One of the things that is always stunning is the amount of dust that can accumulate during the course of a day in an office. According to the website livescience, 70-80% of all dust is human skin, with the remaining percentages attributed to pet dander, hair, mold spores and other allergens.
If you have found that you have been sneezing a lot in your office, perhaps you should take a look around. Here are some things to think about when trying to discern the cause of your dust allergy:
Is there construction going on in your building?
Often if there is construction going on elsewhere in your building, the dust may be recirculating through the HVAC. If the dust is white and powdery this is most likely the case, as this would indicate sheet rock dust. If the dust has a grayer or darker hue and looks somewhat fuzzy like dryer lint when you wipe it off, chances are your office isn’t being dusted frequently enough.
What type of vacuum is the cleaning service using?
If an increase in frequency of dusting isn’t fixing your dust woes, ask the cleaning service what type of vacuum they are using. The only vacuum that should be used in a commercial cleaning setting should have a certified HEPA filtration system built into it. Older upright vacuums that don’t incorporate this technology, actually kick up dust and circulate it throughout the office. Once the cleaner is done vacuuming someone will have to come back and dust.
Are you in the direct line of an HVAC vent?
If HVAC filters and equipment aren’t the answer and your office is dusty and you are sneezing a lot, let the cleaning service know that you think they should dust more often. Find out their new schedule and monitor your dust and sneezing. If they dust one night and the next day the place is covered in dust, this may indicate that there is a problem with the HVAC filters. Most commercial property management companies will change the air filters on the HVAC every month. If your building is older or under construction and increased frequency of dusting isn’t fixing the problem, the filter change cycle may be the culprit.
Do you have windows in your office, and is the sneezing worse when the sun is shining in?
Sunlight will heat up a room and cause currents to move dust particles everywhere. If you come into the office in the morning to find dust particles flying beautifully in the morning sun, this indicates that the cleaning service is probably only spot vacuuming and not edge vacuuming your carpet. Ask them to vacuum your carpet wall to wall and most likely, you will find that your office will be relatively dust free the next day.
At JAN-PRO, our cleaning procedures rely on the use of vacuum cleaners that are fitted with HEPA filters to reduce re-circulation of dust. These filters remove 99.97% of particles from the air, which equates to better indoor air quality through the removal of allergens. If you couple this with the use of our electrostatic charged microfiber technology, dust and allergens don’t stand a chance when we are cleaning your office.