The Complete Guide For Cleaning Your Office
by Alessandra Mendes
How To Clean An Office Step By Step
Keeping an office clean and sanitary is a difficult task – with so many people using the premises daily, it’s easy for germs and bacteria to linger and spread throughout a workplace. If your office is a place that sees frequent customers, there are even more opportunities for germs to find their way in.
Providing a safe and sanitary workplace for your employees and customers is important not only for their health, but also for your bottom line. If your employees remain healthy, they’ll need fewer days off and remain more productive. Furthermore, a clean and hygienic workplace sends the message to both employees and customers that you care about the conditions they’re in. A dirty office will leave a poor impression, but a clean one will prove that you’re capable of running an office professionally.
Not sure how to make sure your office is cleaned to a high standard? Don’t worry – we’ve put together a complete guide for keeping your business premises sanitary and spotless.
What Does an Office Cleaning Need to Accomplish?
An office cleaning should keep your office looking tidy and presentable at all times so that customers and employees know you mean business. A professional atmosphere can only be achieved in a clean and organized space. After all, if you can’t even provide your workers and clients with a clean area, how will they know you can handle your job?
Aside from making an office look good and creating great first impressions, an office cleaning also needs to make sure that your workplace is safe and healthy.
The biggest concern when considering how to clean your office should always be tackling the germs and bacteria that spread so easily. Frequently touched areas like door handles and light switches are hotspots for these things because so many different people place their hands on them throughout the day. Bathrooms and kitchen areas also have the potential to become breeding grounds for nasty bacteria, as do individual desks because employee hands touch them all day long.
That’s why an office cleaning needs to disinfect as well as make the place look clean and presentable. You’ll need to ensure that none of the spots that are likely to harbor germs are overlooked or forgotten so that your employees and customers can always feel they’re in a safe and hygienic space.
Equipment and Supplies Required to Clean Your Office
Each office will have its own unique cleaning needs, but there are a few supplies which will be necessary no matter what. Make sure you have the items on the list below to ensure professional quality results.
Equipment
- A commercial vacuum cleaner
- A flat mop or steam mop
- Quality microfiber cloths
- Long and short handled dusters
- Scouring pads
- A toilet brush
- A clean bucket
- Rubber gloves to protect your hands
- A few heavy-duty trash bags
Cleaning Solutions
- Toilet Cleaner
- Disinfectant cleaner
- All-purpose cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Floor cleaner
You may want to purchase janitorial cleaning solutions for the above items because they are more cost-effective, but they come in concentrated solutions which need to be diluted in specific ratios or they could harm your skin and office. If you or your staff are unable to dilute and use commercial products appropriately, then you’re better off buying these as traditional store-bought cleaners.
Cleaning Each Part of the Office
Every single part of your office needs to be cleaned to ensure the health and safety of your employees and customers, from the lobby and reception to your workers’ desks. To help make sure that you don’t overlook anything while cleaning your own offices, we’ve put together a checklist for the areas found in most offices.
Bathrooms
Your office’s bathroom is the number one culprit for spreading germs, so it’s important that it is cleaned thoroughly and frequently. In fact, restrooms should be cleaned daily to avoid unpleasant odors and to stop the spread of harmful bacteria.
- Sanitize all surfaces, including sinks, toilet flushes, cisterns, and door handles and light switches
- Scrub toilets with a brush
- Clean mirrors
- Empty garbage cans
- Mop floors
Kitchen Area
Your office kitchen sees a lot of traffic – employees will visit for lunches, coffee breaks, and everything in between. If your kitchen is messy, it can lead to foul smells, illness, or even pests like rodents or insects. Cleaning the office kitchen regularly is important in keeping these things at bay.
- Sanitize the sink and check for drain blockages
- Sanitize all surfaces, such as counters and tabletops as well as door handles and light switches
- Clean appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, and even the inside of the refrigerator
- Empty garbage cans
- Mop floors
Reception and Lobbies
Your reception desk will likely see a lot of traffic as well, and this traffic will consist of the general public as well as your employees. Since so many people will be coming and going, it’s important that this area is sanitized regularly.
