Now that you’re convinced a good office cleaning is in order, you’re going to need a system that you can maintain on a consistent basis. It will help if you break your cleaning tasks down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.
The lists below are pretty comprehensive. If you’re setting up a cleaning system for an entire office suite — including restrooms — you’ll probably want to accomplish everything on the list. If you’re just concerned with your own office workspace, you can disregard the tasks that apply to larger workspaces. If you’re operating out of a home office, you might want to consider adapting this list to your entire home.
Daily Office Cleaning Tasks
Try to do the following cleaning tasks each day. Not only may they help you stay organized and productive, but they’ll also help to lighten your weekly and monthly cleaning loads.
- Organize your desk at the end of each day, including stacking items to reveal as much empty surface space as possible.
- Lightly dust all hard surfaces with a dusting cloth and Microban spray.
- Wipe down your keyboard and mouse with disinfectant wipes.
- Dust between your keyboard keys with a cleaning duster spray.
- Wipe down your computer monitor screen with screen cleaning wipes.
- Wash out your coffee cup and any glasses or dishes you used during the day or load and run the office dishwasher.
- Empty your trash can and replace the trash bag.
- Freshen up the office by spraying air freshener around each workspace and in the common areas.
Weekly Office Cleaning Tasks
Consider picking a day each week to do the cleaning that takes a bit more heavy lifting. It doesn’t matter what day you choose as long as you try to stick to a weekly schedule. You can even split the tasks up during the day, choosing some to do in the morning and others at the end of your workday.
- Vacuum all floor areas, both carpeted and hard floor surfaces.
- Lightly mop all hard surface floors with a wet mop.
- Vacuum all fabric chairs (clean as needed).
- Wipe out waste bins with Clorox disinfectant wipes before adding new liners.
- Damp-wipe hard surfaces, including door handles, light switches, and baseboards with Lysol disinfectant wipes.
- Sanitize and clean all basins, toilets, doors, and fixtures in the washroom with OdoBan disinfectant.
- Empty the recycle bin and transport recyclables to the curb or the appropriate recycle center.
- Refill hand soap and paper towels in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Refill or replace any empty bottles of hand sanitizer (e.g., Purell hand sanitizer).
Monthly Office Cleaning Tasks
Ideally, monthly cleaning tasks — which are deeper and more time-consuming — can be undertaken on the same day of each month. For instance, you might set up a schedule where you do your monthly deep clean on the first Monday of each month. If you’re cleaning an office that’s occupied by others or you simply can’t be interrupted during a weekday to complete these tasks, you might prefer to do your monthly chores during the weekend.
Some tasks to put on your monthly cleaning list can include:
- Vacuum all air conditioning vents and replace air filters.
- Wipe down all hard surfaces — using Bounty paper towels sprayed with disinfectant — working from the top (including ceiling fans) to the bottom (including baseboards).
- Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture more thoroughly by moving to get under and behind larger pieces of furniture if you can and getting under cushions.
- Polish all hardwood surfaces, including floors and conference tables.
- Wash inside and outside of windows (if possible) with a glass cleaner (or contract with an outdoor window washing service).
- Clean and disinfect the refrigerator with an all-purpose cleaner.
- Disinfect trash receptacles and add new liners if needed.
- Polish brass and other similar work items.
Don’t worry if you can’t get to every task every month. Try to prioritize the ones that may affect the well-being of the people who use the space. Many monthly chores are not that urgent, while others may really need to be addressed each month. For instance, while you can skip the brass polishing, its recommended that you change the air conditioning filters every 30 days.
Stock Up on the Cleaning Supplies You Need
