November 3, 2025
Is your office making your employees sick?
Let me ask you something… did you know that your office space might be costing you thousands in lost productivity every year?
And the worst part is… it's all preventable.
You see, maintaining a clean workspace isn't just about looking professional (although that's important too). It's about creating an environment where your team can actually thrive.
Workplace illness causes businesses to lose millions of workdays each year, and a big part of the problem is dirty offices.
Think about it…
If you spend 8+ hours in your office every day, that's more time than you're spending in your own home during waking hours. So if your workspace is riddled with germs, dust, and allergens, you're essentially asking your employees to work in a petri dish.
Pretty gross, right?
The good news is that with proper commercial cleaning services you can completely transform your workspace.
Whether you're running a small startup or a major corporation, getting professional help from the right experts like Perth office cleaning services can make all the difference. The right cleaning service will know that every inch of your office needs specific attention if you want a truly healthy space.
But here's the kicker…
Most businesses are cleaning their office the wrong way.
Today we're going to share the top tips to get your cleaning game back on track and transform your office into the ideal workspace.
First, let me give you some stats to make you sit up and take notice…
Did you know that 94% of workers report feeling more productive in a clean workspace? And yet, most offices are crawling with bacteria and germs.
When you think about the actual cost of office cleaning it's really not that surprising.
If your employees are sick all the time they call in sick, meaning your business misses deadlines and productivity falls.
And eventually you find that your most talented workers want to work somewhere that actually takes care of them.
The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
You've heard this one before but really think about it… The surfaces your employees are eating lunch on are literally dirtier than the place where they go to the bathroom.
And it gets even worse…
Sick building syndrome is real. If one employee has a cold or the flu in an unclean office, it quickly spreads to their colleagues. Before you know it, you're stuck with half your team out sick and no one to cover the work.
The good news is that there are some easy fixes that can make a world of difference in your office cleaning routine.
Start with the basics. You need to cover certain areas every single day.
And by "cover" we don't mean a quick swipe with a paper towel. We're talking proper sanitization.
Employees should disinfect their desks and workstations on a daily basis. Not weekly, not "whenever they get around to it." Daily.
Everyone should have access to disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer, and there should be absolutely no excuse for people not to wipe down their space. Distribute cleaning supplies around the office where they're easy to access, near printers, in meeting rooms, by the coffee machine.
But here's where most offices really drop the ball…
They forget about people's keyboards and phones. These are the two dirtiest objects in the entire office. Phones have been found to have over 25,000 germs per square inch.
Every employee needs to wipe down their keyboard and phone at least once a day. Twice is even better.
Kitchen areas are a whole other story. You need to make sure people are cleaning up after themselves in the breakroom, but there are certain equipment and surfaces that need special attention.
Microwaves, refrigerator handles, and coffee machines need to be wiped down on a daily basis. If someone's leftover lunch explodes all over the microwave, you need to take care of it pronto before it becomes a health hazard for everyone.
You know that uncomfortable feeling when you walk into most office kitchens?
Yeah, that should tell you something.
Sink faucet handles. 229,000 germs per square inch.
Door handles, light switches, and elevator buttons, printer touchscreens, conference room remotes, shared chair arms – any surface that gets touched multiple times every hour. Germs breed like crazy in your office because your cleaning crew is forgetting to disinfect these high-touch areas.
Here's another that will make your skin crawl: shared office supplies.
Yes, that stapler everyone uses, the hole punch that gets passed from person to person all day…You've got to disinfect these daily.
Break room surfaces. Tables, chairs, vending machine buttons. Need I say more? Studies show that proper cleaning can reduce illness transmission by up to 80%.
Let's talk about the one area of cleaning where most offices fall flat on their faces…
Cleaning schedules. It's easy to make a great schedule. The hard part is making it actually stick.
And most cleaning schedules are a failure because they're way too complicated.
You don't need a 50-page manual with instructions. You need a simple system that everyone can follow without a second thought.
Divide cleaning tasks into three categories:
Daily tasks: desk sanitization, kitchen cleaning, bathroom checks, trash removal
Weekly tasks: deep cleaning of high-touch surfaces, carpet vacuuming, window cleaning
Monthly tasks: deep carpet cleaning, HVAC filter changes, thorough equipment sanitization
Assign specific responsibilities and accountabilities to your staff. When everyone is "responsible" for cleaning it never gets done.
Divide up cleaning tasks by team or department. Give everyone ownership over their space. Make it a point of pride, not a chore.
Accountability is key. You need regular inspections. Not to shame your staff but to ensure they're meeting the minimum standards. Most employees will keep things clean if they know there's someone coming to check.
Look, it's tough to ask your employees to perform janitorial duties on top of their actual work responsibilities.
You didn't hire them to be janitors, you hired them to do the actual job the company is in the business of doing. So why should they have to spend time and energy cleaning when there are actual professional cleaning services out there who do nothing but this 24/7?
Professional cleaning services have the equipment, expertise, and chemicals to get way past simple surface cleaning.
HEPA filter vacuums that trap microscopic allergens, hospital-grade disinfectants that kill germs instead of spreading them around, steam cleaning technology that penetrates deep into carpets and upholstery, these are just a few things the right cleaning service will do in your office every week.
Professional cleaning services also understand the science of cleaning.
There's a specific order to cleaning tasks that prevents cross-contamination of surfaces. Dwell times for disinfectants that most people ignore. Proper safety protocols for handling cleaning chemicals so everyone in the office stays safe.
Creating a healthy workspace isn't rocket science. But there are a few essentials to keeping your office clean and healthy.
Start with daily maintenance on high-touch surfaces that are often ignored. Keep it simple so everyone will follow through on the cleaning schedule you set. And know when to call in a commercial cleaning service for the heavy-duty work.
Your employees deserve a clean, healthy environment to work in.
Your business deserves the productivity boost it will get from them working in a clean space. And you deserve to know you're doing everything in your power to protect your team's health.
The bottom line?
Cleaning your office is not a nice-to-have, it's a must-have if you want your business to be successful. Every dollar you spend on proper office cleaning will come back to you in spades in increased productivity, reduced sick days, and happier employees.
So wake up tomorrow morning, have a good look around your office, and decide if you're helping your employees to succeed or hindering them.
It might not be the answer you want but it's the truth and it might be enough to motivate you to make some serious changes.
A clean office significantly boosts employee productivity, reduces sick days, and helps retain talented staff. It prevents the spread of illnesses and creates a more pleasant, professional environment for everyone, ultimately contributing to your business's success.
You might be surprised to learn that office desks can have 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Keyboards and phones are also incredibly dirty, with phones potentially harbouring over 25,000 germs per square inch. High-touch surfaces like door handles and sink faucets are also major culprits.
Employees should disinfect their desks, keyboards, and phones on a daily basis. Providing easy access to disinfectant wipes and hand sanitiser encourages this vital routine, helping to keep individual workspaces hygienic.
'Sick building syndrome' occurs when an unclean office environment allows illnesses, like colds or flu, to spread rapidly among staff. You can prevent this by implementing thorough daily cleaning, focusing on high-touch surfaces, and considering professional cleaning services to maintain a truly healthy workspace.
You should consider hiring a professional cleaning service when you realise your employees' primary roles are not janitorial. Professionals have the specialised equipment, hospital-grade disinfectants, and expertise to perform deep cleaning, ensuring proper sanitisation and adherence to safety protocols that go beyond what your staff can typically manage.
