The Wonderful World of Commercial Cleaning Fun Facts

Cleaning is full of amazing, not-so-trivial things. We’re excited to share some cleaning insights with you. But first, a warning: the wonderful world of commercial cleaning fun facts may widen your eyes, pause your breath and blow your mind. Allgood?  Great. Let’s take the red pill and deep dive into the perils of bad cleaning.

1. Denmark is currently the cleanest country in the World.  

Let’s start on a positive note.  Denmark?(!) According to new data collected in 2022 by Yale and the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) the Danes are keeping it clean.  The studies examined air and water quality.  In addition to waste management and other factors.   

2. 85% of people don’t fully understand what Green Cleaning means. No, really.

Simply put, it’s cleaning in a way that’s safe for both people and the environment.  It refers to the use of cleaning methods and products that are sustainable in the long term.   The products used contain environmentally friendly ingredients which are designed to preserve human health and not degrade environmental quality.

3. Your cell phone is likely 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. *Gasp

According to the University of Arizona Study, cellphones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats.  Toilets are cleaned often because people associate them with germs.  Fair enough.  However, commonly handled and forgotten germ hotspots include phones, keyboards, remote controls.  Ughhh…depressing.

4. 98% of workers are likely to contract a contagious disease from the workplace within their professional lifetimes.

Contagious illness is spread due to unclean surroundings. Therefore, to avoid having sick employees, always ensure that your facility and workplace is properly cleaned and sanitized.

5. Office workers’ hands come in contact with 10 million bacteria per day.

While we’re being the bearer of bad news, some warmer, snuggly stats: 15% of men and 7% of ladies admit to not washing their hands at work after using the toilet.  Some people’s adult children!

6. The air quality in a closed space can be up to 100 times worse than outdoors.

The Environmental protection agency (EPA) ranks indoor air quality (IAQ) as a top five environmental risk to public health. Recent studies found indoor air pollutants were generally 2 to 5 times greater than outdoor pollution levels. In some cases, indoor air pollution was 100x greater.

7. For antibacterial cleaners to be effective it must be left on surfaces for 30 – 60 seconds before wiping it away.

Never heard the terms dwell time or contact time? You’re probably not the only one. Essentially, it’s the amount of time a cleaning agent—a spray or a wipe, whatever you use, needs to be in contact with a surface in order to kill the bacteria, viruses, and other germs that may be present. 

8. 70% – 80% of dust particles in any given office are made up of dead skin cells. The other 20% includes outdoor particles coming inside, such as soil.

This is why proper commercial vacuums are vital. HEPA filters extract and trap the smallest of particles and remove them from the environment. How dusty is your office? If you can write your name in it with an index finger, then somebody, somewhere isn’t getting the job done.

9. In a recent survey nearly 90% of people would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms.  

Bad cleaning is bad for your wallet.  Bad word-of-mouth is real. Nearly 50% of those people would discuss it with friends and family. 

10. On average only 25% of staff in an office think the office is effectively cleaned. 

Perhaps this depends on whether you employ more men or women? According to a Harvard study,  on average, men tidy up for 10 minutes every day, but cleaning consumes a third of women’s 1 hour 20 minutes of household chores daily.  Come on guys, effort harder!