Whilst summer brings plenty of lovely things like barbecues, light evenings and (hopefully)less rain, warmer weather also causes smells to intensify, whether they’re pleasant ones like freshly mown grass or bad ones like rotting rubbish. The combination of heat and humidity also allows bacteria to grow faster, which can also contribute to horrible odours. Here are five ways to make sure your workplace stays smelling great.
Empty rubbish regularly
All bins should be emptied on a daily basis, especially the kitchen bin which will quickly become smelly in hot weather. Staff should never put food in the bins by their desks as these bins can get overlooked which can lead to it rotting overnight – not pleasant.
Open the windows
Even if you have air conditioning to keep you feeling cool, switching it off and opening the windows for an hour or two each day can help air circulate through the office and chase bad smells away. Open windows also encourage nice summer smells into your workplace, such as the scent of flowers, which can have a relaxing effect.
Wash up
Dirty plates and cups left on desks or in the kitchen sink will soon become unpleasant and start to smell. Encourage all staff to wash up after they have eaten lunch and not to leave dirty mugs on their desks over night. Regularly check kitchen cupboards and the fridge for mouldy food as well.
Have a deep clean
If you don’t have a professional office cleaner on a regular basis, the build up of dirt, grime and dust can cause your workplace to have an unpleasant musty smell. You may also have build ups of mould in hard to clean places in kitchens and bathrooms that will also contribute to bad odours. Hiring a professional cleaner to tackle these areas will make sure your office both looks and smells great.
Get some odour-neutralising plants
Whilst cut flowers may be attractive and sweet smelling to some, any members of staff with hay fever will not appreciate them. Odour-neutralising plants, on the other hand, not only look nice but help to remove toxins and add oxygen to a room. A two-year study by NASA found that plants in containers measuring 6-8 inches do the best job of cleaning the air, and the more you have, the better: the average building of 1,800 square feet needs 15-18 plants to effective air cleansing.