Keeping an office space clean is a good way to keep everything running smoothly in a professional setting. Many people don’t consider the amount of cleaning required in an office to ensure the area is free from clutter and other unseen factors like germ buildup on shared surfaces like desks, countertops and keyboards. If you don’t stay on top of the cleaning tasks required in a typical office setting, you may start to notice issues like missing paperwork, bad smells and colleagues missing more work due to illness. In order to prevent this from taking place at your office, take a look at this list of 17 simple and effective office cleaning tips and try to incorporate them into your regular office cleaning routine.
17 Effective Office Cleaning Tips
1. Carpet Cleaning
Let’s get started from the bottom. Most offices have some type of carpeting laid throughout the area. Whether it is only in a few offices, or if it covers your entire workspace, carpet in an office can start to get noticeably dirty in a short period of time. Running a vacuum cleaner over the carpet, runners and rugs in the office on a weekly basis is a good start, but sometimes carpets need a deeper clean to remove any embedded dust, dirt and bacteria. In these instances, you can rent a deep carpet cleaner, or enlist professional help.
2. Organization
Even in today’s digital world, it can sometimes seem as if there is no end to the amount of paperwork cluttering your desk. Staying on top of clutter like this can take away a lot of stress and frustration in the office, not to mention everyone’s workspace will look clean and organized.
3. Follow a Checklist
One of the biggest sources of stress in any job is being given an assignment without proper instructions on how to complete the task. It is one thing to inform your workers that it’s time to clean the office, but if you don’t tell them what they need to focus their cleaning efforts on, you might find the office never gets as clean as you want. By clearly establishing which items to focus on while cleaning on a checklist, you will never have to wonder why certain areas of the office aren’t getting cleaned. Furthermore, you can use this checklist to spread cleaning responsibilities throughout the entire office, so only a handful of employees don’t end up doing most of the cleaning on their own.
4. Dusting
Getting rid of dust that builds up on surfaces is a great way to make sure everything stays tidy, and workers aren’t exposed to harmful germs. Using disinfectant wipes at the end of the week on keyboards, telephones and other surfaces is a great way to cut down on dust and improve productivity, as workers are less likely to get sick.
5. Designate a Spot for Everything
Keeping track of personal and shared items at the office can be difficult if there are no specific places to put things. Have you ever been frustrated when someone walks away with some office equipment you need to finish a task? By designating a spot for your office items, you won’t have to waste time sifting through desk clutter or walking around the office looking for things again!
6. Empty Waste Bins
Scrap paper and other junk can quickly pile up if someone isn’t on top of emptying the waste bins. Try to place additional trash bins around the office so one doesn’t fill up too quickly, and make sure each bin is being emptied on a weekly basis at the very least.
7. Kitchen Cleaning
Following up on the checklist tip, you should always designate a time and a person to handle kitchen cleaning. It is important to give your staff a clean and safe place to prepare their food in the office.
8. Break Room
If you have a separate break room at the office, it is also a good idea to designate a time and person to handle the cleaning of this common area. Keeping a rotating list of people who handle the cleaning will help encourage everyone in the office to contribute to keeping things tidy.
9. Bathrooms
A lot of offices will have some type of janitorial staff to handle bathroom cleaning for the building. If this is not the case at your place of work, you should make sure to regularly disinfect surfaces in your bathrooms to keep things clean and germ-free at all times.
10. Upgrade Your Equipment
You can save yourself and your staff a lot of time by making sure they have the latest cleaning equipment to work with. Remember, your staff is there to work, not put all of their efforts into cleaning, so making the cleaning jobs as easy as possible is a good way to promote a positive working environment.
11. Practice Green Methods
Depending on the size of your office, you can generate a lot of waste and pollution by not adopting green cleaning methods at work. Using environmentally friendly cleaners rather than harmful chemicals is a good practice. You should also consider maintaining an office recycling system if you don’t have one in place already.
12. Opt for Fake Plants
Real foliage at the office can look lovely, but eventually real plants will start to wilt and decay. In some cases, you may inadvertently cause an employee to have an allergic reaction caused by an indoor plant. Plastic and silk plants and flowers can still brighten the office without all the extra mess and trouble.
13. Keep Dusters and Disinfectants On Hand
Most employees will share your desire for a clean and safe workspace, so you should provide them with as many opportunities as possible to take the initiative and clean up after themselves. Making quick cleaning supplies like Swiffers and disinfectant wipes available to everyone can go a long way towards keeping an office totally clean.
14. Invest in Trash Can Liners
Taking out the trash can be a big hassle if you also have to worry about cleaning the bin. By providing can liners for everyone, you can save a lot of time and effort each week when it is time to take out the trash.
15. Designate Eating Areas
Sometimes employees will want to eat at their desks, but this can often lead to messes on desks and on electronic equipment. By implementing a designated eating area, you can reduce the number of spills in workspaces.
16. Establish a Cleaning Time
Once a week perhaps, it might be a good idea to have everyone spend 10 to 15 minutes tidying up their area. This can make the collective cleaning effort go a lot more smoothly, and it will keep everyone accountable for the state of their workspace or desk.
17. Hire the Pros
After a while, you may consider the cost of hiring a cleaning service. With a well-equipped team of professionals like the ones at Total Commercial Solutions handling your office cleaning, you’ll never have to worry about the state of your workspace or the health of your employees again. Contact us today to discuss your office cleaning needs!