It is no secret that a clean and organized office can lead to more productivity. Office cleaning can be as simple as dusting the floors to a more complex task such as removing dirt from the air conditioner or computer. Since our offices comprise different items, how do we know when and how to clean each of them? Although cleaning may vary depending on the size and type of the workplace, here are some suggestions on different cleaning procedure and schedule:
Daily cleaning activities
The washrooms, floors, tables, doors, and other similar surfaces we have direct contact with, should be cleaned daily since dirt and microorganisms accumulate on such surfaces more frequently. Sanitizing these surfaces is of greater importance to a workplace offering health-related services such as hospitals, clinics, and the likes. Empty garbage bins daily if your work tends to produce so much waste.
Daily To-Clean List:
- Office Area
- Pick-up all papers, scattered pens, and other visible scraps.
- Dust your computer, dividers, and office equipment.
- Vacuum the floor, your table, carpets, and similar surfaces.
- Washroom
- Clean and disinfect toilets and urinals.
- Disinfect entry handles, dryers, and water faucet.
- Refill paper towels and hand sanitizers.
- Mop the floor.
Weekly cleaning activities
The more complex tasks that require more time are scheduled weekly, including scrubbing floors, cleaning refrigerators and telephones, and scheduling pest control.
Weekly To-Clean List:
- Scrub hard floors and vacuum carpeted floors.
- Clean and organize the inside of the refrigerators and other appliances.
- Wipe and disinfect telephones, computer keyboards, calculators, and similar items.
- Schedule a pest control on the last day of the office operation for the week.
Monthly cleaning activities
The surfaces of items you should clean once a month are the hard-to-reach or less visible ones, such as overhead fans, stockroom, vacuum vents, furniture, window covers, and wall-mounted units.
Monthly To-Do List:
- Dust and disinfect less visible places and hard to reach surfaces and items.
- Declutter and organize your stockroom, office materials, and drawers.
- Clean window covers and wall-mounted units such as hand dryers and dispensers.
- Polish furniture, wooden objects, and surfaces.
Semi-annual/Annual cleaning activities
Only do costly and most complex cleaning procedures once or twice a year. These include deep cleaning carpets, hard and tiled floors.
Semi-annually/Annually To-Do List:
- Professionally shampoo carpets at least twice a year.
- Shine tiled floors by stripping and re-coating them.
- Deep clean and buff hard floors.
- Take-out expired products, malfunctioning equipment, and items that take up space but you are not using.
Some companies use checklists and delegations to ensure that their cleaning practices are being followed-up on. But the reality is unless the company is paying their employees to clean, they often won't bother, and whenever they do, it is often rushed and improper. Most companies now are switching to hire cleaning services to save time and ensure the cleaning quality. Nonetheless, whether you decide to clean your facility yourselves or hire professional ones, your goal for cleaning should remain the same: to provide a safe and pleasant working environment for your employees.
