A well-kept office isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity. Customers care more about cleanliness than ever on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. So when they visit your business, they expect it to be free from viruses and bacteria. Any indication to the contrary could harm your reputation and cause customers to stop doing business with you.
This standard also applies to current and potential employees. When employees come to work and step into your office, they leave behind the conditions of their personal life. As a result, an office in less than optimal condition directly impacts morale.
For example, imagine you are an employee in a dusty, germ-ridden office with uncleaned keyboards caked with grime and cluttered floors that have seen better days. Would these conditions inspire you to put your best foot forward? The answer seems self-evident, but this is a more prevalent problem than many business owners realize.
Fortunately, the solution is simple: ensure your office is clean for your employees and customers. To do this, you need to engage in regular cleaning, which means hiring the right people and having policies that set proper expectations.
To help you out with that project, read on for 10 of the best office cleaning tips. Or, to make things even easier, count on the experts at 360clean to get the job done! Contact us today for a free proposal!
#1 The Bathroom Is a Sacred Space, So Keep It Clean
The bathroom is one of the most important spaces in your company. In addition to being a place where employees and customers relieve themselves, it is a private room where anyone in your building can collect themselves and quickly recharge their batteries before heading back out to the office.
Consequently, the bathroom should be a serene space. This means its surfaces should be free from dirt and debris, the lighting should be bright and inviting, and the supplies should remain stocked and available for all who need to use them. You should also invest in some air purifiers to keep everything smelling nice throughout the day.
One of the most essential areas of the bathroom is the most used: the toilet. Therefore, your toilets should be cleaned throughout the day to ensure they remain inviting and fresh. After all, one of the worst feelings in an office is using a bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in days. Therefore, by investing in professional cleaners and ensuring your toilets are always in optimal condition, you communicate a sense of value to your employees and customers.
#2 Have Employees Clean Their Desks Regularly
When employees come into the office, understand that their desk is one of the primary points of connection with their job and your company. This is where they strategize and make decisions that directly impact your brand and customers. With this in mind, a messy desk makes for disorganized actions.
This is especially true if you have employees who regularly meet with customers at their desks. A desk free of dust, dirt, and clutter is much more inviting than one that looks like a mad scientist’s library. Also, a clean space is more conducive to remaining on task and maintaining a sense of pride, resulting in sound business decisions.
Keeping desks clean is relatively easy and primarily dependent on your workplace policies. For example, if you are lax on cleanliness expectations, your employees will also be careless with their waste and clutter. However, if you set clear and reasonable expectations regarding what is and isn’t acceptable in the office, your employees will know where you stand and have a clear blueprint to follow.
By implementing a clean desk policy and allotting an appropriate amount of time for employees to clean their workspaces each week, you are boosting morale and promoting a cleaner, more efficient workspace. Ensure you have the necessary cleaning supplies and that your employees know how to use them safely.
#3 Keep the Paper Where It Belongs
Cluttered papers look atrocious and uninviting. But, beyond its immediate aesthetic looks, having mounds of paper in the office serves as a beacon for dust and dust mites. Moreover, from a customer perspective, paper scattered throughout the office communicates chaos and disorganization. After all, how do they know you aren’t leaving someone’s personal information around for anyone to see?
You can eliminate this situation by investing in a file storage system. This will help your employees keep things organized and increase your office’s professional appeal. Like maintaining clean desks and restrooms, having the right storage system can boost morale.
You don’t have to invest in a single system, either. For example, you can purchase a large file cabinet for the bulk of the materials, then get small trays for each employee’s desk so they can keep things organized. Then, have a comprehensive organization protocol so that when employees finish with the papers at their desks, they know how to file them away in a manner that doesn’t create confusion.
There are plenty of innovative storage solutions available. All you have to do is invest some time researching what would be the best fit for your office. Additionally, you could ask your employees what solutions would work best for their daily workflow. This will boost morale by making them feel included and allowing them to contribute to crucial office decisions.
#4 Keep Your Bins Empty
Overflowing waste bins are unsightly and potentially smelly. In addition to being an eyesore for customers and employees, they can be repulsive to the nostrils. Overflowing waste bins symbolize a lack of concern for the environment around you, repel customers, and can lower office morale.
By implementing a clean bin policy, you can train your employees always to uphold your standards. Show them how to safely empty the bins and clean up any wayward waste if it spills. This will empower them to keep their space clean and boost your public perception when customers visit the office.
