Missing work due to allergies is one of the top three reasons for employee absence from work.

Sneezing, a runny nose, irritated eyes and breathing difficulties are not likely to help an employee to work efficiently even when they are at work and this can amount to a significant loss in production for a business.

A survey carried out by the organisation Allergy UK estimated that by 2015 up to 50% of Europeans will suffer some form of allergy.  It found that 42% of the allergy sufferers surveyed had had to take time off work because of their allergy.

But what are the main causes of allergies and what can an employer do to help?

Firstly, dust can accumulate quickly and unnoticed in offices, especially in city centre locations like London, and especially in the summer when the weather is sunny and dry.

The culprit is the mites that live in dust.  They are particularly likely to accumulate in carpets and upholstery. Symptoms are caused by breathing in substances known as allergens which are contained within the mites’ droppings. The droppings are so small that they become airborne and then may be breathed in.

Daily office cleaning is therefore important to keep the environment as dust free as possible and can be a worthwhile investment to improve business productivity.

For the hay fever sufferers the chief culprit is pollen. It can drift in on the air through open windows but even if the office building has a controlled environment using a ducted ventilation system and air conditioning, the pollen can be sucked in via the ventilation grills from outside. The ductwork in ventilation systems need to be regularly cleaned and the filters changed.

But there are other ways of helping to improve the office air quality.

If there are plants in the rooms, make sure the leaves are regularly wiped clean with a damp cloth to prevent dust and mould spores from settling.

You can use natural air fresheners rather than chemical ones. Place one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a spray bottle and add two tablespoons of white vinegar and two cups of clean water. After the foaming has stopped replace the spray top and shake well (you can also add two teaspoons fresh lemon juice or essential oil)

Telephones and keyboards also harbour germs and dust that can result in infections and allergies and need to be regularly cleaned.

The chemicals used in printers and photocopiers can give off fumes that can cause breathing difficulties so try not to put them close to people’s work stations.

If you are looking for a reliable and affordable daily office cleaning service in London, it is worth checking what kinds of cleaning products the company uses as some of these can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air and can trigger allergic reactions.

Also check what services are covered in a daily clean and how thoroughly it is done. Does it include cleaning keyboards and telephones and the training to ensure it is done properly?

With CleanForce the daily office cleaning London service we provide will help you to keep control of these factors and if you would like more information, please just get in touch either by giving us a call on 0207 412 8911 or by going to our contact details page and filling out our contact form.