Office Cleaning Tips
Although hiring a professional cleaning service is the best way to ensure a consistently clean office space, if you choose to take on the task yourself (or divvy it up amongst coworkers), use these office cleaning tips to maintain a neat and clean work environment.
Keep a closet or basket fully stocked with all of your office cleaning essentials (glass cleaner, dusting spray, microfiber wipes, rubbing alcohol, paper towels, etc). Also include a simple, laminated chart with common office cleaning tips to remind employees of your cleaning procedures.
Give every item in your office a place and keep it there. If you have trouble remembering where things are, label the storage locations.
Limit the number of items on your desk. The excess clutter makes it difficult to spread out your work. Anything that you don’t use frequently (paper clips, business cards, an extra calendar) should be relegated to another location.
Most office supply and electronics stores offer special wipes made for keyboards. Pick some up and wipe your keyboard and monitor daily, especially if you sometimes eat meals or snack at your desk. Let the the keyboard dry before you begin using it again.
Clean your office phone frequently by spraying cleaner onto a cloth and wiping that on your phone. Dip a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol to wipe down the dial pad.
Take out the trash frequently and vacuum frequently in areas that people eat. This will help keep the bugs at bay.
Require employees to write their name on any food they put in the refrigerator. If they plan to keep something in the fridge a long time (like salad dressing, for example), they should write the date they opened it as well. Also, assign a day each month to be “kitchen clean-out day.” Any food left in the fridge that day should be thrown away (unless it’s an item that takes a very long time to expire, like ketchup or olives).
All dishes in the break room should be cleaned immediately after a meal. Also, require employees to put dried dishes away on a specific day of the week so that the dish rack doesn’t become overcrowded.
If you make a mess in the microwave, you have to clean it up immediately. Waiting will only make the problem worse because the food will have dried up.
Take good care of any office plants. Remove dry and shedding leaves, water consistently, and watch for signs of decay. If you can’t keep the plant looking beautiful and healthy, either purchase an artificial plant (and be sure to dust it often) or don’t have any plants in the office whatsoever.
Remember to clean behind your furniture as well. That strip of dust and dirt behind your desk betrays an otherwise clean and tidy office.
Imagine you are a client entering the office. Walk around the office following the same path a client might take, stopping often to study your surroundings. Make note of any untidiness and remove it using the office cleaning tips above.
Be sure that your employees are aware of their duties when it comes to cleaning the office. You might consider assigning people specific days to do more major tasks (vacuuming the office, cleaning windows) and also instruct everyone to take care of their own desk space using these office cleaning tips.
If a teamwork system doesn’t work, hire professionals. Not only will they complete the job on time and thoroughly, but then you won’t have to worry about getting on your coworkers’ backs when cleaning duties are delayed or neglected. If you’re looking for janitorial services in Springfield, Missouri, give Grime Scrubbers a call at 417-864-8862. We offer a variety of different services and will work with you to prepare a cleaning program that meets your needs and your budget.
