Top-to-Bottom Cleaning List for Your Workspace

If you’re like many busy office workers, clutter, dust, and dirt just seem to take over your workspace of their own accord. Try as you might to keep things neat and orderly, but eventually, your once pristine and well-appointed place of business or home office has turned into an environment that's less than ideal from a health and productivity perspective.

If this sounds like you, it might be time to give the ol’ workspace a good old-fashioned top-to-bottom cleaning overhaul. And once you've accomplished that feat, you don't want to rest on your laurels. Instead, consider setting up a routine that goes beyond a spring cleaning to maintain a clean and orderly work environment so you can try to avoid having to do that much scrubbing, organizing, and cleaning all at once again.

Are you responsible for keeping an entire suite of offices presentable to clients and customers, concerned with putting your work area in good order, or do you want to restore your home office to its better (read: cleaner) days?  This article offers a road map for getting your workspace cleaning routine back on track.

A Clean Office Can Lead to a Productive Office

We could all probably use a bit of motivation when it comes to cleaning. To help you jump on the office cleaning bandwagon, consider the following facts:

• Dirt, dust, and allergens trapped in carpets and office furniture may contribute to air quality problems that may lead to respiratory problems and exacerbate allergies. People with asthma and other respiratory disorders may be at risk of developing severe illnesses from dirty office environments.
• Studies show that a clean workplace impacts employee happiness, improving productivity and reducing sick days.

Bottom line? A clean, organized office is not only a healthier option, but it can also help promote productivity and general well-being. It’ll also be much easier to find what you’re looking for.

A Cleaning List for Your Office

Now that you’re convinced a good office cleaning is in order, you’ll need a system that you can maintain consistently. It can help if you break your cleaning efforts into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.

The lists below are 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 working from a home office, you might want to consider adapting this list to your home.

Daily Office Cleaning Tasks

Try to do the following cleaning tasks each day. They can help you stay organized and productive, plus they can help 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.
  
• Wipe down your keyboard and mouse with disinfectant wipes.
  
• Dust between your keyboard keys with a cleaning swab.
  
• Wipe down your computer monitor screen with screen-cleaning wipes.
  
• Wash out your coffee cup and any glasses or dishes you use during the day, or load and run the office dishwasher.
  
• Empty your trash can and replace the trash bag.
  
• Freshen the office by spraying air fresheners around each workspace and in the common areas.

Weekly Office Cleaning Tasks

Consider picking a day each week to do the cleaning that takes some heavy lifting. It doesn’t matter what day you choose as long as you try to stick to a weekly schedule. You can split tasks 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 with Lysol disinfectant wipes, including door handles, light switches, and baseboards.
  
• Sanitize and clean all washroom basins, toilets, doors, and fixtures.
  
• Empty the recycle bin and transport recyclables to the curb or the appropriate recycling 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, you can do monthly cleaning tasks — which are deeper and more time-consuming — 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 are cleaning an office occupied by others or 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 the following:

• Vacuum all air conditioning vents and replace air filters.
  
• Wipe down all hard surfaces — using Bounty paper towels sprayed with disinfectant — from the top (including ceiling fans) to the bottom (including baseboards).
  
• Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture more thoroughly by getting 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 aren't that urgent, while others may really need to be addressed each month.

For instance, while you can skip the brass polishing, it's recommended that you change the air conditioning filters every 30 days.

Stock Up on the Cleaning Supplies You Need

Creating and maintaining a clean and uncluttered work environment can take some organization and discipline. Keeping to a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule of cleaning tasks may feel like an overwhelming amount of work at first. It’s OK to start slowly, though.

Even a little extra cleaning can go a long way to help make your workspace cleaner and more productive. Try to keep stocked up on all the cleaning supplies you need, so you can accomplish each task with ease. This can help you adopt a manageable routine for workspace cleaning that works for you.

About the Author

Nancy Wollin is a Florida-based writer. She lives in and works out of a tiny house in part because there is less space for her to keep clean.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. The information does not constitute a medical consultation and cannot replace medical advice. Any information should never be used as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other health care provider. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.