When you keep your office clean and tidy, you keep your employees happy. No one wants to work in a dirty, untidy office. Clients and colleagues from other areas do not want to visit an office that is in dire need of a clean.
In addition to keeping your clients, colleagues, and employees happy, a clean office can help prevent pest infestations. This is why making the effort is really important. Let us take a look at some relatively easy ways that you can keep your office clean and in nice working order.
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Organize Your Desk
Organizing your desk is one of the best ways for you to keep your office clean and tidy. All of your employees need to make sure that their desks are as organized as possible. They do not have to be spotless all day, every day, but there should not be any clutter laying around.
Put up shelves if you need to and install some filing cabinets. Do what you can to keep your desk organized. You will find it more pleasant and easier to get stuff done if there is less clutter around you.
Make sure that your desk is clean and tidy too so your team knows exactly what you are expecting. If you do not keep your desk organized, then there is no reason why your team will do the same. You need to set the standard.
Clean the Common Areas
The common areas are those areas that are shared by all of your employees. For example, the lunchroom/canteen, the hallways, bathrooms, and any other areas where your team can gather are important areas to clean. These areas get quite dirty at times, so you should make sure to clean them regularly.
Cleaning the common areas can take a lot of work, so you should consider getting janitorial service companies to help you. A cleaning service will keep these areas clean while you concentrate on other areas of the office.
It can also lighten the load a little. Knowing you have someone to do the hard work for you means you can get on with running your business.
Declutter Everywhere
Decluttering the desks, shelves, and storage cupboards in your office is a must. These days, we do not need to have piles of paper and files everywhere. Documents can be stored in the cloud rather than in a filing cabinet. Removing the clutter from your desks, shelves, and storage cupboards will make your office seem less dirty.
Working in a cluttered office is never nice. Do what you can to make sure it stays uncluttered so the office is a nicer place to work.
Use Air Fresheners
Air fresheners can help work areas smell fresh and clean. They do not need to be overpowering, they simply need to work. Consider opting for clean smells such as lemon or apple. You may even want to choose scents that smell of clean linen as they can be rather pleasant.
Use air fresheners in areas where your employees spend a lot of time. Place an air freshener near the trash cans so they smell fresh. Make sure the scent of the air fresheners is not too much as they could cause headaches. A gentle scent should do the job nicely. You may even want to consider using a plug-in air freshener. Air fresheners such as these sit in an electrical outlet and gently freshen the surrounding area.
Clean Your Phones and Keyboards
People use their phones for hours each day and place them on a lot of dirty surfaces. Encourage your team to give their phones a quick wipe at least once a day. Make sure that communal phones are cleaned just as often.
Germs can spread easily, and this is the last thing you want. Cleaning your phone will help keep harmful germs from infecting yourself and your employees.
You should also ask your employees to clean their keyboards once a day. Keyboards can become dirty fairly easily. They can be a great place for germs to hide, so make sure they are kept clean. Try to discourage your team from eating at their desks since doing so can spread germs.
Keep Things Where They Belong
As you go about your working day, you may find that desks and other work areas become a little disorganized. Try to keep things where they belong and put the stapler, for example, back once you have used it. The sooner you and your team get used to putting things back where they belong, the tidier the office will be.
Of course, there will be occasions when you are so busy you do not have the time to keep things organized. Just make sure that when things have quietened down that you tidy the area up.
Consider Re-arranging Areas
Consider the layout of your office and other areas. If they tend to become cluttered too easily, you may need to rethink how they are arranged. Desks and other important areas should be easy to reach. Store cupboards should be kept away from the main work areas so they are easy to access without being in the way.
Think about what you need to use day-to-day and make sure those things are in reach. Store all of those items in drawers or on shelves so desks are tidy.
Have a Deep Clean
Have a deep clean at least once every quarter. Remove the desks and office furniture and clean the floors. Make sure you clean the walls and windows too. Clean every surface before you put the desks back. You never know, having a deep clean can work wonders. It can also help you find those files that you lost.
Keeping an office clean and tidy is not just good for morale. It can make clients and colleagues happier. Come up with a cleaning plan and stick to it. Tidy your desk every day, and make sure your employees do the same. Your office does not have to be the tidiest in the country, it just needs to be a pleasant place to work in.
