Maintaining a clean office is crucial. One reason is that your workplace is a reflection of your business. It communicates your values to your customers. If you want your customers to see you as a reliable service provider or business partner, start with a clean office.
A clean office also has a positive effect on employees. Many studies have reported that the cleanliness of a workspace is directly related to employee productivity. And more importantly, a clean office has health benefits for the staff too. Keeping the workspace regularly disinfected and sanitised reduces the spread of viruses and allergens.
Too often, however, we simply rely on the designated cleaning company to control what gets cleaned and how often. Even though we notice the cleaning is less than perfect we become complacent and accept the status quo.
In this article, we give you some tips on how to create a practical office cleaning schedule that can help you maintain a happy and healthy workplace and one your customers will admire. Use this schedule to negotiate with your cleaners to ensure that the office is getting the cleaning attention it needs.
Decide on daily, weekly and monthly cleaning tasks
Cleaning the office is a demanding job. It helps to divide this massive chore to daily, weekly and monthly tasks. This not only ensures a thorough clean, but also makes your cleaning company more efficient when doing the cleaning work.
When it comes to frequency of cleaning, the size of the workspace is an important thing to consider. Larger offices may require some cleaning tasks to be done more often compared to a smaller workplace.
Daily cleaning list
Your daily list should include the absolute minimum tasks that should be done to keep the workplace tidy and sanitised. Daily tasks should include cleaning high traffic areas such as the reception, lobby and workstations. Cleaning of toilets, washrooms and kitchen areas should also be part of the daily cleaning list as these areas tend to harbour bacteria and germs.
Some tasks in the daily cleaning list include (but are not limited to):
- Emptying waste bins and replacing them with new linings
- Vacuuming the carpet
- Disinfecting tiled areas
- Wiping down all glass areas
- Refilling soap dispenser
- Wiping door handles and light switches
Depending on the size of the office and the number of employees, the daily tasks may need to be done twice or even thrice a day.
Weekly cleaning list
The weekly cleaning list is shorter but includes bigger tasks. This typically includes washing of windows, polishing hardwood surfaces, emptying and disinfecting the fridge, also emptying and disinfecting all trash receptacles. Any task that requires deep cleaning should be done on a weekly basis.
Monthly cleaning list
The monthly cleaning list includes cleaning items in the workplace that do not pose an immediate risk to employees’ health such as vacuuming of upholstered furniture, dusting high surfaces and removing marks or fingerprints around light switches and doorframes.
Working with a professional cleaning service
Your local cleaning service can help you customise your office cleaning schedule further, so that it serves the needs of your workplace. Share your expectations with your cleaning company and work with them as necessary to ensure the cleaning schedule is being implemented.
If your office carpet, tiled areas and air ducts need a detailed clean, you’ll still need to call in the specialists. Professionally cleaned carpet and air ducts reduces allergens in the workplace while thoroughly clean tiled areas eliminate bacteria and germs that can breed in these surfaces.
Wizard offers professional steam carpet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and duct cleaning. Call us on 0438 554 830 and book our professional cleaning services for a healthier and more productive workplace.