Maintaining the cleanliness of your office is a must both for the reason of sanitation and the health of your employees and to enhance your employee’s performance. A dirty office with dust, filth, and bacteria in every corner is a sure way of making your workers sick and unfocused. It also becomes crucial to set up a frequent cleaning regime of the office and clean the office furniture and installations occasionally.
Here is a breakdown of how frequent deep cleaning should occur in the major sections of the office.
Desks
The work surfaces, in particular, as well as the desk and other objects that the employees use, gather dust, bacteria, and mess. Desks should only be slightly wiped down more frequently, though a thorough cleaning of desks should only be done every quarter. This entails wiping off all the items off from the desk and then proceeding to clean the entire surface of the desk using a solution that is safe for use on different surfaces. Do not neglect to clean the surrounding or beneath desks to clear dust and grime. Desk drawers and any other container or organizer that may be required on the desk should also be emptied and cleaned at this time.
Chairs
Being in the office for most of our working time, office chairs collect sweat, dead skin, hair, and any other debris that may come into contact with the chair. Vacuum chairs once every six months and wash them with warm water and soap if they’re fabric. This involves cleaning vinyl or leather based chairs with the proper cleaning solution as needed.
It is recommended to vacuum fabric chairs and clean the surface with an appropriate upholstery cleaner. The wheels and casters should also be provided with a thorough wash to remove any hair, dust, and grime that may have accumulated.
Keyboards and Mice
Computer keyboards and mice have been said to be very unhygienic since they are likely to harbor germs and bacteria. For keyboard and mice with heavy usage, it can be washed with a damp cloth and washed with dishwashing soap once a month. It helps in overcoming the transmission of diseases from one employee to another in a typical workplace area. Wipe the keyboards with a wipe that is disinfected and meant for electronic devices. Take a can of compressed air and blow out any dust and debris spots in between the keys, as well as other tight spaces. Eraser the buttons on the computer mice with an electronics-safe disinfectant wipe.
Telephones
Office phones also have a way of accumulating a number of germs from the hands of employees who in one way or the other make use of the phones during their working hours. When it comes to proactively cleaning up these desk phones, it is best to do a comprehensive cleaning every month if these phones are often used. Remove the handset and headset along with the keypad, screen, and buttons, and clean them with disinfectant wipes. Take time to clean seams, but do not attempt to clean ports or any other opening, as this will only expose them to moisture. Finally, disinfect or wipe clean other contacts that include cordless phone charging bases at this time too.
Mini Fridge
There is nothing more disheartening than to wake up in the morning and find that the office refrigerator in a communal area has become dirty. A thorough cleaning should be done on the appliance to remove all smells and stains; then, it should be done once in three months. Remove all the items and clean the interior shelves and walls with a refrigerator cleaner and this solution of baking soda. They must also clean the door gaskets, exterior surfaces, grille, and the top of the unit. Clean the air under the condenser coils to create room for proper air circulation.
Microwave
Microwaves placed in offices require some attention because they heat food particles and liquids that may cause stains and foul odors in the long run. Oven cleaning of the office microwave should be done after every two months at most. Wash those parts of the garment that are replaceable with other parts and can be easily separated from the main body of the garment. Combine warm water and microwave cleaner for the scrubbing of the interior walls and the turntable. For the tough stains, one can mix water with baking soda and then scrub the area to remove the stains. Clean the blender’s exterior, buttons, handle, and glass tray.
Windows, Walls, and Baseboards
While cleaning, it is widespread to take little or no notice of walls, base boards, doors and windows as they are interior décor of an office. However, these become dusty and dirty and can easily carry fingerprints along the length of time they are used. For low activity zones, scrub walls and ceilings, dust the skirting boards, employ spot washing on doors, and clean windows annually. For shared spaces such as the conference area and the break room, the frequency should be every six months. It is advisable to use a stepladder and vacuum cleaner with a brushing tool for areas that are high on the walls.
Carpets
In an office environment, the carpets in areas that are accessed many times in the day or more frequently, such as the reception area, break area, hallway, etc., must be ‘steam cleaned’ at least once a year. This professional cleaning removes stains, dust mites, allergens, and dirt that regular vacuuming cannot get rid of. If the office carpet areas have medium or light traffic, simply deep cleaning it once every two years is enough.
Establishing Regular Cleaning
The cleaning schedule of some regions of the office indicates that all the sections need to be deep cleaned at different times. It is important to note that some of the high-use shared equipment require monthly access attention. Offices and even personal working spaces, for instance, desks, only require cleaning sessions that are quarterly or even biannual. Develop an office cleaning schedule and checklist indicating the duration necessary to accomplish each deep cleaning task. Cleaning the interior environment of the place will encourage the health of the workers and increase their level of productivity.