5 workplace hygiene tips

In this article, we are going to give you 5 workplace hygiene tips that may look subtle but very necessary. There’s not much you can do about the number of meetings on your calendar or the smell of microwave ovens coming from the hallway. Or the guy in the tangy new cologne from the cabin next door. Maintaining your personal hygiene at work may not solve any of these obstacles, but at least good hygiene practices will mean you don’t get involved in the melting pot of corporate headquarters, but you can get rid of cold or flu too.

Corporate hygiene is more than employees washing their hands before returning to work. Read on for five easy ways to maintain your personal hygiene in the office, from storing dental floss in your office to, yes, washing your hands.

First, we’ll see how to put together a clean emergency kit that’s right for the job.

workplace hygiene tips

1: Keep travel products in your office

Who among us hasn’t spilled coffee on a shirt or a salad dressing on our lap? Welcome to your work day.

To help keep every little personal hygiene emergency in the office, keep a small bag of toiletries and other useful items in your office.

Include items such as a needle and thread to mend an unsightly hole or a lost button, a hairbrush or comb, deodorant or antiperspirant, adhesive bandages, a clean shirt to change into (if and spilled coffee), dental floss, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.

Caught without a toothbrush? Try eating crunchy fruits and vegetables, such as celery or apples, which will help clean your teeth while you chew.

2: Don’t leave food on your table

Seventy-five percent of office workers admit to doing it, and do it two to three times a week [source: Dakss ].

Eat lunch at their table, that is. Do you have In addition to potentially spilling mustard all over your clothes, studies have shown that turning your cubicle into a restaurant can actually increase the germs on your desk.

It’s best not to eat surfaces that have more than 1,000 bacteria per square inch, but most plants carry as many as 21,000 bacteria per square inch [sources: ABC News; Weigel]. Let’s put this into perspective.

Most toilet seats contain less than 1,000 bacteria per square inch. And a kitchen sponge can contain more than 50 million live microorganisms — which is one of the dirtiest things in your home [source: Maloof ].

Unless you prefer to keep your workspace clean – and which of us are? — you may want to turn the food into an office.

Choose your dining surface wisely
Which do you think is cleaner: your desk or your kitchen table? Researchers at the University of Arizona have found that the average office table carries about 100 times more bacteria than the average kitchen table [source: Weissman ].

3: regular exercise

If you regularly exercise during the workday, be sure to plan ahead with a well-stocked gym bag. You will need to pack, at a minimum, the following:

New styles of clothing and socks – Consider synthetic materials that don’t absorb sweat like cotton (and some synthetics are more breathable).

Sneakers (or other types of athletic shoes appropriate for your preferred sport or class)
Personal travel hygiene products – To clean up after the workout, be sure to include products such as shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, deodorant or conditioner, comb or hair brush and giving bandages and painkillers.
Don’t forget a towel.

4: Bathe daily

Regular bathing helps remove dirt that you may find on your skin as well as bacteria and other hidden debris. Bathing in lukewarm water (not hot or you may dry out your skin) and gently scrubbing will help remove dead skin cells and potential irritants. -toxic, and remove secretions from your apocrine glands.

Apocrine glands are sweat glands that secrete a strong, sweet protein, and they are abundant in our abdomen, groin, and scalp. This thick, sticky sweat causes odor when the bacteria that live on our skin begin to break it down.

A daily shower with freshly washed clothes will help keep the smell to a minimum.

5: Wash your hands

When asked if they should stay home because of cold or flu symptoms, most American workers said no.

About 44% can go to work despite having a fever, and watch out for the 32% who plan to go to work regardless of their condition [source: Infection Control Today].

The best way to fight germs in the workplace – and elsewhere – is to wash your hands.

Be sure to use proper hand washing techniques.

A quick rinse under cold water is not enough. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 15-20 seconds – and remember to be careful under your fingernails before washing your hands. When you can’t wash your hands, keep a container of hand sanitizer (a container with at least 60% alcohol will do) on your desk.