9 Tricks on How to Improve the Air Quality in Your Office

You already know why office cleanliness is important, and you make sure your work environment stays clean. But have you thought about air quality? Don’t fret: these nine tips on improving your office’s air quality will help!

Keep your work area clean

I can’t emphasise this enough. The simple rule is to keep your work area – your desk, your cube or your office – clean in the same way as your body. So, in the same way, you shower before leaving for work; ensure you do the same with your workstation before you leave at the end of the day. Vacuum, dust, sanitize and declutter.

Encourage your colleagues to do the same. If you all clean your own area, the result is a cleaner work environment for everyone. Keeping your office clean ensures fewer pollutants have a chance to mix with the air and make you sick.

Clean spills immediately

Spills and dampness trigger the growth of mildew and mould, which can cause severe health risks. It’s more expensive to undo mould damage than to prevent it, so it’s in your best interest to reduce the risk of mould growth by cleaning up spills and leaks as soon as you see them.

Keep air vents open and unblocked

Everyone arrives at work with different smells – deodorants, perfumes, and colognes, for example – and electrical equipment adds heat and its own smells to the mix. Add all those together and you know what happens. The office gets stuffy, the air smells heavy and your staff suffer.

Make sure you leave air vents unblocked so that fresh air can circulate into the office, especially in small offices and spaces with boxes and cupboards everywhere.

Inspect and clean air ducts

Ducting is the heart and circulatory system of any building. When it gets clogged with dust or mould, your entire air replacement system isn’t going to work correctly. Allergies trigger and even healthy staff may fall ill. Everyone feels awful and staff absenteeism increases.

Ensure that you hire a professional duct cleaner to inspect and clean your air ducts at least once every 12 months.

Replace filters

Clogged filters translate to poor air flow in your office space. The dust that piles up on the filters and eventually gets dumped into the ducting puts your employees’ health at risk. If you can’t clean your office’s filters, get them replaced every 6-12 months.

Maintain a healthy level of humidity

Indoor humidity levels should range between 30-50 percent, with the ideal level being around 45 percent. The right level of humidity can sometimes be the only guarantee you have that your staff will be not only comfortable but safe from sickness caused by mildew and mould.

The right way to ensure that your measurement is accurate is by using a hygrometer, an inexpensive gauge that looks like a thermometer.

Have your air quality tested

Yes, there are professionals who can test the air quality in any space. If anyone in your office complains about air quality, you should seriously consider calling them in to ensure that your office air is healthy.

Get fresh air whenever possible

Whenever the weather permits, leave your windows open. There’s nothing better than natural fresh air flowing consistently and replacing stale air in the office. Be careful in spring and summer, though, as high pollen counts can cause hay fever attacks.

Get office plants

Plants add a pleasing, peaceful aesthetic to any space. They also absorb toxins and produce more oxygen, which means employees can breathe more easily. Most garden centre staff can guide you on purchasing highly oxygenating plants that absorb gases and other airborne toxins.

What else do you do at your office to ensure that the air quality remains above standard? Share your tips with us in the comments.

Contact GSR Cleaning for all your professional office and home cleaning needs in the Melbourne area. You can rely on our expert cleaners to make your home or office sparkle!