There are nearly 6 million businesses in the UK private sector alone, many of which use offices as a place to run their operations. Those offices are also seeing a lot more use now that the Covid-19 pandemic has loosened its grip on the UK, and many homeworkers are returning back to their desks.
To keep things safe, hygienic, and looking great, many businesses choose to have regular professional cleaning. Vacuuming, surface wiping, and freshen-ups of toilets are some of the most common daily cleaning practices that take place in offices. However, there’s always room for improvement, especially when it comes to easily overlooked areas of office cleanliness.
In particular, the upholstery in an office is often forgotten as it is assumed that as long as it has no visible damage it requires no upkeep. What you may not realise is that even if office upholstery looks OK, there are lots of reasons to not only have it cleaned once annually, but actually, much more regularly than that. Let’s take a closer look:
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Odour Elimination
The majority of offices have proper ventilation, however, that won’t be enough to get rid of odours commonly associated with unclean upholstery.
Materials can easily capture odorous particules, especially if they have been stained and the liquid or food was not properly removed.
Material can also smell musty when air circulation is poor, or if moisture in the air activates dust and debris inside the fibres.
Regular professional cleaning gently cleanses the deepest fibres of the upholstery, neutralising odours with effective cleaning solutions. Powerful water suction then not only dries the item quickly, but also helps to remove any remaining dirt and debris particles, leaving the item fresh, clean and smelling wonderful.
Brand Image
The overall image of a brand encompasses all kinds of different factors, but the appearance of the office cannot be discounted as part of that overall image.
We take seven seconds to make an impression on another person, and as humans, we also speedily judge a space by what we can see.
Customers, clients, employees and other visitors to the office will notice upholstery that appears to be stained, dull or otherwise unclean. In comparison, freshly cleaned upholstery will enhance your office aesthetic, and your brand image.
Office Upholstery Lifespan
Office furniture needs to last so that you don’t have to keep paying out for new items all the time. Correct usage, buying high-quality pieces and regular functional maintenance are all great ways to extend the lifespan of an upholstered office chair or sofa.
Another way to extend the lifespan of office furniture is with regular cleaning. Stained and dirty office furniture is something that can mistakenly be thrown away or replaced, when in fact professional upholstery cleaning revives and rejuvenates the item, extending its usable life.
Additionally, certain stains, human skin oils, debris and liquids can damage the fibres of upholstery, slowly degrading it as time goes on.
By regularly removing dirt from upholstery, the material is likely to last longer and retain its strength and vibrancy.
Allergens
Around 12 million people in the UK suffer from dust mite allergies alone, and each mite is able to produce around 20 droppings a day (the part that causes the allergic reaction). Additional allergen particles can also find their way deep into the materials in upholstery.
For these reasons, it is essential to clean upholstery in the office regularly. It not only removes the dust and debris using post-clean water suction, but high temperature steaming that is used to clean the material is very effective at killing the mites too.
Cleanliness
When you think of germs being spread around an office you might only think of hard surfaces like door handles or desks. Infact, upholstery can easily carry all kinds of germs, including Covid-19 pathogens. Upholstery can also carry sweat, dead skin cells and other dirt and detritus.
For health and safety compliance, and to provide a truly hygienic environment for your employees, regular upholstery cleaning should be part of your regular office cleaning schedule. Whilst many office managers believe an annual deep clean is enough, realistically for high-use upholstery a deep clean every 3-4 months is necessary to remove the hidden contaminants within the fibres.
Arrange Regular Deep Cleaning Of Your Office Upholstery
For exceptional office upholstery cleaning at regular intervals, consider getting in touch with J & I Cleaning Services for more information. With highly skilled technicians, contracts available at all hours of the day, and competitive prices, you can maintain your high office standards by keeping the upholstery in phenomenal condition day after day.
