This article is a guide to keeping the office pest-free and hygienic when people are on holiday or locked down, with tips on ways to prevent pest infestations and keep the office hygienic.
In my years working in the pest control industry, I’ve found that the association between pest control and hygiene is often missed by the people I’ve talked with over the years. This was especially noticeable during the hard lockdowns in 2020 - when many businesses were invaded by pests while staff were away. We received so many inquiries along the lines of “why is this happening to my business” as customers found that regular pest control methods weren’t as effective as had been before lockdown.
Holiday seasons pose similar circumstances to lockdowns for some businesses - in that offices close or have less activity during that period. And with Easter around the corner, we believe there has never been a better time to prepare for the upcoming holiday seasons, with some tips on how to prevent pests and maintain hygiene in your office.
Clean out every bin on the premises
Before everyone leaves the office (even for a long weekend) you should ensure that all bins are completely cleaned out. This includes both interior and exterior bins. This is important because rubbish bins are notorious for attracting problematic pests such as rodents, cockroaches and flies. This is because they are a great source of food and the situation is further exacerbated by the shelter and freedom an empty office building provides for them.
Read our previous blog: 10 best practice tips to prevent pest infestation in garbage areas, in order to ensure that both inside and outside exterior bins area are kept pest free.
Have your drain cleaned
Often overlooked, especially in commercial buildings (as we don’t use office kitchens as much as we use our home kitchens) drains are known to be the perfect breeding area for cockroaches, as they provide great access to food, water and shelter when left unchecked.
Rentokil offers an exterior drain treatment service as an additional preventative measure against cockroaches invading your business.
Read more about prevention tips for drains, or contact our team about drain treatment services for your business.
Don't forget to clean that grease trap
In one of our older blog’s (Clean that grease trap! and prevent flies in your restaurant kitchen), we go into detail about the importance of hygiene in commercial kitchens and how unmaintained grease traps can negatively affect hygiene standards.
Offices with commercial kitchens and canteens should have grease traps in order to comply with the South African law that requires all premises engaged in the cooking and preparation of food to install and maintain an adequately sized grease trap. This is because commercial kitchens produce large volumes of waste grease which our sewer reticulation system can’t handle.
Unfortunately, when these grease traps aren’t cleaned properly and regularly they attract pests such as flies. Therefore, when the office is gearing up for the holiday season I’d advise you to schedule a bio-dosing treatment with a hygiene company such as Initial in order to mitigate the potential problem.
Additionally, ensure you schedule a deep cleaning service for your kitchen like Initial’s CaterClean service. Daily cleaners don’t have the time or expertise to give your expensive kitchen equipment a really thorough cleaning. CaterClean reduces the risk of cross-contamination by removing carbon deposits, grease, grime and solidified oils that not only attract pests like cockroaches but also pose health and safety risks.
You may also be interested in reading our 11 best practice tips for equipment maintenance checklist for your business.
De-clutter the office
One of the chief reasons why some businesses still struggle with pest management even after receiving pest control services is due to poor housekeeping.
Ensure that you remove old stacks of files and documents, unused cardboard boxes, shredding, and all other forms of clutter from the floor or bottom of cupboards. This will help prevent pests from using the clutter as a shelter/breeding site.
Deep cleaning and fogging
Now would also be a great time to schedule bathroom deep cleaning services, to help eliminate the dirt, grime, and bacteria that cause odour problems in bathrooms - even when there’s regular daily cleaning. This will prevent the presence of flies and ensure that bathrooms stay fresh for longer when the office reopens.
Fogging is a specialist disinfection service that will eliminate viruses and bacteria that could be harmful to your employees, and scheduling this service regularly forms an important part of maintaining office hygiene.
Pest control and hygiene services from the experts
Pest control is often ignored until pests and the damage they have caused is discovered. However, through sustained good hygiene and sanitation practices and preventative pest control, you can ensure that both you and your employees stay healthy and that your reputation with your customers remains intact.
Looking for helpful pest control pintables for your office? Download our Pest Prevention Checklist eBook for your Business, or if you are concerned about a potential pest problem, contact us today about a pest risk survey for your business
