High-Touch Surface Cleaning at Work
The short version: Door handles, light switches, washroom fixtures, shared printers and kitchenette taps get touched by everyone, all day. Clean them every day the office is open. Disinfect them, with enough contact time, when someone's sick or during cold and flu season.
Why these surfaces matter so much
In an office of 20 people, the washroom door handle might get touched a hundred times before lunch. Wiping down desks and vacuuming carpets matters, but if the handles, taps and shared equipment don't get cleaned, germs spread through the whole team. People notice them too. Nothing makes a workplace feel neglected faster than a sticky fridge handle.
The surfaces to hit every day
- Door handles and push plates, especially the washroom doors and the main entrance
- Light switches and elevator buttons
- Shared printers, copier touchscreens and meeting room remotes and keyboards
- Washroom taps, flush handles, soap and towel dispensers, and stall locks
- Kitchenette taps, fridge and microwave handles, coffee machine buttons and counter edges
- Shared phones, headsets and hot-desk keyboards and mice
How to do it properly
Use a fresh microfiber cloth or a disposable wipe that suits the surface, and go from the cleanest areas to the dirtiest so you're not spreading germs as you go. Keep washroom cloths separate from everything else. A simple colour system, like red for washrooms, blue for kitchen and green for general, makes this easy for anyone on staff to follow. Read more on cross-contamination.
When you need to disinfect, for example during a stomach bug going around the office or at the height of flu season, use a product with a Health Canada DIN. Spray it on, leave it wet for the full dwell time on the label, then wipe. Spraying and immediately wiping cleans the surface, but it doesn't disinfect it. For electronics, spray the cloth rather than the device.
Common questions
Do we need to disinfect everything every day?
Usually not. Cleaning high-touch surfaces every day covers most of it. Disinfect during outbreaks, after someone's been sick at work, and in washrooms, using a product with a DIN and leaving it wet for the time on the label.
Who cleans shared areas in a multi-tenant building?
Usually the landlord handles lobbies, shared washrooms and elevators, and each tenant handles their own suite. Confirm it in your lease and your cleaning contract so nothing falls in between.