The process and procedure of commercial cleaning is a special art that requires attention and care. It is therefore good to learn those procedures and the importance of office dressing. The term office dressing is used to mean that the office is left looking clean and tidy with all furniture being returned to its suitable location.
General office cleaning involves ensuring the furniture and fittings are neatly cleaned. The main office furniture includes chairs, workstations, desks, coffee tables, filing cabinets, computers, sofas, telephone handsets, tables, waste bins, and table lamps. Office fittings are the things fixed to the walls, floor or ceiling. They include low height fittings (those below shoulder height): doors, light switches, door handles, blinds, shelves, wall lamps, curtains and high reach fittings (above shoulder height): ceiling fans, air-conditioning vents, recessed lights etc.
Cleaning office furniture and fittings depend on their use and what they are made from; for instance whether they are metal or plastic, glass or vinyl etc. there are different ways of cleaning depending on whether it is done routinely or periodically. Routine cleaning includes spot cleaning, dusting, damp wipe/dry wipe, and vacuuming floors. Periodic cleaning involves polishing high-quality furnishing and boardroom tables and removing dust from fabric and upholstered chairs by vacuuming, especially in the crevasses' and corners.
When the cleaning staff gets into the office, they should first assess and plan how to clean the room by making sure they know how to clean each furniture in the room, the type and amount of cleaning product to use, the equipment to use and the PPE (personal protective equipment) to wear. If they need clarification on either of these, they should engage the supervisor. When all these are clear, cleaning process starts by first emptying the rubbish bins, cleaning them with a neutral detergent, and replacing bin liners if they are dirty.
They then clean furniture depending on the materials such as wiping cup marks on glass coffee tables, damp-wiping the chairs and desks, dusting the filing cabinet etc. every area that needs cleaning is attended, starting with the highest areas and finishing with the lowest thing, which mostly involves vacuuming the floor.When all is done, the staff dresses up the room by making sure the furniture is back to where they belong, placing the chairs to their desks, setting the flowers on their right spots and arranging magazines on the coffee table.
The agency supervisor is supposed to ensure that every member of the cleaning staff is familiar with the art of cleaning office furniture and fittings to prevent them from being damaged. He/she should also inform the office management of cases where office materials need replacement, for example, torn curtains or blinds.
