We all know that a dirty office can impact employee health and wellbeing. We spend a large percentage of our week in our office or working environment, and if you cleanliness isn’t up to scratch, germs and bacteria can find their way into your employees bodies, resulting in sickness or infections.

Luckily, most offices have hired cleaners to ensure that the shared spaces and equipment stay clean, tidy and hygienic. This is crucial for offices of all sizes, no matter how big your staff count is. It’s crucial to provide a clean and healthy environment to work in, and it makes sure your staff feel comfortable and positive in their clean, tidy working space.

But What About the Dirt you Can’t See?

Air vents are a common feature in a lot of large offices, especially in central London, and especially in purpose-built office buildings. Air vents are generally unseen (when was the last time you looked inside one?) but they can have a big impact on staff health.

But can air vents really make your employees sick?

Take a read of the points below…

Poor Air Quality

When your air vents are dirty and haven’t been cleaned in some time, the air quality of the office suffers. Air ducts are responsible for circling air around the office, and if they’re dirty – the air quality of course suffers. Why is air quality important? Because we all breathe in the air, and a lot of illness pass from person to person this way. Air quality is also important (even more so) for people with pulmonary health issues, or breathing conditions such as Asthma.

Allergens

In addition to general air quality, air ducts can also circulate airborne allergens and bacteria. This can put everyone in the risk of general illness and things like coughing and sore throats – but as above, allergens are particularly harmful to employees who have asthma or breathing issues. Allergens also lead to bouts of coughing, colds, and sore throats.

Sick Building Syndrome

“Sick Building Syndrome” is something which occurs when dirty air ducts push out things like pollen, dust and pet dander (this could happen if you have an office dog, for example). These things can build up quickly in the air ducts and they’re one of the reasons you should have regular cleaning carried out in them. This could lead to heaving multiple members of staff of sick at once, which is detrimental to profits.

Spread of Disease

When air ducts get dirty, they seem to attract critters such as insects and rodents. Nobody wants these in their office, as they can spread disease and infection. Keeping the air ducts clean is the best way to deter these creatures from moving in, in the first place.

Mould & Mildew

Finally, mould and mildew can accumulate in your air ducts if they’re not properly cleaned out. We all know mould and mildew thrive in dark, humid, dirty areas – and air ducts are the ideal environment. If mould and mildew get into your buildings air-conditioning or ventilation system, you’re looking at much bigger issues than a little dirt or grime… In severe cases it can cause toxic poisoning.

We find that the best way to ensure your air vents are clean and to avoid your employees from getting sick is to hire a commercial office cleaning company to take care of this for you, so you can concentrate on the day-to-day running of the business.