Basic First Aid

Commercial cleaning services are challenged with ensuring that offices are inviting and pleasant because workers who are more productive in a clean environment. And the more we approach healthy, green cleaning solutions the better the productivity.

Looking around the office, how many workers have called in because something at the office made them sick? What may have caused their caused their illness? You cant really tell, but why not take precautions to prevent it?

Frequently, the causes are bacterial or viral contaminants. But remember that allergic reactions to dust and dirt or, worse, cleaning chemicals are not our of the question. Sometimes the medicine, in this case cleaning products, is worse than the sickness.

But though cleanliness is absolutely necessary to ensure healthy workers, strong allergy producing chemicals are not.

The Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit organization that has studied worker absenteeism and reported the lost productivity due to sickness. Their survey, conducted in 2003, concluded that 3 in 10 workers reported lost productivity due to illness. While the only way to determine whether chemical cleaners are contributing to the lost productivity is to measure absenteeism before and after the use of the cleaners, a clear argument can be made that it is a causal factor.

Cleaning agents work on bacteria and even some viruses because they are chemical – usually bleach or ammonia. Of the two causes of allergies, dust mites and chemicals, the easier one to cure is the latter.

The alternatives are purely botanical and water based. Disinfectants can be oxygen or orange oil based. Citric acid has been proved to be an effective cleaner and disinfectant ” It is safe and the bonus is that it leaves commercial office spaces smelling great.

This is one of the best ways to ensure that your workers are safe, secure, and productive.

Filed under: Allergies