While remote working continues to be all the rage, most companies have found that it’s still important to maintain an office space for employees to spend at least a couple of days a week.
However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that those office spaces need to be kept in good condition. If you’ve been wondering how to keep it clean, then you’re in the right place – read on for our ultimate guide on the topic.
First off, why should you actually want to keep your office in a clean condition? It might seem obvious to some, but it’s a legitimate question.
First of all, people need a clean, organised work environment in order to be productive. Multiple studies have shown this to be true – it’s a simple fact.
Second, for many businesses, your office is the physical space that represents your brand. In order to make a good impression on potential clients and partners, you need to put your best foot forward – it isn’t enough to “just’’ provide a good service or product, you need to look respectable as well.
Some business owners might wonder whether it’s best to outsource office cleaning to a facilities management company or to do it in-house. Generally, it’s best to outsource these kinds of things.
Not only will professional cleaning companies likely do a better job at cleaning, but it’ll likely work out cheaper. If you sort things out in-house, you’ll need to invest in cleaning materials and products just for your business. When outsourcing, however, the cost of those investments is spread over multiple clients.
For the majority of office spaces, it’ll be necessary to clean most areas every day. Spaces like receptions, bathrooms, and kitchens all see regular use, and can become dirty very quickly.
Personal workspaces can sometimes be cleaned less regularly – a quick tidy-up can be done daily, but deeper cleans can be done weekly or even monthly. Ultimately, it depends on how dirty things get; you want to be cleaning regularly enough that you don’t see any grime build-ups at all.
There are a lot of office cleaning providers out there, and not all of them will be suitable for your needs. You’ll want to choose a provider with heaps of industry experience when it comes to cleaning offices of a similar nature to yours, ideally one that’s backed up with plenty of positive reviews from businesses that have hired their services.
Ideally, you’ll be able to find a provider that’s able to help you for years to come, so it’s important that you take the time to find an option that does a perfect job while also falling within your budget.
Now, let’s take a look at the 15 main steps it takes to get that perfectly clean office. These steps will be largely the same, whether you choose to use an external cleaning provider or clean the office yourself.
When it comes to cleaning workstations, you want to ensure that employees are involved in the process. If there are sensitive documents or technologies on their desks, they’ll need to deal with those before anyone comes in and cleans for them.
Alternatively, employees can be left to clean their own workspaces, although it’s important to ensure that all employees stay on top of things – some individuals are likely to be more conscientious than others, but it’s crucial that your system doesn’t discriminate in any way.
A critical consideration when cleaning an office space is minimising the spread of illnesses and infections. Items such as doors and handles will likely be touched by multiple people throughout the day, and it’s important to disinfect them at regular intervals.
Obviously, this depends to a certain degree on how many people work in your office, and how many visitors you have. A cleaning provider will be able to come in and properly advise based on your specific requirements – it might be that you need to disinfect multiple times a day, or just at the end of the work day.
Light switches are another thing that can often be forgotten about in office spaces. While they may not cleaning as regularly as door handles and other regularly touched surfaces, they can’t be totally ignored.
If you don’t regularly clean light switches, you increase the risk of spreading germs, and you’ll likely see a steady build-up of dirt and grime. Depending on the material of the switch, you may need to use different cleaning products, to ensure that you don’t damage them – some metals may tarnish for example, and harsh products can cause some plastics to degrade more quickly.
Obviously, you need to make sure that you keep the floors in your office spotless. You’ll want to hoover or sweep at the end of every workday, and ensure that you carry out a more intense clean at regular intervals.
If you have non-carpeted floors, whether wood or plastic, it’ll be easier to deep clean by mopping. However, for carpeted floors, you may need to get a professional carpet cleaner with advanced cleaning products such as steam cleaners.
This will ensure that you don’t let any stains build up, allowing you to keep your office in top condition and, importantly, allergen-free for your more sensitive employees.
Another thing that’s important to stay on top of is emptying bins. It can be tempting to let them fill up until they’re almost bursting, if there’s anything organic like leftover food in those bins, you’ll want to empty them far more regularly to avoid any smells from building up.
For personal bins that are stored next to desks, it’s equally important to ensure that none of them is forgotten about, and to try to encourage employees to not put anything too smelly into them.
If a bin is starting to smell even once it’s been emptied, then it’s probably time to spray the inside with disinfectant and give it a good wipe-down.
