, after, only rinses their hands. They touch the door handle to exit the bathroom. They go to the break room and grab the refrigerator handle while they get a snack out. Then they mosey over to the microwave, grab that handle to open it, stick in their frozen burrito (we won’t even go into what type of bathroom scene that causes) then press the button to warm it up. While they’re waiting, they grab the handle on the coffee pot to pour themselves a cup of coffee, and then go to the water fountain and press the button to get a drink. For a finishing act, they go over to the break room sink to fill their water bottle then turn the light switch off… these are all the public places they touch! To top it off, they then contaminate their keyboards, mice and phone. Think about all that sharing for a second…

How often are these areas getting cleaned and sanitized?

These are the office dirty dozen, the most contaminated surfaces:

  1. Break room sink-faucet handles
  2. Microwave door handles
  3. Keyboards
  4. Refrigerator door handles
  5. Water fountain buttons
  6. Vending machine buttons
  7. Key boards
  8. Computer mice
  9. Coffee pot handles or dispensers
  10. Desk phones
  11. Door handles
  12. Light switches

Invest in sanitizing wipes and sprays to keep these areas clean,  but don’t make them hard to find. How about bowls of sanitizing wipes instead of candy? Hey, everyone’s always on a diet anyway, right?

AQC specializes in routine cleaning and sanitizing of… well, everything, including all those dirty little secrets in the office! If your office is in need of a professional, call us! We would love to help make your office a healthier place to work.

Pick a Winner!

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Well… not really…. we’re talking about boogers people!

Crazy as it may seem, I had a conversation about nose pickers and booger flickers at a recent networking meeting! Yes you heard it here first, a new break through conversation starter.

Then, just yesterday as I was stuck in gridlock traffic I witnessed a man really digging to China for his prize, then he looked at it, rolled down the window, and flicked it out! I totally gagged. Usually they’re secretive about it and try to make sure no one is looking, but this guy, this booger flicker, had no booger shame!

I was in the car right next to him. He saw me and my horrified expression, laughed, and rolled up the window. I’m not sure what I would have done if his aim wasn’t so good and he flicked it on my car or… wait for it… window! Ewwwww! Seriously dude don’t you have a napkin in your Black BMW? At least you could have wiped it on your floor mat!

I see these booger picking  people all the time. Maybe I’m just ripe for it? (Get it?)
One person told me last week he was in a meeting in a conference room and saw a guy pick his nose and wipe it under the table! Yes, it’s true, another person chimed in. I see them in the bathroom stalls on the dividers. Really? There’s toilet paper right there for that, among other purposes.

I see construction flaggers wiping boogers on their jeans while I’m waiting for them to wave me through, Am I suppose to not notice? I mean really people have you no shame?

And then let’s regress to our joyful school days where you were always seated or paired with that nose picking, booger rolling, booger eating gross boy. I’m sure these are the same people, just grown up and doing it in their work place or car.

As we wander through the halls and rooms of our shared office, we might occasionally find some rather unusual “treats” left by those that have inhabited the areas before us. Unfinished drinks, food and paper are tolerable; still wrong but tolerable, though as adults we should be cleaning up after ourselves. What is intolerable, not to mention downright disgusting, is the amount of boogers found rubbed on the restroom partition walls, tile, grout, and occasionally the underside of conference room tables or desks in cubicles.

In the janitorial field one comes across some rather peculiar things in the workplace, gum is one thing, but boogers?

So please nose pickers if the world, do us all a solid: Please dispose of your boogers using Kleenex, toilet tissue, or paper towels, and please do not smear them on the walls of the restrooms or the underside of the conference room tables or your cubicle desks. Not only did someone see you do it, someone has to clean it up!

This is still and always will be socially unacceptable, uncouth behavior. Oh and did I mention it’s always men I see doing this? Hmmmmm…..

Signed, Grossed Out.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

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You Might Miss Some of the Grossest Things When Spring Cleaning

dirty-keyboardHave you ever really thought about what could be on (or in) your keyboard?

Spring cleaning usually means organizing closets, driving all those boxes labeled “donate” to your local clothing drive, washing down patio furniture, and other big, highly visible projects. So it’s easy to forget about the little things that keep cluttering our lives in our work environment. Here are some unexpected items you should organize, purge, check or spruce up this spring.

