Fast Facts

• An entryway carpet can collect more than 39 pounds of dirt over the course of a single year.
• Office break rooms and kitchens are teaming with illness-causing bacteria, housing contamination that can be spread throughout the workplace without proper, regular cleaning.
• Respiratory illnesses contracted in the work place can cost employers as much as $134 per employee per year, according to a study reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
• New customers form their first impression of your business within 30 seconds of entering it. In fact, their impressions began to form even before they enter the building, as customers relate the outside appearance to the quality of product or service inside.
• According to a national online survey, customers of convenience stores and restaurants make a connection between the cleanliness of restrooms and the cleanliness of other parts of the facility. If they find restrooms that are unhygienic, smell badly, or are poorly stocked with supplies, they are much less likely to return and are more inclined to tell friends and family of their negative experience.
• More than 20 states across the nation require hospitals to release their infection rates. With access to this information, patients are now choosing their hospital based on cleanliness and infectious disease rates, forcing hospitals with higher infection rates to quickly find ways to do better—or lose patients, revenues and their reputation.
• According to Dr. Michael Berry, a retired EPA scientist and research professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a 5% loss of productivity due to an unclean building can cost your company thousands of dollars each year.
• On the other hand, Dr. Berry has also found that a clean, healthy environment increases worker productivity, morale, and company spirit, and raises employee self-esteem.
• Equally important, Dr. Berry’s studies show that a clean, healthy environment is a friendlier, less stressful workplace. It reduces liability (less accidents), tardiness, sick days, turnover, and the number of disgruntled employees.

Sources for Fast Facts:

1. Sisk, Ed. “Carpeting: The True Benefits of Cleaning ‘Green.’” Facility Management. American School & Hospital Facility, n.d. Web. 30 May 2012. http://facilitymanagement.com/articles/green1-0809.html
2. “Where the Germs Are: New Study Finds Office Kitchens and Break Rooms are Crawling with Bacteria.” The Healthy Workplace Project. Kimberly-Clark, 23 May 2012. Web. 30 May 2012. http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56343-kimberly-clark-study-kitchens-break-rooms-crawling-with-bacteria-germs
3. Goetzel, R.Z., Long, S.R. et. al. “Health, Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates of Certain Physical and Mental Health Conditions Affecting U.S. Employers.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2004 Apr.; 46(4): 398-412. Web. 30 May 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15076658
4. Brownell, Eileen O. “Are You Displaying The ‘Right’ Business Image To Attract Customers?” Small Business Brief. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2012. http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/articles/small_business_issues/007743.html
5. “Failure to Clean Keeps Customers Away.” Convenience Store Decisions. N.p., 2008 Sep. 1. Web. 30 May 2012. http://www.csdecisions.com/2008/09/01/failure-to-clean-keeps-customers-away/
6. “Public Disclosure of Hospital Infection Rates Vary By State.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. N.p., 2012 Mar. 16. Web. 30 May 2012. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/public_disclosure_of_hospital_infection_rates_vary_by_state
7. Berry, Michael A., Ph.D. Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health. http://www.ciriscience.org/michael-berry-bio.php
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.