With employees and staff spending nearly half of their day in the office, maintaining a clean and healthy workplace environment is critical for everyone’s safety. Allergens and dust are two of the most common contributors to sickness in the office that compromise indoor air quality, leading to an unhealthy and unhygienic atmosphere.
Regular office cleaning is the best way to reduce dust and allergies in the workplace and maintain a fresh environment.
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of eliminating dust and allergens from your office and the best ways to maintain a hygienic and productive workplace environment.
Understanding Dust and Allergens in the Workplace
In an office, dust refers to tiny, airborne particles on surfaces and in the air. Examples of particles that collectively form dust include dead human skin cells, hair, cloth fibres, and microplastic bits.
Allergens refer to any substances that can cause allergic reactions in humans or pets. Some individuals can be particularly sensitive to these substances. Some common examples of indoor allergens in an office include dust mites, pollen, pet dander, chemical residue or fumes (from cleaning), mould spores, and cockroach droppings.
Allergens and dust accumulate in the air, in carpets, upholstery, ventilation systems, and on hard surfaces. Employees can easily inhale them, leading to various allergies and diseases.
Why Allergen Control in the Office is Important
Maintaining a spotless office is not just about appearance. The primary goal of cleaning is to protect health and maintain hygiene. For offices in Sydney, dealing with allergens and dust in the workplace is crucial to providing a safe and constructive work environment. At Clean Group, we know from experience how neglecting allergens can impact employees’ well-being, leading to increased sick days and even compliance issues in sensitive spaces like hospitals and childcare centres.
Without routine cleaning, allergens and dust keep accumulating on surfaces and in the air within your office, eventually leading to a range of health problems, including:
- Breathing problems (asthma, bronchitis)
- Eye and skin irritation
- Throat infection
- Headaches and fatigue
- Sneezing, coughing, and congestion
- Reduced productivity and performance
Not to mention, dust on surfaces makes your place look bad, leaving a poor impression on visitors and potential customers.
While sensitive individuals may experience intense impacts, others may suffer less severe but long-term discomfort that affects their productivity and health.
Continuous exposure to dust and allergens and poor indoor air quality can lead to something called ‘Sick Building Syndrome (SBS),’ where multiple occupants or workers experience symptoms ranging from headaches and fatigue to respiratory irritation.
Without regular, specialised cleaning, dust accumulates in high-traffic and hard-to-reach areas, leading to serious health problems.
How to Tackle Dust and Allergens in an Office
Clean Group has been helping office managers and commercial property owners across Sydney for over a decade in maintaining dust-free workplaces. We’ve developed specialised cleaning strategies that work stupendously to eliminate allergens and dust in offices. Here’s our step-by-step office dust cleaning approach:
1. HEPA Vacuuming
HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuuming is one of the most effective and popular methods for removing microscopic dust particles, including allergens, from indoor environments. At Clean Group, we use powerful commercial-grade vacuums equipped with HEPA filters that allow us to capture up to 99.97% of airborne and surface particles as small as 0.3 microns. These include dust mites, pet dander, hair, pollen, and mould spores.
Standard vacuums are not recommended in commercial settings, as they may stir up and redisperse dust particles back into the air. Our HEPA-fitted vacuums trap allergens and fine particles in the machine, preventing contamination.
This method is effective on carpeted floors and high-traffic areas and can significantly enhance indoor air quality, making your workplace more hygienic and healthier.
2. Microfibre Cleaning
When cleaning with regular clothes or dusters, you only end up pushing dust around rather than catching it. Microfibre cloths, on the other hand, use static electricity to trap dirt, allergens, and other fine particles inside their dense fibre structure. This makes them the best tool for cleaning dust particles.
At Clean Group, we utilise high-quality microfibre cloths, brushes, and tools for comprehensive surface cleaning, wiping down desks, tabletops, cupboards, computer monitors, phones, and other office equipment to reduce allergen accumulation. Our microfibre cleaning involves zero harsh chemicals, enhancing safety and hygiene in your office space.
Additionally, microfibre is eco-friendly, as it involves minimal or zero water use and is reusable, aligning with our sustainable cleaning principles. We use colour-coded cloths and regularly wash them to prevent cross-contamination between places, especially in sensitive areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
3. Carpet & Upholstery Deep Cleaning
Carpets and soft fabric can become breeding grounds for dust, allergens, bacteria, dirt, and even mould when not cleaned or maintained regularly. Besides daily vacuuming, it is crucial to deep clean office carpets at least once a month or so, depending on traffic, to remove embedded particles and accumulated dirt from deep within the fibres.