Of course, having clean bins inside your office means you need to have a solid waste disposal strategy. This requires using containers outside your office to serve as a receptacle for the trash inside the office.
Most offices have dedicated bins outside where the trash is collected each week. Ensure your employees understand how to access this space and safely dispose of their waste without creating more work for others. In addition, keeping the space around the outside bin clean is a good idea — this area can get dirty quickly if neglected.
#5 It’s Not Just the Surfaces — Keep the Entire Work Area Clean
While keeping the surfaces of your office desks clean is imperative to maintaining high morale, the rest of your employees’ office spaces are just as important. For example, if your workforce is focused only on keeping the surface of their desks clean, dust could build up in all the neglected areas and quickly become unsightly and difficult to manage.
Fortunately, the solution is a relatively simple one. Have cleaning supplies on hand, and make sure your employees know how to access them. From there, give your employees a dedicated time each week to clean their workstations. Set reasonable expectations, so they know exactly how their space needs to look.
Keeping your employees’ work areas clean will boost productivity and give the entire office a greater sense of pride in its mission. When cleaning, dust and wipe down corners and cables at least once weekly. If you want to clean more often, once at the beginning of the week and once at the end should be sufficient.
#6 Clean Your Electronics
It’s no secret that electronic devices are magnets for dust. If left unattended for too long, they can become rather unsightly. If you have ever visited an office where all electronic components are caked in a solid layer of dust, you know how queasy it can make people feel.
The thing about dust is that it doesn’t just settle; it builds up. When left to its own devices, the dust on your electronics will continue to grow, becoming more visible and ruining all the hard work you’ve been doing to keep your office clean. Fortunately, there are two convenient methods for removing dust. One involves spraying compressed air into the small crevices where dust tends to accumulate. After you spray, you should take a rag or vacuum to get rid of any dust that may have scattered elsewhere.
The second method involves using a specialized dust rag to remove dust from computer monitors, cables, and shelves.
#7 A Clean Kitchen Is a Happy Kitchen
Keep your kitchen clean by removing food and regularly wiping down the fridge and microwave. If any food spills have left a stain, use the proper cleaning materials to remove them. For example, spilled milk can leave harmful enzymes behind if it is not correctly cleaned.
Additionally, leaving your kitchen uncleaned will attract mice and insects. They may already be drawn to the space due to the sheer abundance of food. This is why it is crucial to set the right expectations and have your employees store their food in airtight containers where it can’t be meddled with by outside forces.
In addition to cleaning the kitchen, make sure to disinfect it. This will create less incentive for mice and insects to visit, as they will not be able to smell any food. Additionally, reserve one space for employees to dine so they aren’t tracking food all over the kitchen.
#8 Don’t Forget the Break Rooms
Break rooms are excellent places for employees to enjoy a snack, socialize, and unwind before returning to the floor. However, if break rooms are not adequately maintained, they can also become receptacles for trash, dust, and critters. Maintain your break rooms the same way you clean your kitchen space. In addition to traditional cleaning, make sure to sterilize regularly.
#9 The Reception Area Is the First Place Your Customers Will See
The reception area is your customers’ first point of contact with your business. Therefore, it should be clean and free of dust and debris. If you have magazines in this area, replace them regularly, so your returning customers have something to do while they wait.
#10 Hire the Right People for the Job
Proper cleaning is all about hiring the right people. By hiring a commercial cleaning service, your office will have access to the appropriate cleaning supplies along with cleaning regimens that ensure it is in tip-top shape.
At 360clean, commercial cleaning is nothing new. For nearly two decades, 360clean has offered health-focused office cleaning services for businesses throughout the United States. In that time, we think we’ve perfected the art of keeping businesses looking their best.
We understand that safeguarding the health and well-being of your employees, customers, and vendors is your top priority. That’s why we deploy our proven JaniMed® system. The system consists of specialized training, hospital-grade disinfectants, touch surface disinfection, and state-of-the-art equipment, including micro-fiber technology and Hepa Vacuums with four levels of filtration. The best part is that we can often implement our JaniMed® system at the same price or even less than your current commercial cleaning service.
To learn more about our commercial cleaning services, contact us today for a free quote. Thanks for stopping by our blog; we hope to help you soon!