The office is a hive of activity at least five days a week. With people walking in and out throughout each day, it can be hard to keep on top of the mess. This is why we, the experts of cleaning, have put together our 10 best office cleaning tips. The aim of this blog is to ensure your workspace stays spotless while also having a positive impact on your workforce.
Of course, the only benefit isn’t just having a clean office. There are a wealth of reasons you should take pride in doing your part to keep the workplace tidy and hygienic. We have listed some of the biggest reasons you should take on our office cleaning tips below.
Benefits of a Clean Office
Workplaces across the UK have been reaping the rewards of maintaining a clean office space for years. The benefits not only improve the overall hygiene of the office, meaning your employees or colleagues are less likely to pick up a cold whilst in the building but there are many other positive impacts it has.
If you’re a business that invites clients to come down and see you for events such as face-to-face meetings, an office that is clean and tidy is more likely to make your business come across positively. Your appearance suggests you care about how you come across and seem measured in your approach.
From an employee perspective, there’s loads to love about a clean office. A study conducted in 2018 by Emerald Insight found that there was a correlation between office cleanliness, productivity and overall morale.
Our 10 Best Office Cleaning Tips
We have pulled together our 10 best office cleaning tips to help you keep your workspace looking presentable and efficient. We formed this list as a result of first hand experience seeing what the biggest mess creators are in the workplace.
Organisation Beats Desk Clutter
The biggest contributor to a messy office in our experience is the classic desk clutter. With most offices being fast-paced and many of the employees having to spin lots of plates at once, there is no surprise that sometimes paper and various stationery get dumped wherever there is space.
The best way to beat the desk clutter is to be proactive and try and organise/file as soon as you get it. Set up a filling system with corresponding trays so you can filter by priority. Another key to making this work is being ruthless with getting rid of old paper, if you haven’t needed/used it in a while, throw it in the recycling!
Sufficient Desk Filing Space
Our previous tip leads us nicely to our second suggestion. Ensuring your employees have sufficient filing space will do your office the world of good and make you appear more presentable. No prospective person wants to walk in and see papers strewn across the office because there is nowhere to put them.
Buy the office filing cabinets that are regularly emptied, trays for the desks so employees can organise themselves and also if budget allows, get desks with a couple of draws. This means anything that isn’t essential doesn’t need to be out on the desk.
More Bins
One of the simplest office cleaning tips is to increase the number of bins in the office. If an employee wishes to bin something but that bin is full, they are more likely to leave it on the side or around the bin – adding to the overall clutter.
A top tip would be to increase both general waste bins, maybe put one under each desk, but also to increase the number of recycling bins. This way the general waste bins don’t fill up so fast and you also do your part for the environment.
Set Eating Boundaries
Setting eating boundaries is a great way to improve office hygiene, deter unwanted rodents and also set a good precedent for work culture. You avoid any food being dropped onto the floor and either being trodden onto the carpet or left to attract things such as mice. It also means your desks are less likely to be sticky, as no one handling food will be operating the tech.
The biggest advantage of setting eating boundaries is the fact it encourages employees to step away from their desks and switch off while they have their lunch. This prioritises their mental wellbeing, giving them a chance to rest. Sometimes eating at your desk feels necessary, but venturing into a shared space is better for your overall health.
Respect and Organise Communal Spaces
Communal spaces are hotbeds for mess and bacteria. With so many people using them throughout the day, it is no surprise they garner mess quite quickly. Ensuring your employees are aware of what is expected of them when they use a communal space will go a long way in keeping it clean, tidy, and presentable.
It is important to remember that communal spaces are designed to be used and lived in, so mess is a natural byproduct. Accept it is going to happen, but making those aware that they should be cleaning up after themselves will go a long way in maintaining the standards.
Ventilate Office Thoroughly
Airflow is one of the best ways to keep your office feeling clean and fresh. As far as office cleaning tips go, simply opening the windows might be one of the most effective. Admittedly it is harder to do during the winter months, but at least try to open them for 30 minutes a day to get the air flowing. This is especially important for workplaces that don’t have fans to circulate the air, meaning the air is likely to be stagnant.
Invest in Your Toilets
It seems like a strange thing to suggest, but when you invest in your toilets, your employees will recognise this and take pride in their space. Making the toilets a nice place to be (think appearance, smell, temperature etc) and also furnishing it with all the necessary products (sanitary, hygiene and so on) will make a world of difference.
Ensuring the toilets are always stocked up with toilet paper, soap and hand towels (if no air dryer) will show those who use the office that the business cares. It is also a great look in front of clients, but it’s not something many think about!
Keep on Top of Dust
Dust is the enemy of many messy office spaces, which is why one of our biggest and best office cleaning tips is to tackle dust head-on proactively. Regularly tackle dust by using a damp cloth. Using a damp cloth ensures that you remove the dust causing the issue, whereas a dry cloth simply rearranges it and may only remove some of the dust. And as we know, dust quickly builds up!
There are plenty of people out there who are sensitive to dust, many of which will be reduced to sneezing fits if the dust is not properly dealt with. It is important to deal with it before it builds up to not only improve overall office appearance but also the health of your workforce.
Prioritise Cleaning Electronics and High Touch Points
If you take anything from our office cleaning tips, let it be this one. Make sure you prioritise cleaning electronics such as computers, keyboards and similar. These are objects that are considered ‘high-touch points’ meaning they get a high amount of contact by hand, increasing the chance of bacteria transferring and festering on them. Make sure to properly wipe down this equipment each day to prevent any germs from spreading.
High-touch points such as door handles should also be a high priority for anyone cleaning the office. They are used by everyone and would be one of the fastest ways to spread germs and ultimately cause illness throughout the workforce.
Regular Walk-through Checks
Regularly walking through your office with an eye to cleaning is a great way to stay on top of the mess. This way you are able to see if anything needs addressing that you would otherwise miss. Look out for things such as overflowing bins, stray bits of paper and any food that might’ve fallen on the floor.
Common Office Cleaning Mistakes
Of course, not everyone is going to be a natural and they certainly won’t have read our office cleaning tips yet, so it is natural to expect some mistakes to happen. We’ve gathered a few of the most common office cleaning mistakes in the hopes of making you aware and therefore preventing you from making them.
Only Cleaning Visible Areas
It is important to remember that surfaces you can’t see directly will need cleaning too. By missing these out you are allowing germs and bacteria to fester undisturbed and also affecting the air quality. Make the effort to clean areas that aren’t fully visible.
Irregular Rubbish Disposal
There is nothing worse than the smell of a bin that is overflowing because no one wants to take it out. But regularly taking out the rubbish will make a world of difference. It will mean you have a fresher and more hygienic office space.
Dry Dusting
As we have previously mentioned, dry dusting is one of the most common office cleaning mistakes. It is not as effective as a damp cloth wiping away dust, this is because whilst it gives the illusion of being wiped clean, it is unlikely to remove the majority of dust and is only rearranging where it lays.
Hire Office Cleaners to Reduce Mess and Stress
If this all sounds like too much to take on while running your business, why not outsource the cleaning to the experts? Here at Assertio Services, we have years of experience cleaning every inch of offices across London and the surrounding counties. Our team of cleaners are trained to fit seamlessly into your business’ workflow, so you don’t need to worry about them stepping on anyone’s toes.
To find out more about our office cleaning service, head to our services page or get in touch with us and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
