Even the cleanest environments are contaminated.
You think of germs in toilets, mud on carpets, and dust in the air when you clean an office. But you would still find contaminants, even if all these things were removed. Mud-free, dustless surfaces would be the cleanest. But they aren’t. It’s just… neat.
It’s interesting because, on one side, there is a psychological definition of cleanliness that has no scientific basis, and on the other, a scientific definition of absolute sterility.
Imagine the satisfaction you feel after a hot bath or a shower. You’re clean.
When you go to bed and are tucked in crisp, freshly laundered bedding that smells of flowers from the mountains… It’s the cleanest feeling ever!
This is just a mental state. You are feeling clean. You’re actually covered with the residues from your water, your soaps, your body lotions, and the oils and greases.
Even the air that you breathe contains dust, odors, and unidentified particles. You’re still covered with stuff even if you thought you were clean after taking a bath.
We’re not saying to stop bathing, washing your hands, or cleaning your kitchen – or any other activity – because it is a futile effort. You can still become ill from bacterial or viral contamination if you don’t practice basic hygiene.
When it comes to cleaning, there are factors outside our control.
One man understood this better than any other.
Clare Cameron Patterson, in the 1940s, made the shocking discovery that it was contaminating the environment. Clare Cameron Patterson’s tireless efforts to eliminate a particular contaminant have given us cleaner air and safer food, as well as a new age for the planet.
You’ll soon learn the way the Earth’s age is calculated.
It all begins with cleanliness.
Unseen, unclean
In the 1940s, Patterson began his quest for cleanliness. He was asked to find the most accurate date on Earth using a technique called U Pb dating (or Uranium-Lead dating).
The method is complex, but the basic idea is that when the planet formed, some rocks containing uranium were formed. Uranium, as we know, is radioactive.
Over time, it breaks down into lead. You can age the Earth by knowing the amount of lead in the rock and how long it takes for uranium to decay.
No matter what Patterson’s team did, it always detected a surplus of lead. More than could be determined from the samples.
Where did all the excess lead come from?
Patterson lost his temper while searching for an answer. His mental sense of cleanliness had changed radically. He was now scrubbing and purging constantly, searching for the lead source.
He found it. It was invisible, floating in the air – and deadly.
It was gasoline. It was old-fashioned leaded gasoline.
Patterson discovered the greatest public health threat to date: atmospheric lead poisoning caused by fuels was destroying children’s lungs and brains around the globe. The levels of lead in blood have risen to unprecedented heights in combination with lead from food and canning.
Patterson spent years lobbying against oil companies, and he gave evidence incessantly. Eventually, he was successful. By 1986, lead was completely phased out from fuels. It was already in decline. It’s all thanks to him.
The cost was huge. It was the end of his career. He dedicated his entire life to the public’s safety and forgot about his scientific goals. He chose to fight a powerful opponent, but after he won, no one, not even supposed neutral organizations, would challenge him.
He did eventually come up with an age for Earth.
It is 4.54 billion years old.
This measurement was only possible in the Ultraclean Chamber, the cleanest space ever created. There was not a trace of dirt, dust, mud, or bacteria.
The Ultraclean Chamber, which is now used in medical, technological, and scientific research, was developed over many years.
The world’s cleanest places are located in these areas.
What does all this have to do with the psychology behind cleanliness at work, then?
Clean is a mental state
Patterson’s mission would be impossible without the most pristine environment ever created.
Many people find it difficult to deal with the feeling of uncleanliness, even though we can’t see any contaminants. Even if you are sweaty and dirty, a quick splash of water can help make you feel like a new person.
For us, it is enough.
The same goes for office cleaning. The smallest gesture, such as running the Hoover, can make your office look, feel, and smell cleaner. Dusting your desk will remove that feeling of ‘ickiness’ when you start working. This reduces the mental load that we all experience at work.
This allows for better teamwork and more headspace.
Feeling cleaner makes people feel better.
Yes, offices get dirty. Some people create messes, stains, crumbs, and smears on a daily basis. The feeling of cleanliness is a positive boost, a productivity booster, and a benefit for people and businesses.
You don’t even need to have a clean room that is scientifically sterile.
Just a good cleaner for the office.