How to improve indoor air quality in your office

To improve indoor air quality in an office, keep dust from building up and keep air moving. Vacuum carpets and fabric chairs with a HEPA vacuum, damp-dust instead of dry-dusting, keep vents and returns clean and clear, and change HVAC filters on schedule. Fix damp spots quickly, use cleaning products as the label directs, and keep fragrance out of shared space.

The air in an office is the same air everyone breathes all day.

What makes office air worse?

• Dust. It settles on desks, shelves, window sills and the tops of cabinets, and gets kicked back up every time someone walks by.
• Carpet and fabric chairs. They hold dust, crumbs, skin and hair until a vacuum pulls it out.
• Vents and filters. A dusty supply vent blows dust back into the room. A clogged filter stops catching anything.
• Damp. A slow leak under the kitchen sink, a wet ceiling tile or a damp basement storage room can lead to mildew and a musty smell.
• Fumes and fragrance. Strong cleaning products, air fresheners, plug-ins and scented candles.
• Pollen. In spring and fall it comes in on coats and through open windows.

How do you cut the dust?

Vacuum with a HEPA filter. A vacuum without a fine filter can blow the finest dust out of its exhaust and back into the room. Go slowly on carpet, and do the fabric chairs and cubicle walls with the upholstery tool.

Damp-dust. A microfiber cloth that's barely damp picks dust up. A feather duster moves it to the next surface. Work from high to low: the tops of shelves and cabinets, then desks, then the floor last.

Don't forget the high spots. The tops of door frames, light fixtures, cabinets and partitions collect a gray layer nobody sees.

Mat every entrance. A rough mat outside and a long absorbent mat inside catch grit and pollen before it reaches the carpet. Our post on office cleaning by season has more on winter salt and spring pollen.

What about vents and filters?

• Vacuum supply vents and return grilles with a brush attachment, then wipe them with a damp cloth.
• Keep furniture, boxes and files from blocking returns.
• Ask who changes the HVAC filters and how often. Tell them if the vents look dusty or the air smells stale.

How do you stop damp?

Look under every sink, check ceiling tiles for brown rings, and sniff the storage room. Report leaks the day you find them. Mildew on drywall or ceiling tiles is a building problem to fix, not something to wipe and forget.

How do you make an office allergy friendly?

The same steps, done more often, plus a few:

• Go fragrance-free in shared spaces. No plug-ins, sprays or candles. Clean shouldn't smell like anything.
• Use cleaning products as the label directs, with a window open or the ventilation running, and never mix products.
• Vacuum the soft furniture weekly.
• Open windows when pollen is low, and keep them shut on high-pollen days. Check a local pollen forecast.
• Consider a HEPA air purifier for a room where someone has allergies, sized for that room.
• Ask. The people with allergies usually know exactly what sets them off.

If your office allows dogs, our guide to keeping office germs down covers pet hair and dander.

Should you hire it out?

If dust is winning, it's worth pricing out. See our office cleaning page, then request a quote for Commercial Cleaning with your square footage, the number of people and the rooms you want covered.

FAQ

How can I improve the air quality in my office? Keep dust down with HEPA vacuums and damp dusting, keep vents and returns clean and clear, change HVAC filters on the schedule your building or contractor sets, and fix leaks or damp spots quickly. Use cleaning products as the label directs, with air moving.

What causes poor air quality in an office? Dust in carpets and on surfaces, dirty vents and filters, damp that leads to mildew, strong fragrances and cleaning product fumes, and pollen carried in from outside. In winter, closed windows keep all of it inside.

How do you make an office allergy friendly? Vacuum carpets and fabric chairs often with a HEPA vacuum, damp-dust instead of dry-dusting, keep entrance mats at every door, and go fragrance-free in shared spaces. Ask the people with allergies what sets them off.

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Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Request a quote at phillyscleanteam.com/request-a-quote, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.