The Season of Sneezing
We all know the time of year when nearly everyone seems to be suffering from allergies — sneezing, runny noses and watery eyes everywhere. Dust in the air, pollen at its peak. During allergy season, with so many things already working against you, you don’t need anything else making it worse.
Unfortunately, many cleaning companies ignore the challenges of allergies, indoor air pollution and clean air issues when it comes to your facility’s cleaning — and some even make indoor air quality worse.
People with allergies are going to suffer more than people without them during allergy season, but they will certainly suffer more in a poorly cleaned building. Employees suffering from allergies caused by poor indoor conditions will be less productive and absenteeism will increase.
What Are Allergens & How Should I Deal With Them?
An allergen is any molecule or substance that can cause mild to severe irritation if inhaled or if it gets into mucous membranes. These particles often hide along surfaces or flooring.
In your building this can be anywhere: chairs, desks, plants, soft furnishings, fixtures and more. These particles are easily dislodged by airflow, dusting or normal movement and can cause problems for people nearby.
Cleaning cannot just be about making things look good — it must be about cleaning for health . It isn’t as simple as occasional dusting and vacuuming, especially during peak allergy season.
A professional janitorial service can not only make your building cleaner but also help protect employee health.
Why Should I Care About Allergens in My Building?
Healthy work environments support employee motivation, reinforce quality expectations and improve productivity. Cleaning for health goes beyond productivity though.
Allergens can cause or worsen serious health issues and present real risks to anyone spending significant time inside your building.
The Risks Associated with Poor Cleaning
Allergens are such a problem that they even have their own measurement: IAQ (Indoor Air Quality). Buildings with low IAQ create many problems for occupants.
Adults often spend as much time in office buildings as they do at home, and poor IAQ can create or worsen serious health issues.
According to the CDC: “Allergies are an overreaction of the immune system to substances that generally do not affect other individuals… Allergic reactions range from merely bothersome to life-threatening.”
Continuous exposure to allergens can contribute to asthma, lung disease, heart disease and even cancer in some cases. Allergens are also a significant cause of absenteeism and reduced workplace productivity.
On the other hand, healthy work environments mean healthier staff, which correlates with higher productivity and better work outcomes overall.
By working with a cleaning service focused on improving IAQ and building health, you support employee wellbeing while improving your bottom line.
The first step in improving IAQ is identifying and controlling the primary allergen sources in your building. Once identified, you can begin reducing how many allergens enter and circulate through your facility.
A professional cleaning service can help significantly. With effective services and possibly a green cleaning program, you can achieve an environmentally responsible solution to allergen control.
Industry innovation also makes it possible to achieve effective cleaning without harming IAQ. However, there are also a few things you can do internally:
- Limit office plants — they can become breeding grounds for mold and bacteria.
- Keep restrooms dry to reduce mold growth and replace restroom air filters regularly.
- Vacuum regularly to remove dust and debris, but avoid superficial vacuuming that re-agitates particles into the air.
Ultimately, improving workplace air quality simply requires dedicating time to managing allergen sources. Doing so benefits both employee health and your bottom line.
Stathakis Is Here to Help
At Stathakis, we have become an ISSA CIMS-GB certified professional cleaning company and have been providing service for over 35 years.
Our certification demonstrates our commitment to industry best practices and high-quality service.
The “Green Building” component of the CIMS-GB certification helps customers pursue greener building operations and earn LEED-EBOM points.
We are committed to helping our customers “breathe a little easier” by improving indoor air quality while also working with Facility Managers to manage budgets and deliver measurable results.
Call us at 1-800-278-1884 to learn how we can help.
