08/11/2016
The office is a battlefield between us and bacteria. As we spend most of our waking hours at work, interacting with colleagues, customers and clients on a daily basis, we are bound to come into contact with a plethora of germs. Here are a few cleaning ideas for the clean conscious employee who wants a pristine workspace they are proud to call their own!
1. Organise your paperwork
If you can’t see through the piles of paper, then it’s time to invest in some storage solutions for each type of file. Filing cabinets, wall pocket and desk trays are your best friend when it comes to cleaning the paperwork that is engulfing your office space.
2. Declutter
Another office cleaning nightmare can be the sticky note infestation clogging up your desk space. A cluttered desk equals a cluttered mind. Therefore, storing all your to-do lists, passwords and notes on your computer virtually frees up desk space and there’s plenty of software and apps such as Evernote to help you takes your memos online.
3. Use a solution of 70% alcohol and water to clean your phone and tablet
Another office cleaning tip is disinfectant wipes, they are effective but they can corrode the coating on your phone and tablet that repels the oils from your fingers and face – so they really aren’t the best choice. Any wipes that contain alcohol or acetone can be damaging, so screen wipes are also a no-no. Therefore, just stick to using warm water and a tissue.
4. Install sanitising stations
Hand sanitiser is a must for any modern office. You touch your keyboard, your mouse, your phone, and all your colleagues’ desk furniture more often than you think. So consider installing dispensers near doorways on office floors.
5. Sort out your cable spaghetti
In any office there will typically be a cable fight going on between computer, phones and broadband cables, not to mention other numerous charger and appliance cables. These all can get very messy and quickly turn into a case of cable spaghetti if not managed. To avoid this, cable ties are a must. Wireless connections for many things are available from phones and keyboards to computer mice and speakers. Think about utilising the hidden space such as under flooring boards, behind skirting boards and in overhead ceiling space to keep cables out of sight and out of reach of staff on a day-to-day basis.
6. Sticky note away the crumbs!
The truth is we love to snack over our laptop, however much we hate the crumbs. Run the end of a sticky note between the keys and you’ll clear away any crumbs and dust in seconds.
7. Scrub out stains in your office chair
If your chair upholstery is getting grubbier by the day, then mix a solution of one-part washing-up liquid with 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. Dab the solution over using a cloth and watch the stains disappear.
8. Freshen up a musty carpet
If your office carpet is crying out for a deep clean, but you need something to tide you over, try mixing up this simple sprinkle-on, vacuum-off carpet freshener. Mix together 1 cup of crushed dried rosemary and lavender, 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Sprinkle over the carpet, allow to sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum off.
9. Indoor plants get grimy too!
Dust lands everywhere. Keep office plants clean and happy by simply wiping the leaves with a damp cloth or baby sponge, every few weeks. If you’re office is particularly dusty, do it more often. Live plants in workplaces have been found to reduce stress and increase productivity, so if you can’t see an ounce of greenery from your desk, then it’s definitely worth introducing a few easy to care for plants such as philodendrons, cactus plants and snake plants. They are often cheap and easy to source.
10. Don’t just clean the screen!
All too often we focus our attention to cleaning our computer screen, and neglect the rest of the machine, which is sometime used by multiple people. It’s easier than you think to wipe away the grime, coffee splashes and fingerprints. Get yourself a damp (not wet) microfibre cloth and run it over the surfaces, before finishing with a dry (lint free) microfibre cloth.
Now you can enjoy your super clean workspace and enjoy getting stuff done! If, on the other hand, you think your commercial cleaners should spend more time addressing the nitty-gritty of office cleaning, then its probably time to get a commercial cleaning quote from the award winning Mrs Bucket!