Cleaning Supplies

Before you dive into spring cleaning, focus your energy on clearing out your actual cleaning supplies. Good Housekeeping notes that household items actually have shelf lives:

  • Laundry detergent keeps for six months
  • Fabric softener keeps for one year
  • Dish soap will last up to a year and a half
  • Dishwasher detergent lasts three months
  • Disinfectant lasts two years
  • Multi-surface cleaners keep for up to two years
  • Metal polish lasts for two years, but throw it away sooner if it’s lumpy
Emergency Kit

Everyone should have an emergency kit, whether you live in a place with hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or any possibility of an unexpected disaster (i.e., every place on earth). If you checked that off your list a few years ago, make sure your batteries still work and your food and medical supplies haven’t expired. Today many of us work from our vehicles so while you’re at it, make a similar emergency kit for your vehicle in case you ever get stuck in an emergency situation.

Your Purse/Bag/Briefcase

Purge your bag of the receipts, gum wrappers, empty mascara tubes, broken hair ties, stale protein bars, receipts, old papers & files and the entire GDP of California in pennies (your back will thank you). Then wipe out the inside & outside with a sanitizer wipe & refill with the essentials.

Car Trunk and Glove Compartment

Empty your trunk of the bag of ill-fitting clothes you meant to take to Goodwill, water bottles, shoes you forgot you owned, and clean up any spills or whatever else landed in there. While you’re at it, it’s time to face the music and pay those parking tickets you shoved into your glove compartment.

Condiments

Do your employees remember buying the mustard, catsup, mayonnaise, etc. that are sitting in your break room fridge door right now? Probably not… can you say YUCK!?

Make it a company policy that everything needs to be marked with a permanent marker the date it was placed in the refrigerator. Keep a marker on a string attached to the refrigerator for this purpose. Here’s a list of food shelf-life, that you might find handy & can laminate to post next to the marker:

  • Jams/jellies last one year
  • Mayonnaise lasts two to three months after the use by date
  • Hot sauce lasts five years
  • Pickles last one year
  • Soy sauce lasts two years
  • Mustard lasts one year
  • Ketchup lasts six months
Your Keyboard and Mouse

Not to gross you out, but your keyboard and mouse are cesspools of germs and bacteria. Give your keyboard a full clean (not just a cursory wipe-down), and place some disinfecting wipes on your desk to remind you to make this a regular habit.

Your Computer Files

Unless you’re incredibly disciplined, your computer could probably use some organization. Clean up your desktop, but then go deeper: Put completed projects onto external hard drives or the cloud, go through the hundreds of screenshots you can’t remember why you saved, and clean up whatever app you use to keep random notes.

What’s the Difference Between a Janitor & Cleaning Services?

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We all understand why you need keep your business clean. But what are the differences between janitor and cleaning services?

To create a wonderful impression on clients, visitors and staff, a company should always maintain spotless office spaces. Commercial areas, back offices, kitchens and restrooms should look their best.

This will often require a dedicated person or company to do specialized tasks, and these tasks can require knowledge and experience so they achieve the result intended. Cleaning may not seem that complicated, but when your office space must not only be clean but also have everything in good repair, it does mean that you need someone who knows what they are doing.

Making a Decision on How to Get Your Spaces Clean

There are two solutions. You can hire a janitor service or put an employee on these tasks as a double duty. You could also hire a cleaning service to take care of your company’s cleaning needs. There are differences between the two, and knowing what these differences are will help you make a decision on what you should do – hire a janitor or custodian, or get the benefits of a professional cleaning done by a cleaning service. Getting more effective and safe cleaning done for your dollar is what it is really all about. You want to pair with a company that values clean!

A Janitor Versus a Cleaning Service

Janitors are generally part of the staff of a company, and therefore would be subject to everything a normal employee would require. This includes:

  • Payroll
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Unemployment
  • Worker compensation insurance
  • Paid holidays, vacations and sick days

On the other hand, a cleaning service hired to clean your office spaces is not on the payroll and none of the personnel come under these requirements. You pay the agency a flat fee on a contract basis and they come in (usually on off hours) to clean the office spaces or retail areas. You can determine how often they come in to do the cleaning. The fee is set according to the need. You aren’t paying by the hour for an employee to clean, along with all that entails in business taxes.

Types of Work They Perform

The jobs performed may differ between a janitorial service and a cleaning agency. Janitors or custodians often only do the major tasks such as emptying trash, washing windows and mopping floors. A cleaning service will take on all cleaning needs, from sanitizing bathrooms, resurfacing your flooring, cleaning or repairing tile floors to marble restoration carpet cleaning and sanitation, indoor and outdoor window cleaning, pressure waxing,  emergency services at any time needed.

It makes sense to hire a cleaning company. One that does multi-state background checks, one that can handle expert cleaning services that cover everything needed to have your office or retail spaces look their very best and create the best impression possible. You will have happier and healthier employees whose working environment is a place they can get down to the business of their jobs, not worrying about germs or pollen circulating in the office.

