If you are working full-time, you’d easily spend 40 hours or more per week in your office. For most of us, the office is our second home. There is truly no wonder why, by the end of the week, we find ourselves searching under piles of paper work for our keys and phones at the end of the day. A clean office if just as important as a clean home when you consider the amount of time you spend inside. A clean office offers you a clear and relaxed mind, not to mention the health benefits. But how often do you really have time to thoroughly organise both your workload and office space?

Setting up and sticking to a system would allow you to work much smarter and harder without clutter and disarray. Interested in maintaining the order within your office space? Follow the following tips provided below in order to ensure a productive, organised and expressly clean work environment!

 

Be organised

An abundance of loose papers lying around in a special way that only you know is not efficient. Scattered piles not only look messy, but they are also time consuming and difficult to assess, search and index. Don’t fill your mind with complex locations of important pieces of paper. Try to stick to the following rules:

  • Utilize filing cabinets and separate files according to a structured way of organisation (Alphabetically, Chronologically, Separate into Clients, etc).
  • For documents that need to be kept at an arm’s length (for immediate and important referencing), wall mounted pockets and/or desktop trays are ideal for your new pristine work space.
  • In order to save space, consider archiving older or outdated work that are not utilized very often in another space outside of your immediate workspace. Past customer files can be sent off to a storage facility, thus freeing up space and reducing the amount of items that need to be tended to during the course of a normal work week.

Basically, the key is to assign every labelled item to a designated place. Keep in mind that new items will be added over time, so you will need to ensure that there is room for growth as you begin to organise and assign living quarters for items.

 

Keep restrooms disinfected

This is not only a necessity, but it is also a safety measure for both customers and employees. Restrooms are known to be high traffic areas within any office space, therefore they need to be thoroughly cleaned daily. Usually, this routine is handled by a cleaning employee, but if you run a small business, here are some key steps:

  • With disinfecting cleaner and a toilet brush, clean the toilet bowls. The seat, lid and outside circumference and the base of the commode will need to be wiped down as well. To keep the bowl fresh between cleanings, it is best to utilize deodorising tabs or cakes.
  • The counter and sink need to have disinfecting cleanser applied to them as well.
  • The floors need to be both swept and mopped.
  • The following should be refilled: toilet tissue rolls, paper towel holders and liquid soap dispensers.

When not well maintained, restrooms can become a breeding ground for a number of things. Keep yourself, your employees and clients safe and healthy as they enter and exit the area. Ensure that they are able to thoroughly wash and dry their hands in order to eliminate the spreading of germs, bacteria and infections diseases.

 

Maintain electronics

Electronic devices comprise a major amount of workplace. Since they are utilized so frequently, they tend to be one of the greatest office dirt magnets. Electronics attract germs and bacteria due to the fact that people spend a lot of time utilizing them. The following will guide you through keeping the computers and other office electronic clean and well maintained:

  • Wipe computer screens gently with a microfiber cloth.
  • With a can of compressed air, blow the keyboards free of debris. Once that has been completed, the keyboard will need to be cleaned with cotton swabs that have been doused with rubbing alcohol. Used the swabs for detailing the keys. Don’t forget to clean the underside of the keyboard. This is an area that is often left neglected, and tends to become a breeding ground for germs.
  • The top of computer towers, telephones and photocopier machines will need to be wiped down with a microfiber cloth. Just as computer keyboards, these devices will need to be detailed with a cotton that has been doused in alcohol. Always unplug the units before cleaning, and try not come in contact with electrical components as that can damage them critically.

 

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Clean your kitchen/eating area

Storing and preparing food in this area is a good motivation for keeping this room immaculate. Cleaning the break room is a safety necessity, not to mention that it will also improve the overall morale of employees.

  • The refrigerator needs to remain organised and clean at all times. This can be accomplished by imposing a weekly disposal day. For example, notify all employees (or colleagues) that every Friday near the closing time, all items will be tossed out unless otherwise approved and marked. On the same day, the interior of the appliance will be wiped down.
  • At the completion of the last lunch break, the shelves, chairs, tables and sinks need to be disinfected thoroughly.
  • The exterior and interior of the microwave have to be cleaned as well, on a daily basis. Remnants left throughout the day from employee after employee heating and reheating their meal can leave a thick, hardened coating that can foster mold growth and more.
  • Dishes need to be washed and hand dried daily and the dish drainer needs to be wiped down as well.

 

Trash Removal

Empty waste baskets daily. Don’t allow your mates to fall into the habit of leaving trash in bins for several days. Not only this leaves your office space tainted with a less than welcoming aroma, but it also forms a breeding ground for germs, bacteria and more. Additionally, removing trash daily ensures that your office space is presentable to clients, prospective employees and visiting executives alike.

 

Overall cleaning

At the end of the day, desk spaces need to be cleared off in order to keep clutter to a minimum. Desktops need to be wiped clean weekly, unless spills occur. In those instances, the areas need to be cleaned immediately and thoroughly. Ensure that desks are left expressly free of smudges, food crumbs and dust. This should be done monthly, unless you have a work environment that is barren of a break room or employees are permitted to snack and/or eat at their work station. In that case, the cleaning should occur on a weekly basis to prevent rodents, insects, mold, bacteria and germs.

  • All seating should be void of dust, stains and crumbs.
  • If you have reading materials (brochures, pamphlets, books and/or magazines) displayed within a waiting area for customers, ensure they are tidy and up to date.
  • Furniture, windows, blinds, wall hangings, plants and shelves need to be dusted on a regular basis.
  • Clean marks from walls as they appear.
  • Handle finger prints and smudges from mirrors, windows and glass tops at the close of the business day.
  • Mop or vacuum the flooring.

 

 

Misc cleaning tips

  • When mopping floor, be sure to utilise safety signs informing those walking by that the floor is currently wet.
  • Get yourself and your employees or colleagues in the habit of maintaining a tidy work environment each day. Keep in mind that a minute of cleaning prevents the office from becoming overwhelming or depressing.
  • Opt for plastic or silk plants as opposed to real plants and flowers that require watering and tend to shed, wilt and contribute to customer and employee allergies.
  • Research the cost of getting a professional cleaning service. This will free up your schedule.
  • For a truly immaculate work space, disinfect the areas with a steam mop.
  • Have trash can liners at the bottom of trash cans within the office at all times. This will provide you with a quick method for replacing the bags.
  • Keep a swifter in a desk drawer for dusty days.
  • Keep a container of disinfectant wipes nearby. These are ideal for quick cleanups of coffee spills, lunch crumbs or miscellaneous messes that occur through the day.
  • When engaging in a thorough cleaning, remove all items, then clean. Never attempt to clean around items on a shelf or table.

Some companies implemented strict rules, such as “No eating at desks”, in order to minimize messes and spills. Many employers supply their employees spill proof containers for saving important documents and electronic devices.

 

Conclusion

Keeping your workspace clean may seem to be an overwhelming task, but it truly is not once a strong implemented plan is in action. By implementing a cleaning schedule while holding employees accountable for their personal work space, this task could be easy and natural. Also, with a clean and well maintained work environment, you will begin to notice an improvement in morale, workflow and efficiency. Customers will also feel more relaxed and opened. There is no need to become a cleanliness miser, but it is important to enforce the cleaning rules and guidelines that you establish for your company.

 

Credit: VacuumsGuide.