Air Quality in Your Office
Unless you work from home, chances are your office is a shared space. With so many people sharing space for such long periods of time, it’s easy for dirt, dust, debris, and other nasty stuff to build up – and in no time at all. Add in buildings that are being renovated, and you have a recipe for poor office air quality.
Worried about air quality in your office?
Bad air quality in offices can lead to something called Sick Building Syndrome, which can affect you any time you’re in a building with bad air.
If you’re exposed to bad air for long periods of time, you could get headaches, coughs, fevers, and even respiratory problems.
If you experience these symptoms at work but not at home, it could very well be due to the quality of air in your office.
Fortunately, bad office air quality doesn’t have to be forever.
There’s a whole bunch of easy ways to make things better for yourself and your co-workers including the best air purifier.
Air Quality Tips
Keeping air vents open and unblocked is vital. Keep furniture, boxes, equipment, and anything else out of the path of your air vents, and make sure air can circulate properly.
If it can’t, it might get stale. Office managers should also clean out vents and filtering systems regularly to prevent dust and debris from clogging up the filter, and ending up in the air people are breathing in. Replace filters every 12 months, maximum.
It’s so important to get this right that bringing in professionals is the only way. They know what they’re looking for concerning leaks, ventilation, mold, odors, and humidity.
More importantly, if there’s an issue, they will know how to fix it.
Eliminate Air Moisture
Another thing that can lead to bad office air is moisture. Letting things get damp leads to the growth of mold and mildew, which can lead to significant health problems for anyone breathing it in.
Regular gutter maintenance is crucial to prevent mold growth as clogged gutters can lead to water accumulation, which creates a damp environment ideal for mold proliferation. Properly functioning gutters ensure water is directed away from structures, minimizing the conditions that promote mold infestations. Prevention is always better than cure – and cheaper, too – so limit the possibility of having mold by cleaning up wet spills and fixing leaks as soon as they happen.
Humidity is also key to the maintenance of good air quality in an office. Keeping the humidity at somewhere between 30 and 50 percent helps keep allergens and dust mites at bay. Dehumidifiers and air conditioners will help a lot.
Everyone loves fresh air, and so does office air quality. Keep the windows open as often as possible for as long as possible, keeping fresh air circulating and letting old, stale air out.
Plants also help with the fresh air factor, absorbing toxins, and helping to produce more oxygen.
Wrap-Up
Of course, cleanliness is important to maintaining office air quality. Vacuum, dust, tidy away clutter, and get rid of all trash before it starts to build up.
If you’re in an office where time and space are tight, call in a professional cleaner now and again to stay on top of things.
Keeping good air quality in your office gets rid of dirt and toxins and prevents them from building up in the air.