Maintaining a clean, hygienic and clutter-free environment is essential to ensure a healthy, happy and productive workforce. As well as being vital to reducing the transmission of viruses such as COVID-19, a clean office is a welcoming and pleasant space for colleagues to come to work each day and focus on what’s important.
Office cleaning can be made simple by following a clear set of rules and encouraging employees to do their part. If you want a properly maintained office that appears clean, tidy and professional, keep reading for our top office cleaning tips and tricks.
Looking to maintain a spotless office without the hassle? Explore our professional commercial cleaning services for tailored support.
1. Tackle Desk Clutter Daily
Keeping desks clutter-free is one of the most effective office cleaning tips to maintain a tidy office. Your employees haven’t been hired to clean the premises, but if each member of staff keeps their working area tidy, this will make a big difference in the office’s overall appearance. Documents, wrappers and used mugs shouldn’t be left to pile up, as this quickly creates an untidy workspace and draws focus away from important tasks.
Studies have shown a negative relationship between a messy desk and productivity, with the average person wasting 4.3 hours per week searching for paper.
Do: Encourage employees to clear their desks of clutter at the end of each day. Provide folders where colleagues can store necessary documents and make recycling bins easily accessible for any unneeded papers. Providing personal rubbish bins will make it easy for your staff to dispose of their waste immediately, preventing it from cluttering their workspace.
Don’t: Allow files or rubbish to pile up on desks. This reduces working space, causes distractions and makes effective cleaning more difficult.
2. Keep on Top of Dust
Dust can appear quickly in offices, making the workplace appear dirty and creating an unpleasant place to spend time. Regular dusting is a key component of professional office cleaning to create a healthier work environment.
Do: Start with floor cleaning by vacuuming carpets daily and sweeping and mopping any non-carpeted areas within the office. Use a damp microfibre cloth to clear dust from surfaces, starting with high areas before moving to low surfaces.
Don’t: Think that once you’ve dusted the office, you’re done for the week. Dusting should be completed daily to eliminate dirt and prevent health hazards. Don’t use a feather duster, either, as this will move dirt particles around the air rather than clear them away.
For more tips on tackling dust in the workplace, check out our 5 secrets to dusting office premises.
3. Set Eating Boundaries in Workspaces
Eating at desks may break office cleanliness etiquette, but it remains a problem within many workplaces. Whether they’re having a quick snack as they complete a task or stopping for lunch without leaving their seats, it’s common for employees to eat at their desks during the workday.
Food can cause odours or stains that make the office an unpleasant place to work for everyone. Establishing guidelines around eating at desks is an easy yet impactful office cleaning tip for maintaining hygiene.
Do: Encourage employees to step away from their desks while eating. If colleagues would like a snack, this would be a great time for them to stretch their legs and take a quick walk. Staff should be provided with designated areas such as a break room for eating lunch, keeping food stains and odours confined to specific places.
Don’t: Turn a blind eye to employees eating at their desks because you know they’re working hard. As well as causing crumbs, stains and smells, encouraging employees to eat at their desks also makes it less likely they will take a break and move around, which is important for overall health and wellbeing.
4. Keep Electronics Clean and Dust-Free
When cleaning the office, your first focus is typically floors and surfaces, but you mustn’t forget about electronic items. Office electronics such as computers and printers must be cleaned regularly, not only for hygiene reasons but to ensure a build-up of dust doesn’t cause them to break.
Do: Use a dry microfibre cloth to gently wipe down electronic items once a week. You can also use antibacterial wipes to remove germs from office telephones.
Don’t: Use anything other than a soft microfibre cloth to clean your electronics, as this may cause scratches. Shut down your PCs and printers at the end of each day and avoid eating or drinking too close to your devices, as spillages may cause damage.
5. Organise Communal Spaces
As well as keeping individual desks free of clutter, it’s also vital to keep the general office area well-organised and easy to navigate. This means having a good organisation system and regularly taking the time to sort through communal storage areas, disposing of any documents that are no longer needed.
Do: Organise documents and equipment in cupboards or on dedicated shelves, providing labels to make everything easy to find. This will keep the office neat and tidy and ensure employees know where to go for essential items.
Don’t: Keep communal items on your desk or store them somewhere else after use. Ensure employees understand the organisational system in place and put things back where they belong.
6. Ensure Toilets Stay Clean
In any workplace, it’s vital to keep restrooms clean. Unclean toilets aren’t only unpleasant for employees, but they leave a bad impression on any visitors, too. In addition to hiring a professional commercial cleaning company to keep restrooms clean and hygienic, colleagues must also do their bit to keep company toilets fresh.
Do: Make sure you always flush the toilet after use and wash your hands as cleanly as possible. Make sure bins are provided for employees to dispose of any paper towels or sanitary products.
Don’t: Leave the restroom without flushing — or flush away anything other than toilet paper as this can cause a blockage.
Related Reading: The Ultimate Autumn Cleaning Checklist
7. Use the Right Cleaning Products
When completing office cleaning tasks, you must use the appropriate cleaning products for each type of fabric or surface. This will ensure you don’t damage any equipment, flooring or soft furnishings.
Do: Make sure you’ve researched the best cleaning products to use and know how to use them safely or invest in professional office cleaning for peace of mind.
Don’t: Be careless when using hazardous substances such as disinfectants, as these are corrosive and come with health risks. Never assume one cleaning product is fine for multiple surfaces or fabrics — always read the label and use as directed.
8. Pay Attention to High-Traffic Common Areas
As well as keeping working areas clean, you’ll also need to attend to common areas such as the kitchen, break room and reception area as part of your office cleaning regime. This will improve morale among colleagues and is an easy way to make sure your business premise leaves a good impression on clients or prospective employees.
Do: Ensure common areas are included in daily cleaning checklists and that employees treat these areas with respect by clearing away their rubbish or spillages.
Don’t: Ignore things like furniture and soft furnishings in break rooms or dishwashers and microwaves in kitchens. These areas can build up dirt or dust quickly and require regular cleaning.
Related Reading: Outsourcing Your Commercial Cleaning Can Often Be a Better Solution Than In-House
Why Choose Professional Office Cleaning Services?
Looking for a dependable solution to keep your workplace clean, organised and inviting? Professional office cleaning tips only go so far — our experienced team can help you implement this guide seamlessly. At MCS Cleaning, we specialise in keeping workspaces pristine with customised cleaning plans to meet your needs. Whether it’s office cleaning tips and tricks for daily upkeep or a complete cleaning overhaul, we’re here to assist.
