Office Disinfecting Services: Which Surfaces, How Often and With What

After a cold sweeps through the office, or when a client asks how you keep the workplace healthy, "disinfecting" comes up quickly. The problem is that the word gets used loosely. A quick wipe with a scented spray is not the same as disinfecting, and spraying every surface in the building is not the same as doing it well.

This guide explains what office disinfecting actually involves, which surfaces deserve the attention, how often to do it, and how to read the label on a disinfectant so you know what you are paying for. It is written for office managers and business owners in Dallas, Garland, Richardson and nearby cities.

Cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting are not the same

These three words describe different results, and mixing them up leads to expectations nobody can meet.

The order matters. Cleaning comes first. Dirt, grease and residue can shield germs and keep a disinfectant from reaching the surface. Disinfecting a dirty door handle is mostly wasted effort.

Which office surfaces need disinfecting

Disinfecting does the most good where many hands touch the same hard surface. Here is where to focus.

High-touch points throughout the office

• Entrance door handles, push plates and pull bars
• Interior door handles and lever locks
• Light switches and elevator buttons
• Stair and ramp railings
• Reception counter and visitor sign-in area

Restrooms

• Toilet handles, seats and the surrounding surfaces
• Faucet handles and sink edges
• Soap and paper towel dispensers
• Stall locks and door handles
• Counters and baby changing stations

Break room and kitchen

• Counters and tables
• Refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker and water dispenser handles and buttons
• Sink faucet handles
• Shared cabinet and drawer pulls

Shared work areas

• Conference tables and chair arms
• Shared phones and remote controls
• Copier and printer control panels
• Hot desks used by more than one person
• Shared tablets or check-in kiosks (following the maker's cleaning instructions)

Porous and soft items, such as fabric chairs, carpet, cushions and paper, are different. Most surface disinfectants are labeled for hard, non-porous surfaces. Soft items need cleaning methods suited to the material.

How often should an office be disinfected?

There is no single answer, but the right frequency follows a few clear factors:

• How many people share the space. More people means more contact with the same handles, buttons and fixtures.
• Whether visitors come in. A lobby or waiting room adds outside traffic every day.
• Restroom and break room use. Busy shared rooms usually set the minimum.
• The season. Cold and flu season, or a stretch when several employees are sick, is a reason to add extra touch-point visits.
• Who works there. If staff or clients are more vulnerable to illness, it is reasonable to disinfect shared surfaces more often.

A practical setup for many small offices: disinfect restroom fixtures and the main touch points on every cleaning visit, include break room counters and appliance handles, and add extra visits when illness is going around. Staff can help between visits by wiping their own desks and phones with products the office provides. For help working out the rhythm, see how to build a custom office cleaning schedule.

What staff can do between visits

A cleaning visit resets the office, but people keep touching the same surfaces all day. A few simple habits between visits make the professional work last longer:

• Keep disinfecting wipes or a labeled spray and paper towels in the break room and near shared equipment, and remind staff to follow the contact time.
• Ask people to wipe their own keyboard, mouse and phone, using products safe for electronics.
• Keep the break room counters clear at the end of the day, so the cleaner can reach the surface instead of working around mugs and leftovers.
• Report a sick day or a spill in a shared area, so the next visit can focus there.

None of this replaces regular cleaning. It simply narrows the gap between visits, which matters most when illness is going around.

With what: how to read a disinfectant label

The label on a disinfectant tells you most of what you need to know. When you ask a cleaning company what they use, these are the details worth checking.

1. An EPA registration number. In the United States, disinfectants that make public health claims are registered with the EPA. The label shows an "EPA Reg. No."
2. The germs it is labeled for. The label lists the bacteria and viruses the product has been shown to kill when used as directed.
3. The surfaces it is for. Most are for hard, non-porous surfaces. Some are not for food-contact surfaces without a rinse.
4. The contact time. This is how long the surface must stay visibly wet for the product to work as labeled. Wiping it dry right away cuts the job short.
5. Whether to pre-clean. Many labels say to clean heavily soiled surfaces first.
6. Safety directions. Ventilation, gloves, and never mixing products, especially bleach with ammonia or acids.

The EPA also keeps List N, a list of disinfectants that meet its criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. You can search it by product name or registration number on the EPA website.

Our guide to EPA-approved disinfectants in home cleaning explains the label in more depth. The same rules apply in an office.

