Preparing The Office For Colder Weather and Autumn Allergens

With summer officially over and March bringing with it cooler nights and chilly evenings, now’s the time to start thinking about preparing the office for colder weather. More than just turning the heat on, the indoor air quality needs to be improved, as colder weather is the perfect time for allergens and germs to spread throughout the office space. In addition to upping your commercial cleaning company’s services, there are a few other steps you can take to keep your employees healthy and productive.

Automate your HVAC system

Automatic HVAC systems keep indoor temperatures regulated throughout the year. If you’re constantly having to turn down the heat or turn up the heat, and your employees are regularly complaining that the office space is too hot or too cold, it might be time to switch from your manually controlled HVAC system to an automated one. According to the Australian Standard AS 1837-1976 Code of Practice, the recommended office temperature range in the winters should be 19-22 degrees Celsius.

Install rugs and mats

Winters in Australia tend to be wet, and with the La Nina weather system expected to continue well until May, those on the east coast can expect more wet weather in the upcoming months. As employees start to make their way back into the office after the Omicron variant forced them back inside, more and more muddy boots, shoes and sandals will be making their way inside the office. According to SafeWork Australia, trips and falls result in thousands of preventable injuries per year, with some even resulting in death.

Place heavy, absorbent mats in entry areas and some place where employees can place their wet umbrellas before entering the office. Invest in a commercial office cleaning service that can send a dedicated team member to quickly wipe up any water and moisture that makes it inside and helps you protect both your employees and your floors.

Clean windows and let light in

It gets darker much faster in the colder months. Natural light has been proven to improve productivity, and a lack of proper light can lower staff morale. Grubby windows, shuttered blinds and thick curtains can all prevent natural light—which is already scarce during the colder months—from entering. Your professional commercial office cleaning service should be able to provide you with window cleaning services, perhaps at an additional cost or as part of a package. Open all blinds and shutters during work hours and consider investing in UV lamps to further increase the levels of brightness in the office. You may also want to open up the windows for a while before your employees come in to allow fresh air to ventilate the space.

Install Air Purification Systems

COVID-19 mainly transmits through airborne particles, as do the flu and other common diseases like the stomach flu. Improving the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of your office becomes a necessity when you consider that the air your employees are breathing in is probably the very thing making them sick! There are many ways to improve the IAQ of your workspace, such as improving ventilation in enclosed spaces, adjusting mechanical ventilation systems such as your HVAC system, or the best option of all: installing an air purification system. The most commonly used air purification systems typically use HEPA filters that trap airborne viruses and bacteria as they pass through the system. Although the HEPA filters are capable of filtering up to 99.97% of all pathogens from the air, there is the risk of rereleasing them back in the air when the filters are changed. Some newer versions of air purification systems are capable of actively removing 99.99% of all airborne pathogens from the air, helping you significantly improve your IAQ.

Control pathogens from spreading disease

The reason why cold and flu activity, and now even coronavirus activity increases over the colder months is because we spend much more time huddled together in indoor spaces with the windows closed and outdoor activity decreases. Deep cleaning and frequent preventative cleaning of high touchpoint areas like door handles, keyboards and desks along with communal areas like kitchens and breakrooms becomes even more important during autumn and winter, as does proper ventilation. Get your HVAC filters cleaned and invest in a commercial cleaning company that can not only conduct regular high touchpoint cleaning but also deep clean your space to keep pathogens at bay.