How clean and safe is your office? This is one of the important questions you need to ask yourself when running a small business. It is crucial that your employees work in a healthy environment, and that means making sure that the facility is sanitary and hygienic. Offering a clean environment in which your employees and customers can work can help prevent illnesses and pathogens from spreading quickly. This will keep your workers more productive, which has a positive effect on your business’s success.
You can always hire a cleaning company like Maids 2 Match for regular cleaning services to make your life easy, but you can also keep your office clean on your own by doing it yourself or ask your employees to do so.
But if cleaning isn’t your occupation, you might not know how to get started or what actually needs to be done to make sure that your office is safe and sanitary. Not to worry – we’ll walk you through everything you need right here in our guide for how to clean your office.
Equipment and Supplies Required to Clean Your Office
Make sure that you have all of the materials and equipment required to clean your office to a professional level. Different offices may have special requirements, but there are some cleaning items you’ll need no matter what.
Equipment
- Commercial-grade vacuum cleaner
- Flat mop or steam mop
- Quality microfiber cloths
- Long and short handled dusters
- Scouring pads
- Toilet brush
- Clean bucket
- Rubber gloves to protect your hands
- Heavy-duty trash bags
Cleaning Solutions
- Disinfectant cleaner
- All-purpose cleaner
- Toilet Cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Floor cleaner
General Cleaning Tips Before Getting Started
There are a few things to keep in mind which will make the job of cleaning your office easier and improve your results. These are some general tips that apply to cleaning any part of the office.
Invest in Quality Equipment
The better your equipment, the faster and more effectively you’ll be able to clean your workspaces.
For example, a new, high-powered vacuum can decrease your time spent vacuuming by more than 50% if you don’t have to repeat sections or move as slowly as you would with an older vacuum. An electric mop reduces effort and allows you to control how much water is placed on hard floors – especially useful if your office is on hardwood floors, which can be easily damaged by too much water.
Though the price for quality equipment may seem high at first, think of this as you would any other investment in your business. Time saved cleaning means more time to devote to working on and growing your business.
Declutter Before You Clean
Before you can begin your deep clean, you’ll need to make sure all the surfaces in your office are clear. File away any stacks of paperwork and recycle or shred anything that is no longer needed. Put pens and other stationery in drawers or arrange them neatly on the desk. Encourage your employees to do this as well; otherwise, their workspaces won’t be sufficiently cleaned.
Empty the Garbage First
Before you start cleaning anything else in each room of the office, empty the trash cans and, if necessary, wipe them down. Trash cans can be messy and smelly, and if the bag is ripped they can be even more of a hassle. Emptying them before you start deep cleaning ensures that your trash won’t accidently messy up a nice, newly cleaned space.
Clean Top to Bottom
As you make your way through a room, remember to clean the top areas first and work your way down to the lower areas. That way, dust and dirt from higher shelves won’t fall onto a spot you’ve just cleaned. This will keep you moving along more quickly and reduce the need to clean areas twice.
Don’t Forget Hotspots
When cleaning, it’s easy to focus on the big things – the furniture, the bathrooms, the floors, especially. But make sure you don’t forget frequently touched hotspots for germs, like door handle and light switches. Anything that people touch often has the potential to harbor and spread harmful bacteria and germs, so it’s important to sanitize them during every cleaning.
Cleaning Office Workspaces
Your employees spend the most time in their workspaces, so it’s also one of the quickest areas to become dirty. You’ll need to make sure all workspaces are cleaned thoroughly to help prevent the spread of illnesses and help keep your employees happy and productive.
We’ve added some extra info here about cleaning some office equipment which is often overlooked or which people aren’t sure how to handle:
Keyboards – Keyboards harbor many more germs and bacteria than people realize because we touch them all day long, often without washing our hands after touching other things. And if you eat at your desk, chances are you’ve dropped some crumbs into that keyboard at some point, too.
You don’t need to deep clean your keyboard during every cleaning, but once you see the dirt that comes out of them, you might want to!
Use these steps to clean your keyboard:
- Turn it upside down and shake it out.
- Use a can of compressed air or a mini electric blower to force any remaining food and dust particles out.
- If you think there’s still stuff under the keys, or if you don’t have any way to blow it out, you can use a sticky note. Run the sticky edge under each of the keys to collect any remaining debris.
- Use alcohol wipes to clean the keyboard, or dip cotton swabs in rubbing alcohol (make sure they are wet but not dripping).
Monitors – Your computer monitor is another thing that doesn’t need to be cleaned every time, but which you should clean occasionally. When you start to notice streaks and finger smudges on them, it’s time to wipe them down.
Use these steps to clean the monitors in your office:
- Wipe any dust from them with a soft, clean, dry cloth (we suggest microfiber).
- Use alcohol wipes to clean the screen or use a mixture of approximately 70% alcohol and 30% distilled water to dampen a rag and wipe the monitor.
Tip: DO NOT use glass cleaning products like Windex on your computer monitors (or TVs) because it can damage the finish on the front of the screen.
Office Chairs – Yes, your office chair needs to be cleaned, too. It’s a good idea to go ahead and do these tasks during every cleaning, but many people choose to just clean their chairs every once in a while.
Use these steps to clean office chairs:
- Vacuum the chair with an upholstery brush to remove any loose dirt and debris.
- Using a soft cloth and an all-purpose spray, wipe down hard surfaces such as the arms of the chair.
- Clean the upholstery according to manufacturer’s instructions (often, a spray bottle with soapy water will be enough to spot clean office chairs, but only if the instructions state that it is water-safe).
General Cleaning Tasks in Workspaces – These are the tasks you’ll need to do every time, regardless of whether you decide to deep clean the equipment as outlined above.
- Tidy desktops
- Dust all electronics, decorations, furniture, and wall art
- Sanitize hotspots like desks, phones, keyboards, door handles, and light switches
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Cleaning Your Office Bathrooms
The bathroom in your office is the top culprit when it comes to the spread of germs and bacteria, so it should be cleaned thoroughly and frequently. It is best to clean the bathrooms daily.
- Sanitize all surfaces, including sinks, cisterns, toilet flushes, door handles, and light switches
- Scrub toilets using a toilet brush
- Clean and wipe mirrors
- Empty garbage cans
- Mop floors
Cleaning Your Office Kitchen
Keeping your office kitchen clean is important in keeping away odors, illness, and even pests. This should be done weekly.
- Sanitize sinks and unblock drains
- Sanitize all surfaces, including tabletops, counters, door handles, and light switches
- Clean appliances, including microwaves, coffee makers, inside the refrigerator
- Empty garbage cans
- Mop floors
Cleaning Your Reception and Lobbies
Your reception and lobby areas need to make a great first impression on visitors, so it’s important that these areas be cleaned frequently as well.
- Dust all decorations, furniture, and wall art
- Sanitize reception desk
- Sanitize waiting chair arms, door handles, and light switches
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Cleaning Corridors and Hallways
These are easy to overlook, but it’s important to clean corridors and hallways within your office because people walk through them regularly.
- Dust all decorations, furniture, and wall art
- Sanitize door handles and light switches
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Cleaning Your Office Windows
Keeping your office windows clean will allow more sunlight into your space and will help your office make a great impression on visitors and employees alike.
- Dust curtains, blinds, frames, and windowsills
- Clean the inside windows with glass cleaner and wipe until streak-free
- If possible, clean exterior windows as well, or hire a window cleaning company