Windows and mirrors are two things that can look absolutely terrible if they’re allowed to get too dirty. Mirrors should be relatively easy to clean – make sure that the right products are used, along with a high-quality squeegee.
Windows can be a little trickier, especially for office buildings with multiple storeys. It’s obviously not too tricky to clean the outside, but cleaning the external sides can require hiring companies with rope access technicians. While it’s a pain, and can be expensive, it’s critical that you don’t let windows get too dirty – they can be a big distraction, and can really detract from the feel of a space.
Dust is one of those things that you’re never quite aware of until suddenly, it seems to be everywhere. The only way around it is to ensure that you dust regularly enough that it never has the opportunity to build up in the first place.
Not only is dusting important from an aesthetic point of view, but when it builds up in electronic appliances and the like, it can lead to fires. For any employees with allergies, it can also result in unpleasant allergic reactions – you have a duty to provide your workers with a safe working environment, and this is a critical part of that process.
The saying that first impressions matter applies to office spaces as well, and the first part of the building that prospective clients, partners, and employees will see is the reception. As a result, it’s incredibly important that you keep your reception area totally spotless.
If there’s a refreshment area, make sure that it’s kept fully stocked, and that any magazines left out are in good shape – don’t leave anything with tattered corners or that’s super out of date. Keep any coffee tables or chairs clean, and make sure that you dust regularly.
Bathrooms can quickly become the dirtiest spaces in a building, but in any professional setting, you should ensure that they remain the cleanest. You want to make sure that the bathroom is cleaned multiple times a day, with a signed rota to remain accountable.
Clean in and around toilet basins, and wipe everything down with an appropriate disinfectant. Keep toilet paper and soup dispensers fully stocked, to ensure that no one is left in an uncomfortable position. If there are any mirrors, make sure that they’re also kept in top condition.
Meeting rooms also need to be kept spotless – they’re where a lot of important business-related decisions are made, and you don’t want anything to be a distraction from that process. Wipe down tables and chairs after every meeting, cleaning up any crumbs or spilt drinks if any were consumed in the meeting.
Make sure to get rid of anything like coffee cup stains on tables – it makes the place look shabby, and distracts from the rest of the room, even if everything else is totally clean. Even if there aren’t any meetings held in the space, make sure that you dust regularly to keep it in top condition.
Anyone who’s ever lived in a house share will know just how quickly shared kitchens can become a complete mess. Office kitchens can exemplify this issue, becoming unusable in a matter of hours.
You need to lay down some clear rules, to ensure that things don’t get too messy in the first place, but you also need to make sure that you deep-clean on a regular basis. Empty out all the cupboards and the fridge, and wipe down everything with the right chemical disinfectants.
In order to do the job right, you need to use the right cleaning products. For example, you need to make sure that you’re using disinfectants that don’t damage plastics when cleaning computers, and products that won’t leave colour when cleaning chairs.
If you outsource, this will all be taken care of for you of course – another reason why it’s beneficial to get a professional team to clean your office.
When it comes to painted walls and ceilings, while it’s obviously possible to clean those surfaces, after a certain amount of time it’ll likely be necessary to go over them with another coat of paint.
There’s no formula to working out how frequently you should do this, but you want to do it before the space starts looking tired and worn. Old paint can start to look terrible, and going over with another coast isn’t as big a hassle as you’d think it would be.
Cleaning is made a hundred times easier if there isn’t heaps of clutter everywhere. Not only will that clutter accumulate dust, but it also makes it look messy, even if things are ‘technically’ clean.
Make sure that you encourage your employees to declutter their workspaces on a regular basis, and ensure that all communal areas are kept as free from unnecessary stuff as possible. It might sound like a hackneyed tip, but it’s definitely an effective one.
Over time, it’s easy to become complacent with how clean you keep your office. You can all start to get used to a lower standard, and that standard starts to fall. Obviously, if you outsource your cleaning, this should never become an issue.
The cleaning team will stay on top of things for you, ensuring that your space is maintained to the highest level possible in the long run, allowing you and your team to benefit from an optimal working environment.
Hopefully, by now you’ll be a lot clearer as to what goes into keeping an office perfectly clean. Ultimately, the most effective way of achieving the 15 steps listed above is to hire the services of a professional cleaning provider. Our team would be happy to discuss how we can help based on the specific requirements of your office, business or commercial building. Reach out to our expert team today on 0161 282 6444.
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SMC Premier Group Ltd
117 – 119a Stockport Road
Stockport
SK3 0JE
0161 282 6444
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