Do I need a day porter? This is a common question in the commercial janitorial industry. We’ve attempted to answer this question in a previous article, but due to the unique circumstances brought about by the coronavirus, this question merits being addressed again. Perhaps the best way to think about this question is through the use of an example.

Here is a scenario for consideration: Let’s say you manage a large office building (20,000 square feet or so). The rule of thumb for office-to-employee ratio is approximately 125 to 225 square feet per person. That means there are likely 100 to 160 employees in that space on a day-to-day basis. However, if we want to account for the total number of people entering and exiting the building on any given day, we will need to estimate somewhat higher as this only accounts for employees and not delivery persons, clients, and other visitors. 

For sake of ease, let’s round up to 200 people entering and exiting a 20,000 square foot facility. Each of those 200 people will enter and exit the building at least once. This means that exit doors will be touched a minimum of 400 times every single day. If the building has 3 stories and two-thirds of employees’ offices are on those second and third floors, the elevator buttons will be pushed a minimum of 266 times per day (that’s assuming that nobody on the first floor needs to visit the second or third floors for any reason). 

Throughout the day, bathrooms will be used. The average person uses the bathroom every 2.6 hours during the day meaning that each of those 160 employees who works an eight-hour day will likely use the restroom 3 times while in your facility (again, not accounting for clients or other visitors). That’s a total of 480 restroom visits per day in your office building. 

This kind of math could go on until your head is spinning! The bottom line is that each and every day there are people in an office building is another day when germs can spread. Now under ordinary circumstances, this may be a bit concerning. When the world is facing a pandemic, it is downright alarming. That’s a lot of high-touch surfaces to think about! 

Under typical circumstances, you may be accustomed to a daily visit from janitorial staff to clean and disinfect. However, now may be the time to consider the benefits of using a day porter to ensure that high-touch surfaces are cleaned throughout the day and not just once per day. 

If you’ve started to wonder if a day porter service might be right for you, give Sonlight Cleaning Services a call. When added to a thorough daily cleaning regimen, a day porter service can give you an added layer of protection against the potential effects of COVID-19 on your company. Our client care specialists are ready to take your call and answer any questions you may have as well as talk about a custom cleaning routine that is right for you. No matter your needs, from front door to every floor, we’ve got you covered!