- Dust furniture, decorations, and wall art
- Sanitize reception desk
- Sanitize door handles, light switches, and chair arms
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Corridors and Hallways
Many people overlook cleaning the hallways of the office building, but these areas become dirty very quickly because so many people walk through them regularly.
- Dust furniture, decorations, and wall art
- Sanitize door handles and light switches
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Workspaces
This is the area that most of your employees will focus on because they spend the most time here. That’s why it’s also one of the quickest areas to become dirty, and it contributes easily to the spread of illnesses throughout your office, making your employees led productive.
- Tidy desks
- Dust furniture, electronics, decorations, and wall art
- Sanitize desks, phones, keyboards, door handles, and light switches
- Empty garbage cans
- Vacuum and mop floors
Office Windows
You may not realize it, but your office windows play a huge part in the overall appearance of your premises. Windowsills, being large and flat and bathing in sunlight, are the perfect spot for dust to accumulate and be highly visible. Dirty windows won’t let in as much light and will give people the impression that you don’t care how you are viewed. Keeping your windows in pristine condition will help to avoid this and will make a great impression on visitors.
- Dust windowsills, frames, blinds, and curtains
- Clean the inside with glass cleaner
- If possible, clean exterior windows as well, or hire a window cleaning company
Cleaning the Office Yourself vs. Hiring a Professional Cleaning Company
Many small business owners believe that cleaning their business premises themselves, or requiring their employees to do so, is the most cost-effective way to keep the office clean. In some cases, that may be true. However, as you can see from the checklists above, keeping an office clean and sanitary is hard, time-consuming work. Depending on your employees’ wages, their workload, and even their previous cleaning experience (or lack thereof), cleaning the office on your own may be costing your business more than you think.
In these cases, you’ll need to determine whether it is worth it to continue cleaning your offices on your own or whether you should bring in professional cleaners.
Should You or Your Employees Clean Your Own Office?
When deciding whether you should clean the office yourself, or even require your employees to do so, you should ask the following questions.
- Do you or your employees have the cleaning experience necessary to keep the office sanitary?
- Can you afford to spend time on cleaning instead of other responsibilities? Can your employees?
- Would your time or that of your employees be better spent elsewhere?
- Will asking your employees to clean create resentment or tension in your office?
- Does it actually save you money, or does it take away from your bottom line by taking up your employees’ time and keeping them away from their actual jobs?
As you answer these questions, remember that the state of your office is what makes the first impression on customers and clients, so it needs to be kept to a high standard. If your employees dislike cleaning and begin to cut corners when doing so, what message will it send to your visitors?
Also, keep in mind that your employees won’t clean as quickly or efficiently as professional cleaners. So while a cleaner may charge more per hour than your employee earns, they’ll get more done in that hour, and to a higher standard at that.
If you feel that it is no longer in your best interest for you or your employees to clean the office, you should consider enlisting the services of a professional cleaning company such as Cleaning Glow.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Professional Office Cleaning Company?
The cost to hire professional office cleaning services will vary depending on several factors. The size and location of your workplace will be the biggest things influencing the cost – a larger office and a high-cost area will increase the price. The frequency of your cleanings will affect your price as well, as many companies provide discounts for recurring services.
Some cleaning companies will provide flat rate packages based on the size of your office, while others will charge hourly. The price they charge will also be determined by the experience they have and the cleaning materials they supply.
Generally speaking, you can expect to pay between $50 – $100 per hour.
Conclusion
Keeping your workspace clean is important for the health and safety of your employees and customers, as well as for the impression you’ll make on visitors. To avoid the spread of illnesses, offices should be cleaned frequently and thoroughly.
If it sounds like cleaning your office on your own may not be in the best interests of you, your business, or your employees, then consider hiring professional office cleaners like Cleaning Glow. We can quickly and effectively make your office sparkle, so you can do what you do best – your job.