Easy-Clean Solutions for Your Return to the Office

• Read original article here

We understand that the way you work is changing every day, and you most likely aren’t able to meet in person with your team right now. We hope this information serves as a look toward the future. Our team at HON is here to support you through the transitions and look forward to when you’re all back in the office and collaborating together.

Businesses across the country are preparing to reopen their offices, and with that, health and safety has become the No. 1 priority.

The traditional office setting will likely look different when employees return. And for companies that began to redesign their workspaces prior to the pandemic, they now may be looking for ways to comply with safety regulations and social distancing guidelines.

There are a lot of boxes to check before the doors can open.

While much of the focus has been on the physical arrangement of the office, one aspect that cannot be overlooked (and deserves plenty of attention) is cleaning. And there are several things to consider in this category.

Offices that, a few months ago, were cleaned every night after employees went home are now on different and more urgent schedules. The foreseeable future includes routine, hourly cleanings of all areas and surfaces, which brings your furniture and its material into focus.

“People are stressed out about business that they actually know—and now, they’re being asked to make decisions about things like cleaning that they know far less about,” said Harmony Carlberg, Manager of Design Integration for The HON Company.

As part of HON’s Healthy Workplace program, we’re not only highlighting products that ensure proper distancing and adherence to safety protocols, but also those that are easily cleaned and maintained as you embark on an entirely different chapter of office life.

This is especially true in healthcare settings. The role of environmental cleaning is important because it reduces the number and amount of infectious agents that may be present. It may also eliminate routes of transfer of microorganisms from one person/object to another, thereby reducing the risk of infection.

“We see where the market’s going and we’re trying to adapt quickly to that,” Carlberg said. “With the new products we’re rolling out here, and those in our HON Now program like hand sanitizer stations and panels and dividers, we’re reacting quickly and proactively to what’s going on in the world.”

When planning to reopen, it’s important to think about furniture (chairs, desks, tables and storage) in terms of cleaning, including the furniture’s material.

“Nothing like this (pandemic) has ever happened before,” Carlberg said. “A lot of the industry feels lost, because you say ‘easy-to-clean’ and people think of durable vinyls that you can dump bleach on. There’s so much more. “We’re really talking about what the furniture, floors and surfaces are made of because that’s what comes in contact with the harsh cleaning.”

Another aspect of HON’s Healthy Workplace initiative is that we’re offering our customers a wide range of products with easy-clean surface materials in addition to furniture that can be quickly wiped down and sanitized.

We know that in many cases, office furniture and surfaces are typically cleaned using one harsh cleaner. That’s why it’s important to know which material you’re selecting for a space, as well as the cleaning solutions you choose for it. 

Ignition 2.0 mid-back chairs and Solve task chairs are receptive to bleach or harsh cleaning solutions and can be wiped down fast. ReActiv-back material chairs are great choices in situations when you have to clean quickly.

Crypton: This is a strong, quick-drying and easy-to-clean fabric for your facility. Crypton is resistant to stretching, shrinking and most chemicals. It is also wrinkle- and abrasion-resistant and stays fresh and resilient when wet or dry.

Polyurethane: This synthetic, non-woven material offers high durability and abrasion protection. Polyurethane is also a breathable material.

Vinyl: A non-woven covering for high durability, vinyl can handle extreme wear and provides effective moisture resistance. 

Silicone: An environmentally friendly alternative to vinyl and polyurethane, silicone’s surface is coated in 51% silicone and 49% polyester, making it ink-erasable with water.

Polyester: Available in a wide array of textures and colors.

At the end of the day, our goal at HON is to make this transition as simple and as safe as possible. 

“This is a technical, sometimes hard-to-understand area, but these products can be your right-hand man when it comes to finding solutions,” Carlberg said.

“These are solutions you can trust, and you can know that they’re delivered by experts who have your best interests in mind.”

Please reference our Material Cleaning Guide for specific instructions on cleaning at hon.com/healthcare.