As a business owner, no one cares more than you do about keeping your office free of creepy, crawly critters. Fighting the good fight against office space infestations doesn’t just start with you, though, it starts with your employees. We recommend teaching your workers the following tips to help them keep your office clean, clear, and free from the road block a pest problem can be.

Don’t leave food debris all over the communal kitchen.

One of the biggest draws of critters into an office or general business setting is the presence of food waste. When Barry from Accounting brings in a couple dozen donuts for everybody, don’t get into the habit of letting the sugary box sitting out on the kitchen counter all day. It’s better to take the donuts and put them in sealable, reusable Tupperware containers. Having easy storage container access in your communal kitchen can help remind employees how easy it is to properly store their food away from prying paws.

Avoid tossing half-eaten snacks in out of the way garbage cans. 

This is similar to our first tip in regards to the potential problems food waste can lead to. When it comes to “places you forget need to be cleaned regularly in your workspace” under-desk garbage bins top the list. How long has that half-eaten granola bar been sitting in there, just asking to be gnawed upon by a mouse or other troublesome creature? Avoid this by urging your employees to dispose of all food waste in one main garbage bin in a high-traffic area so it’ll always get emptied before waste gets a chance to get extra icky.

Rinse out used bottles and cans before tossing them in the recycling bin.

Something as simple as rinsing out soda bottles and similar recyclables before tossing them in the bin can cut down on your risk of inviting pests into your office. Many invasive insects and similar animals are drawn to sugary things, so by removing that incentive they’re likely to look elsewhere.

Clutter is an invitation for unwanted critters.

Most unwelcome creatures that take up their homes in office spaces find cluttered corners, desks, or storage rooms to hide in. Practice office-wide tidiness and avoid any scenarios that involve messy stacks of paper or other fibrous goods to leave potential pests with nowhere to hide.

It’s okay, you can take out the garbage.

Have you ever put something in the garbage at work and noticed it was pretty full, but you were busy or tired and you really didn’t want to take it out? It’s okay, don’t feel guilty, everybody’s done it. Here’s a tip: stop doing it. Overflowing garbage cans are just asking for pests to take up residence. If your employees are lacking the drive to take out the trash when necessary, you could always offer incentives like a free soda or a special treat each time you notice someone taking the initiative.

Teaching your employees these best practices can help you travel far along on the road to a pest-free office, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do to avoid an unfortunate infestation. Luckily, all it takes to recover is a call to our professionals at Assured Environments to schedule a consult and get your office back in working and critter safe order today