Common disinfecting mistakes in offices

Most disinfecting problems come from good intentions done in the wrong order or too quickly.

• Skipping the cleaning step. Spraying disinfectant on a greasy break room counter does not do what the label promises.
• Wiping it off too soon. If the contact time is not met, the product is not working as labeled.
• Using one cloth for everything. Carrying a cloth from the restroom to the break room spreads germs. Separate cloths or color-coding by area helps.
• Disinfecting electronics with the wrong product. Keyboards, screens and card readers can be damaged. Follow the maker's instructions.
• Spraying soft surfaces with a hard-surface product. Read the label.
• Treating disinfecting as a one-time event. Touch points get recontaminated as soon as people use them again. Consistency beats intensity.

Office disinfecting checklist

Use this list to set the scope with your cleaner or to check a visit afterward:

• Hard surfaces cleaned before disinfecting
• Entrance and interior door handles, push plates and light switches
• Railings and elevator buttons
• Reception counter and visitor area
• Restroom fixtures, handles, dispensers, stall locks and counters
• Break room counters, tables, appliance handles and faucet
• Conference table and chair arms
• Copier and printer panels, shared phones (per maker's guidance)
• Contact time on the label met before wiping
• Separate cloths for restrooms and food areas
• Trash removed and liners replaced

After someone at the office was sick

When an employee goes home sick or tests positive for an illness, many offices want a more thorough round of disinfecting. Focus on the areas that person used and the shared spaces everyone uses: their desk and chair arms, nearby shared equipment, restrooms, the break room and door hardware along their usual path. Follow your company's own policies and any public health guidance for the specific illness.

Our guide to disinfecting a home after someone was sick covers the same process for a house, and much of it carries over. If the office also needs a full reset after a stretch of illness, a one-time deep clean catches the areas routine visits skip.

Who does office disinfecting services in Dallas?

Texas Kings Cleaning Services is based in Garland and cleans offices across Dallas, Richardson and the surrounding cities through our office and commercial cleaning service. Disinfecting of shared touch points is part of how we plan an office scope, and we use cleaning products approved by the US EPA against SARS-CoV-2 on non-porous surfaces.

Because the company is owner-run, Saida sets the scope, the schedule and the price herself, after learning the size of the space, its condition and how often it should be cleaned. We build customized schedules, so disinfecting can follow your actual traffic: more often in shared rooms, less often in quiet areas, with extra visits added when you need them. We guarantee the quality of our work.

If you are comparing companies, our guides on how to choose an office cleaning company and janitorial service vs. commercial cleaning list the questions to ask, including what products they use and whether they carry liability insurance.

Next step

If you manage an office in Dallas, Garland, Richardson or nearby and want shared surfaces disinfected properly on a schedule that fits your workplace, call Saida at 214-586-2075 or request a quote. Tell us how many people use the space, the number of restrooms and whether visitors come in, and we will build the plan from there.

Questions people ask next

What is the difference between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting?

Cleaning removes dirt and grime from a surface. Sanitizing reduces the number of germs to a lower level. Disinfecting uses a registered product to kill the germs listed on its label when used as directed, including the contact time. In an office, cleaning comes first, because dirt left on a surface can keep a disinfectant from working well.

Do we need to disinfect the whole office every visit?

Usually not. Disinfecting matters most on high-touch, shared, non-porous surfaces such as door handles, restroom fixtures, break room counters and shared equipment. Personal desks, walls and low-touch areas generally just need regular cleaning. Concentrating disinfecting where hands go is more effective than spraying everything.

What is EPA List N?

List N is a list kept by the US Environmental Protection Agency of disinfectant products that meet its criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Each product on the list has an EPA registration number and directions, including the surfaces it is for and how long it must stay wet. You can search the list on the EPA website.

How often should an office be disinfected during cold and flu season?

Many offices increase how often they disinfect shared touch points during cold and flu season or after someone at work has been sick. The right rhythm depends on how many people share the space, whether visitors come in and how often the restrooms and break room are used. A cleaner can add extra touch-point visits to a regular schedule.

Who does office disinfecting services in Dallas?

Texas Kings Cleaning Services, based in Garland, cleans offices across Dallas and nearby cities on customized schedules and uses cleaning products approved by the US EPA against SARS-CoV-2 on non-porous surfaces. Saida, the owner, sets the scope, schedule and price after learning the space. Call 214-586-2075.