Every office, regardless of size or company, should be a comfortable, pleasant and clean working sanctuary. However, just like at home, offices are also exposed to the attacks of various pests, which can significantly disrupt the working environment.
The invasion of different kinds of pests harms everyone, generates more stress among employees and affects productivity. A dirty office will be an easy target for rodents and insects to take advantage of and infest at will, and worse, reproduce endlessly.
A sane person will not want to see cockroaches roaming around storage rooms, rodents running around offices, mosquitoes and fleas biting left and right, or cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. So, to avoid these terrible inconveniences, prevention must be a priority.
Don’t wait until a pest invades your office and you have to call the exterminators in an emergency. Better educate yourself and your colleagues on the essential measures of prevention, hygiene and cleanliness, to maintain a healthy and calm work environment.
And if you want to know what measures you can apply in your workplace, you have come to the right place. As AKL Exterminator, experts in extermination and control of pests of all kinds, we give you here some useful recommendations to avoid pests in your office.
Let’s get started!
Why is it important to prevent pests?
Pest prevention is a priority and of vital importance in any workspace. First of all, for medical reasons, you are ensuring your health and the health of your employees, as rodents and insects are known vectors of many diseases, both viral and bacterial.
Therefore, keeping these vermin at bay will protect everyone in the office from health risks and problems. Secondly, a pest has a negative impact on productivity, significantly reducing workload, due to the discomfort generated by any insect or rodent.
This implies discomfort and uneasiness among workers, causing a negative, tense and stressful environment, due to a pest. Thirdly, a vermin infested office gives a very bad image of your company, as the level of neglect and dirtiness will be noticed.
An infested environment will result in a negative impression among your customers and employees that your company is careless and unsuspecting. This can affect your working relationships with other customers and you will gain a bad reputation, which will affect your company’s morale.
Tips for avoiding pests in the office
Here are some very useful recommendations to maintain the sanitary integrity of your office, ensure the hygiene of every corner and every desk for all employees, as well as to prevent any type of infestation and annoying pests in the long term:
Constant sanitation
The first task to perform, to prevent any pest infestation, is the periodic cleaning of the office. This can be done with conventional cleaning products such as sprays, liquid detergents, floor cleaners, brushes, stain removers, window cleaners, perfumes, brooms, dusters, etc.
Of course, this will depend on the structure and furniture of your office. We also recommend that you look for products that contain antibacterial and insecticidal chemicals to inhibit any potential breeding grounds and spread of vermin of any kind.
Put your garbage back where it belongs
One thing that’s really essential to preventing pests is to dispose of garbage where it belongs, in the trash and recycling garbage cans. This way, rodents and insects won’t invade and be attracted to trash, crumbs, food or other residue.
Be sure to clear any space of unnecessary papers, boxes or piles of items, which could become the perfect habitat for rats, lice, roaches and other types of pests. This way, you won’t allow these vermin to find a place to live and breed, in the worst case scenario.
Place garbage cans with disposable plastic bags at least 2 meters from a door. It’s also ideal if each employee’s office or cubicle has its own trash receptacle, to optimize office cleaning and avoid spreading more dirt on the floor or furniture.
In addition, it is essential to avoid the accumulation of waste and to manage waste properly by emptying the garbage cans and changing the bags regularly to avoid producing more waste. Ideally, a recycling regime should be implemented in the office, by depositing and separating waste according to its composition.
Assign a place for meals
A designated area for meal times, lunches and snacks during the day, will help prevent potential infestations. Each employee should pick up their dirty wrappers, crumbs, cups and plates. If possible, have them wash their containers in the sink immediately and leave everything shiny.
The office should also have refrigerators, storage rooms, pantries or airtight containers so that employee food is sealed and well protected from any vermin. This will prevent rodents or other insects from invading your office, looking for scattered food sources.
Maintain a dry environment
Humidity and heat are the catalysts for your office to become infested with vermin. Therefore, avoid overwatering plants, planters or green areas in your office. Wet soil is usually a breeding ground for insects.
Watch for warning signs
Often, pests show up very late, until they have already completely invaded the space. It is therefore essential that you carefully examine any abnormalities you find in your office and do not ignore these signs, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
Some warning signs include: dead insects, skin or shells on the floor; cracks between sills, furniture and walls; holes in wood; droppings or stains; cobwebs on shelves and ceilings; damage to office equipment; contaminated crumbs and food; bad odors; scratching, grinding or squeaking noises; insect wings or legs, sightings and more.
Check the building structure regularly
Often, pests can invade an office due to poor infrastructural conditions of the building. Broken pipes, cracked walls, peeling false ceilings or leaky heating systems. All of these risk factors can allow rodents or insects to easily infiltrate.
To prevent this, it is necessary for professionals to check and repair any weakened or damaged structures, thus blocking access to any vermin, which could even cause electrical failures. For example, rodents often damage cables and ruin computer servers.
Vacuum and clean every corner of the office
Careful cleaning does wonders for preventing pests, as it maintains a hygienic environment free of trash and garbage. We also recommend vacuuming furniture, carpets and all office upholstery, as these are prime hiding places for pests and their offspring.
Try to get rid of clutter and unoccupied areas in the office (such as storage rooms). Light up all corners, as rodents and insects hide in the dark. Also, ask your employees to help by regularly cleaning their own areas.
Use pest control products
If you suspect an infestation, it’s a good idea to use pest control products, which will help keep your office free of pests, such as sprays, sticky paper, traps, bombs, sprays, scented candles, poison baits, concentrated powders, etc.
Do a warehouse cleaning
Depending on the management of your office, it is important that you perform a cleanup, organization and disposal of all files, items and waste, which have been stored in the warehouses and storage rooms. Getting rid of anything that is no longer useful will prevent vermin from finding a new home.
Now that you know some preventive measures and recommendations against vermin intrusions, put them into practice and don’t let your office get infested! And if you have any other doubts about how to protect your office, avoid pests or want to get rid of them, don’t hesitate to call us!
We will help you without saying anything! In addition, we offer different services and products that you can find in our amazing online store, to fight all kinds of invaders, from spiders to rodents. We offer our services in the different provinces of Quebec.
You can find us at 5333 Boul. Laurier, suite 128 Terrebonne, J7M 1W1. We guarantee the quality and the warranty of our products and services, against any vermin. Do not hesitate to contact us by clicking on the image below! We take calls at any time!
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