Celebrate Allergy Awareness Month with a Clean Office Space

With the average American working at least eight hours a day, your office may seem like a second home. That’s why for those of us with allergies and asthma, it’s just as important to minimize allergens in our offices as in our own homes. In honor of May being Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month, here are some tips to help employees and employers maintain a comfortable working environment for everyone, ensuring the best productivity possible.

Clear the clutter: While stacks of paper may seem like the mark of a busy employee, they’re also a great way to collect dust and other particle irritants on your desk. Take some time each week to tidy up your desk area by removing or recycling unnecessary paperwork. Also, view and save documents on your computer and/or company’s shared space to reduce waste.

Encourage a fragrance-free work environment: Fragrances from perfumes, hand lotions, cleaning products, and more can cause reactions like headaches, nausea, or even asthma attacks.

Clean your keyboard: Periodically, clean your keyboard with compressed air to remove dust and other particles that could have become lodged between keys. When cleaning your keyboard, make sure to disconnect it and conduct the cleaning in an area where the debris can be easily removed once you are finished.

Use an air purifier: Air purifiers are a great way to keep the air in your office free of dust particles, mold spores, pollen, and more. Air purifiers come in a variety of sizes and can be especially useful during pollen season to keep your office’s indoor air comfortable for those with hay fever and other seasonal allergy symptoms.

Smoke in designated areas only: Cigarette smoke can be especially irritating and harmful to those with allergies and asthma. If your office campus is not entirely smoke-free, ensure that designated smoking areas are properly used.

Hire a professional cleaning company: You can ensure healthier indoor air in your workplace for your employees and customers by keeping your carpets clean and in good condition through regular vacuuming and having your carpets, rugs, upholstery and cubicle walls professionally cleaned every 3 – 4 months. However, not all carpet cleaning services are alike. In independent testing by a leading air quality laboratory, Chem-Dry was proven to remove an average of 98% non-living allergens* from the carpets and upholstery we clean. 

Using a service such as Chem-Dry that offers allergy and asthma solutions is a great way to keep your office clean while benefiting your employee’s health and comfort.

These are just a few tips to help keep your office free of irritating airborne particles. Taking just a few steps at your office can keep the environment comfortable and healthy for yourself and your co-workers.

*Based on results from a study conducted by an independent laboratory using the Chem-Dry Hot Carbonating Extraction process. Allergens tested were dog and cat dander and dust mite matter. Figures are an average across multiple homes.