The phrase ‘seeing is believing’ is apt in many circumstances; however, when it comes to the cleanliness and the hygiene of office carpets, it most definitely does not apply. By that, we mean that if you look at the carpet in an office, see it is clean, and believe that it does not require any carpet cleaning, you could be very much mistaken.
The reason you would be mistaken is that whilst the human eye is a marvel of our physiology, it cannot see the microscopic world within the fibres of a carpet. Were it able to or were you to examine the office carpet using a microscope, you would see that, rather than it is clean and hygienic, it instead plays host to an entire world of microscopic unwelcome guests and requires the cleaning services – Let us examine 5 of these miniature nasties.
Food And Drink
Whether it is coffee drips, small spillages from juice bottles or crumbs from sandwiches and crisps, even with daily vacuuming, some of these remain deep within the fibres of an office carpet. Whilst they stay, they are a magnet for bacteria and mould.
Even the occasional rodent out looking for food scraps could be attracted towards your crumb-filled office carpet, which also means that as nature takes its course, the rodent has to deposit its solid waste somewhere. If that is also on your office carpet, the combination of this and the other nasties we mentioned make your office an extremely unhygienic place to work.
Dead Skin
Each one of us sheds around 9 pounds of dead skin per year, and undoubtedly, a large proportion of that is going to occur during the 8 hours or so we are working in an office. Due to the Law of Gravity, much of it will fall onto the office carpet.
Dead skin is known to attract several allergens, and it is also one of the most significant contributors to dust creation. All of this means the air quality in the office is poorer and can cause some health issues for staff prone to allergies.
Mould
The musty smell you may sometimes experience as you walk into your office is usually caused by mould in your carpets. This forms wherever there is moisture, with liquid spillages, condensation, and leaks from pipes or heating systems the biggest culprits.
Dust and Dirt
The busier your office is and the more people who work there or walk through it, the more dirt and dust you will find within your office carpet. This comes from the footwear of those walking on the carpet.
We already mentioned the issues dust can cause, but dirt is no less a problem. Apart from dirt visibly making your carpets look unclean, tiny particles can be very sharp and, therefore, accelerate the wear in your carpet, shortening the lifespan.
Bacteria
It might not seem the most obvious source of illness and disease, but when you consider the vast number of bacteria that can live in dirty office carpets, it is not surprising. Staphylococcus, Norovirus, and Micrococcus are just three of the culprits, which can all be eliminated by the regular cleaning and sanitising of your office carpets by professional office carpet cleaners.