Winter brings more than shorter days and dropping temperatures. It can also leave your employees battling colds, flu and other infections throughout the winter months.
The UK Royal College of Nursing found that sickness absence begins to rise around October and November before peaking between December and January. This seasonal trend repeats year after year, highlighting the increased pressure winter can place on employee health and attendance.
This guide looks at why winter increases infection risk, the touch points and cleaning routines that make the biggest difference, and which equipment helps you stay ahead of it this season.
Why winter increases the risk of infection in the workplace
How winter infections spread, and where the risk collects
Preventative approaches beyond cleaning
Quick guide: The best equipment for winter workplace cleaning
An effective winter cleaning approach
What are the benefits of a proactive winter cleaning routine?
Where winter cleaning matters most
Should you hire or buy winter cleaning equipment?
Find the right winter cleaning equipment for your business
Why winter increases the risk of infection in the workplace
Colds and flu are not caused by low temperatures themselves. Winter illnesses spread more easily because people spend far more time together in confined indoor spaces during the colder months, such as on public transport, in busy offices, and in shared facilities such as canteens and meeting rooms.
More time in close contact means more opportunities for viruses and bacteria to pass from person to person. Once one employee brings an infection into the workplace, it can move through a team quickly, particularly where staff regularly share desks, equipment or communal areas.
Winter also brings practical cleaning challenges on top of the higher infection risk. Mud, grit and rainwater get tracked in from outside, floors take longer to dry, and entrances are harder to keep looking presentable. Left unmanaged, this combination of more germs and more mess can affect staff wellbeing, absence levels and the impression a business makes on visitors and customers.
How winter infections spread, and where the risk collects
Most illnesses, including flu, coronavirus and norovirus, spread in a small number of predictable ways:
- Droplet infection happens when someone coughs or sneezes and releases the virus into the air, where it can be inhaled by people nearby.
- Indirect infection happens when someone touches a contaminated surface, such as a door handle or a shared phone, and then touches their own face.
- Bacteria and viruses can survive on hard surfaces and in soft furnishings for hours, sometimes longer, which is why cleaning frequency matters just as much as cleaning thoroughness during winter. Flu viruses, for example, can survive in carpets and soft furnishings for up to 12 hours.
Some areas of a workplace collect far more germs than others. These 'touch points' are worth building a cleaning schedule around:
- Door handles and push plates
- Lift buttons and escalator handrails
- Stair rails
- Bathroom taps and dispensers
- Coffee machines and kitchen equipment
- Fridge handles
- Shared phones, keyboards and touchscreens
- Reception desks and meeting room tables
Cleaning these surfaces more frequently than the rest of the workplace is one of the simplest ways to reduce how far an infection spreads once it arrives.
The cost of winter illness to your business
The seasonal pattern behind flu and colds shows up clearly in workforce data. NHS England's own sickness absence figures follow a consistent seasonal cycle, peaking in winter (January and December) and dropping in summer (May and June), with monthly absence rates ranging between 3.67% and 5.01%.
Colds, coughs and flu are among the illnesses contributing to increased winter absence, alongside other respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal illnesses and mental health-related absence. Even a modest reduction in the spread of illness across your workplace during the busiest winter months can make a measurable difference to absence levels, helping to reduce pressure on the rest of your team and maintain business continuity.
Preventative approaches beyond cleaning
Cleaning is only part of a winter infection control strategy. A few simple policies can reduce how much illness reaches the workplace in the first place.
Encourage staff to stay at home at the first sign of symptoms
Employees often push through mild illness because they worry about how taking time off will be perceived. A flexible working policy, or the option to work from home with early symptoms, keeps genuinely unwell staff away from the workplace without penalising them for it.
Make hand sanitiser easy to find
Wall-mounted or sensor-operated dispensers in entrances, kitchens, break rooms and meeting rooms make it easy for staff to keep their hands clean between visits to the bathroom.
Promote good coughing and sneezing etiquette
Simple signage reminding staff to catch, bin and kill coughs and sneezes, and to keep a reasonable distance from colleagues when unwell, helps limit droplet spread.
Ventilate indoor spaces regularly
Opening windows where possible, or running an air purifier in rooms that cannot be ventilated easily, helps reduce the concentration of airborne particles in enclosed spaces.
Quick guide: The best equipment for winter workplace cleaning
The table below matches common winter cleaning challenges to the equipment that handles them.
| Winter cleaning challenge | Best equipment | Why it helps |
| Muddy, wet entrance floors | Kärcher BR 30/4 C BP Upright Scrubber Dryer | Cleans, scrubs and dries hard floors in one pass, leaving entrances safe underfoot |
| Touch points and hard surfaces | Kärcher SGV 8/5 Steam Vacuum Cleaner | Lab-tested to remove up to 99.999% of enveloped viruses and 99.99% of bacteria from hard surfaces |
| Carpets and soft furnishings | Puzzi 10/2 Carpet Cleaner | Injects and extracts cleaning solution in one pass, removing dirt and bacteria rather than spreading it |
| Daily carpet maintenance | Kärcher T 9/1 BP Vacuum Cleaner | Compact and battery-powered for quick, regular vacuuming between deeper cleans |
| Air quality in enclosed rooms | Kärcher AF 100 Commercial Air Purifier | Multi-stage HEPA filtration reduces airborne bacteria, viruses and fine dust in rooms up to 100 sq m |
Still not sure which machine suits your premises? Our team can talk through your options and cleaning routine to recommend the right combination.
An effective winter cleaning approach
Different areas of a workplace need different tools during winter. Here's how to approach the areas that matter most.