You save money. It’s a win-win all around. Please give AQC COMMERCIAL CLEANING a call at 503-516-2477 and we can help you with any of your business cleaning needs.

Workspace Spring Cleaning Tips

Cleaning Tips & Advice, Office Cleaning,

Whether you have a home office, or commute to a large building downtown, keeping a clean working environment is super important, here are some simple yet effective cleaning tips.

Supplies you will need:

  1. soft micro fiber type cloth
  2. alcohol wipes or rubbing alcohol & cotton swabs
  3. a swiffer hand duster
  4. spray disinfectant or wipes
  5. compressed air
  6. all purpose cleaner
Electronics

In most office environments, computers and electronic equipment make up a large portion of the work space. Since many of these items are commonly used on a daily or even hourly basis, they often become one of the dirtier pieces in the office. Take the time to wipe down your computer screens with a soft fiber cloth. Use compressed air to remove debris from keyboards, and disinfectant everywhere. Dust your printers, computer towers, telephones, and faxes, and use alcohol wipes or a cotton swab and alcohol on the touch points to halt the spread of any germs going around.

Furniture

At least once every month, take an hour and remove everything from your desk, including the top, and drawers. Next, apply a basic all purpose cleaner and scrub away. Dust any books, and throw your unneeded documents that have been piling up in the shredder. If you have leather chairs, be sure to wipe them down with disinfectant wipes. Dust where needed.

Organization

During your cleaning sessions, take the time to organize your documents and other papers that may be lingering around. As you know, it can be easy for random odds and ends to accumulate around the work place. Weed through these items and set aside the ones you will actually require in the future. The rest should head for the trash, recycling or the shredder. Books and other office items should also be kept in check and arranged accordingly.

Hints

Simple tips include keeping a few extra trash can liners in the bottom of the can for replacement purposes when the trash requires emptying. Keep a duster handy in your desk drawer for those days when you just can’t fathom where all the dirt is coming from. Hide a can of disinfectant wipes in a desk drawer as well to quick clean ups when spills occur, or to keep the mouthpiece of your phone fresh and germ free.

Pollen Is In the Air… Keep It Out of the Office!

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A Pollen & Dust Free Office is a Healthy Office

Allergy season has arrived! You see it on your car, floating in the air, and it will find its way into your office. When it does it can not only leave a nasty coating on everything, but it can clog the filtration system creating havoc with your employees’ health.

Throughout the Spring and Summer pollen is at its worst. You need to have a handle on it or it could cost you money in the way of employee down time! AQC can help you with this by performing regularly scheduled detailed office cleanings and the benefits are endless.

Regular cleaning of surfaces and vent grates can serve to minimize the impact that seasonal and dust allergies have on your team by reducing the amount of irritants that are in the air or on surfaces. An unclean work environment can do way more damage than just costing the company lost work hours due to illness. Long-term issues can present themselves resulting in disability claims, lawsuits and increases in insurance premiums. In fact there have been several documented cases that prove regular detailed cleaning of a workplace can significantly reduce “sick time” employees take by 46%!

Commercial cleaning companies like AQC are an important part of a partnership to create a healthy work environment. We love to partner with companies that “value clean!”

Remember “a clean office is a healthy office!”

Getting started is simple, just visit our Web site at www.AQCLLC.com , email us at [email protected] or call us at 503-516-2477 and we can help you with all your cleaning needs.

Office Cleaning Services Increase Operational Efficiency

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Office Cleaning Services Can Positively Impact Your Bottom Line

If your office is cluttered and dirty, what kind of impression are you making on your clients? How does that make employees feel when they walk through your doors? That “unkept” look will have an impact on your business’ operational efficiency and that’s as important to your clients and employees as it is to your bottom line. It’s an important aspect of any business’s office.

Think about how clutter, dust and buildup in an office can affect the motivation of clients and employees. If that’s what they see when they walk through your doors, that first impression can impact how new clients feel about your business… odds are they’re not going to be very motivated to do business with you or recommend your services. When employees come into a dirty space, they’re motivation is also sapped, so their productivity declines.

The bottom line is that a clean workplace is more inviting to new clients and a more desirable place to work at than a dirty one, and well, that impacts your bottom line.

When you hire a professional commercial cleaning company like AQC to perform a daily or weekly detailed office cleaning you prevent buildup, clutter and dust from accumulating. It will increase your overall efficiency,  client relationships and employee motivation which in turn will help you increase your profits.

AQC would love to help make your workplace more efficient because a clean office is a happy office!