At Clean Group, our office cleaners use commercial steam cleaning and hot water extraction methods to thoroughly clean carpets, upholstered furniture, couches, and curtains. We inject high-quality cleaning agents with hot water into the fabric, loosening dirt and grime. The water is then extracted along with dirt using powerful suction. Cleaning at high temperatures also kills dust mites and sanitises material, ensuring an overall hygienic environment.
You can approach Clean Group for professional carpet and upholstery cleaning every month or when needed.
4. Ventilation and Air Duct Cleaning
When looking to eliminate allergens from your office, you should not neglect the air ducts. When circulating air throughout the day, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can become home to dust, mould spores, and allergens.
Without regular cleaning, air ducts can accumulate dust and allergens and will release them into the air every time they are turned on. This leads to poor indoor air quality and increases the chances of airborne allergies in employees.
To deal with this, get your office air duct and ventilation system cleaned by professionals every couple of years, or more frequently, depending on use.
When you hire Clean Group, our cleaners will thoroughly clean air ducts, removing accumulated dirt and debris, checking for mould growth, and sanitising surfaces to restore clean and healthy airflow.
Keeping vents clean not only improves air quality and flow but also enhances energy efficiency, reducing strain on HVAC systems and increasing their life.
5. Surface Disinfection
While cleaning removes visible dirt and dust, disinfection is the best way to eliminate invisible threats such as allergens, bacteria, and viruses from office surfaces.
Use specialised disinfectants to clean and sanitise different surfaces, including hard surfaces like tabletops, desks, door handles, counters, keyboards, and light switches, and soft surfaces like fabric and upholstery. Make sure that the disinfectant you’re using is effective against common allergens like dust mites, mould spores, and pet dander.
At Clean Group, we use green-certified, non-toxic disinfectants for office cleaning in Sydney. Our anti-allergen formulas are extremely effective in cleaning pathogens from surfaces. They are made using organic ingredients and are safe for people and pets. We provide routine high-touch surface disinfection as part of all our commercial cleaning plans.
What else can you do to keep dust and allergens out of your office?
Green Cleaning: Reducing Chemical Allergens
Many traditional cleaning products use harsh chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can trigger allergic reactions, respiratory problems, skin irritation, and breathing difficulties.
To avoid this, use green and organic cleaning supplies.
At Clean Group, we promote green cleaning by using non-toxic alternatives with low or zero VOC emissions. These products are biodegradable and made with hypoallergenic formulas. They help improve indoor air quality and ensure safety for sensitive employees, without harmful side effects.
Focus on High-Allergen Zones
When cleaning an office, pay special attention to high-traffic areas where dust and allergens might accumulate.
- Desks and workstations: Regularly clean and disinfect keyboards, screens, and phones.
- Carpets and rugs: Vacuum daily with routine deep cleans.
- Window sills and blinds: Clean regularly to prevent dirt accumulation.
- Vents and air ducts: Clean and sanitise frequently to minimise allergens.
- Bathrooms and kitchens: Thoroughly disinfect surfaces to remove mould and germs.
- Reception areas: Clean daily to keep these areas spotless and air fresh.
In addition to hiring professional cleaners in Sydney, office managers can implement these practices:
Use air purifiers with HEPA filters, especially in high-traffic zones of the office.
Introduce a shoe-free policy and encourage employees to follow hygiene practices.
Reduce clutter to minimise dust accumulation.
Replace air filters in HVAC systems regularly and get damaged/faulty systems repaired or replaced immediately.
Replace carpets with hard flooring, where possible, to reduce dust build-up
Call Clean Group for a Healthier, Allergen-free Office
At Clean Group, we understand the importance of maintaining a clean and germ-free office for employees’ health and productivity. Our office cleaning packages cover comprehensive cleaning of your premises, including HEPA vacuuming carpets and upholstery, microfibre cleaning surfaces, deep cleaning carpets & upholstery, regular ventilation and air duct cleaning, and surface disinfection to reduce allergens and dust.
Ready to improve air quality and hygiene in your Sydney office? Contact Clean Group today for a free on-site office cleaning quote.