Entrances and hard floors
Entrances take the brunt of winter weather, with mud, grit and rainwater tracked in throughout the day. Beyond floor mats and hourly spot-checks, a compact scrubber dryer can help. We recommend the Kärcher BR 30/4 C BP Upright Scrubber Dryer, which keeps entrance floors clean, dry and safe underfoot without the delays and streaking that come with mopping.
It operates much like an upright vacuum cleaner, applying, scrubbing and removing water in a single pass, so floors are left dry and usable straight away.
Touch points and hard surfaces
Hard surfaces such as counters, handrails and reception desks respond well to steam cleaning.
Kärcher steam cleaners have been independently laboratory tested and, if used properly, remove up to 99.999% of enveloped viruses (such as coronavirus and influenza) and 99.99% of common household bacteria from hard surfaces.
The Kärcher SGV 8/5 Steam Vacuum Cleaner combines steam cleaning with a built-in vacuum, lifting dirt and moisture from the surface in the same pass rather than leaving it behind.
Carpets and soft furnishings
Carpets and soft furnishings are an easy place for germs to build up, and flu viruses can survive in them for up to 12 hours.
A carpet extractor such as the Puzzi 10/2 Carpet Cleaner injects water and cleaning solution into the carpet and immediately extracts it again, along with the dirt and bacteria it lifts, rather than simply spreading moisture around.
For daily maintenance between deeper cleans, a compact machine like the Kärcher T 9/1 BP Vacuum Cleaner is enough to keep on top of everyday dirt and dust in carpeted areas.
Air quality
Airborne particles are harder to manage than surface dirt, particularly in rooms that are difficult to ventilate. An air purifier such as the Kärcher AF 100 Commercial Air Purifier uses a multi-stage filter system, including HEPA filtration, to reduce airborne bacteria, viruses and fine dust in spaces of up to 100 square metres. It’s useful in meeting rooms, reception areas and other enclosed spaces where opening a window isn't always practical.
What are the benefits of a proactive winter cleaning routine?
Fewer sick days
Reducing how far germs spread through a workplace helps limit the number of staff who catch an illness once it arrives, which protects productivity during a period when absence tends to rise.
Safer floors, less accidents
Wet or muddy floors are a slip hazard, and drying floors quickly after cleaning, rather than leaving them wet for long periods, reduces that risk considerably.
A better impression for visitors and customers
Clean entrances, tidy reception areas and fresh-smelling interiors matter more in winter, when the contrast with the weather outside is greater.
Improved hygiene, not just appearance
Touch-point cleaning and proper drying remove the bacteria and viruses responsible for illness, rather than just moving visible dirt around, which is what happens with a mop and bucket alone.
Where winter cleaning matters most
Winter cleaning challenges show up across almost every type of commercial premises, but a few sectors feel the impact more than most:
- Offices and shared workspaces, where staff spend long hours in close proximity
- Retail stores and shopping centres, where high footfall brings in mud, grit and moisture throughout the day
- Schools and daycare settings, where illness spreads quickly between children and staff
- Healthcare and care environments, where hygiene standards are non-negotiable
- Hotels, restaurants and hospitality venues, where guest-facing spaces need to stay presentable
- Gyms and leisure facilities, where shared equipment and changing rooms are high-risk touch points
- Transport hubs and public buildings, where footfall is constant throughout the winter months
Should you hire or buy winter cleaning equipment?
For most businesses, winter cleaning demand is seasonal rather than constant. Buying equipment outright means paying full price for machines that may sit unused for large parts of the year, plus the ongoing cost of storage, maintenance and servicing.
Hiring gives you access to the right equipment only when you need it, without the upfront cost or the responsibility for upkeep. This suits winter cleaning particularly well, since the busiest period (typically from late autumn through to early spring) is well defined, and demand tapers off once the season passes.
Hiring winter cleaning equipment is also useful if you're testing whether a piece of equipment, such as an air purifier or steam cleaner, makes a lasting difference to your workplace before deciding whether it's worth a longer-term investment.
Find the right winter cleaning equipment for your business
Winter doesn't have to mean a rise in sick days, slippery floors or a workplace that looks tired against the weather outside. With the right routine and the right equipment, it becomes a manageable part of the season rather than something you're constantly catching up on.
- Flexible short- and long-term hire options. Only pay for equipment when you need it.
- Full servicing and maintenance included throughout your hire period.
- Next-day delivery, so you can respond quickly as the season turns.
- Free training with every hire, so your team can use the equipment safely and effectively from day one.
If you're not sure which machines suit your premises, get in touch with our team to talk through your space and cleaning routine, or take a look at our full range of winter cleaning equipment for hire.
FAQs
Can cleaning really reduce flu in the workplace?
Yes. Flu and norovirus spread mainly through droplet infection and contact with contaminated surfaces. Regular cleaning of touch points, along with good hand hygiene and staying home when unwell, reduces the number of opportunities the virus has to pass between people.
How often should touch points be cleaned in winter?
High-contact surfaces such as door handles, lift buttons and shared equipment are worth cleaning more frequently than the rest of the workplace during winter, ideally as part of a set daily schedule rather than an occasional deep clean.
Do steam cleaners kill viruses?
Independent laboratory testing has shown that Kärcher steam cleaners, if used properly, remove up to 99.999% of enveloped viruses such as coronavirus and influenza, and 99.99% of common household bacteria, from hard surfaces.
Can carpets harbour flu viruses?
Flu viruses can survive in carpets and soft furnishings for up to 12 hours, which is why regular vacuuming combined with periodic carpet extraction is worth building into a winter cleaning routine.
Do I need an air purifier for my office?
Not every workplace needs one, but they're particularly useful in rooms that are difficult to ventilate, such as internal meeting rooms or reception areas, where airborne particles can otherwise build up.
