How clean is your office? While you may think you’re doing the right thing by taking out the trash each day and recycling papers, it’s likely that there are plenty of hidden dangers in your office when it comes to cleanliness.
While daily tidying is important, your office needs much more than that to stay clean. With so many risks from germs and dust, every company should do an office deep clean to really get everything sterilized.
What is an office deep clean? Simply, it’s a comprehensive clean that’s more thorough than your weekly clean.
You know what an office deep clean is now, but do you know what they’re important and how they can be done? Keep reading to find out how to sanitize a work space and sterilize your workplace!
Why Is an Office Deep Clean Important?
Many managers underestimate how dirty their office can get without an office cleaning company contributing consistently to workplace sanitation. It’s easy to assume that staff are simply sitting at their desks, working, and then going home—how can that be messy?
However, it’s not the mess you can see that’s the problem—it’s what you can’t see. Bacteria, viruses, mold, and germs can live just about anywhere, and when large groups of people gather in one place, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Research shows that offices are much dirtier than you might think. The areas in offices that tend to be highest in germs include keyboards, the kitchen fridge door handles, the microwave, and the water fountain.
If one person brings in germs, this means there’s a good chance that other staff will get sick too. Commercial deep cleaning reduces your risk of germs, meaning fewer sick days and healthier, happier employees.
How Should Office Deep Cleaning Be Done?
Now that you know the why, here’s how commercial office cleaning should be done. We recommend doing it yourself or hiring a professional cleaning team to come in at least twice per year, giving your office space the deep clean it needs.
Here’s our smart sterilization guidelines to help you prepare for your next deep office clean.
Move Everything Out of the Way
First, move everything out of the way. You’re going to want to clean under desks, tables, and chairs, so move furniture as you clean so that you don’t miss any spots.
Large items of furniture also tend to collect dust, which can be dangerous for those with allergies, so this step should help remove allergens and dust mites from the office too.
Clean and Sanitize All Surfaces
When we deep clean, we mean business. You want to leave no surface unsanitized, as this is the best way to kill germs.
Clean off surfaces, tossing any papers that are no longer needed, then wipe down the surface to remove any stains or dust. Next, use an antibacterial cleaning product to spray and cleanse every surface, removing all germs.
You’ll want to do this to your office desks, benchtops, office chairs, boardroom, bookshelves, printers, and, of course, the bathrooms. Basically, any surface that your staff sit in or touch should be sanitized.
Walls or stairways that are frequently handled should be sanitized as well.
Bring in a Carpet-Cleaning Machine
Carpets can hold on to all sorts of nasties—hair, dirt, dust, food particles, and even carpet beetles. Part of your deep clean should include cleaning both carpets and office flooring.
Vacuum all carpets first, removing debris. Then, bring in a steam cleaner to remove stains and keep your carpet looking its best.
This will also help your carpet last longer and will keep it looking nice for your staff and office guests.
Any tiling or hardwood flooring should be cleaned and then mopped—you’d be amazed how many coffee stains end up on office floors!
Disinfect the Kitchen
The office kitchen is another big project to tackle. Your staff are eating and preparing meals here, and often sharing cutlery and dishes, so it’s essential that office kitchens stay as clean as possible.
Go through the fridge and cabinets and throw any food that’s been abandoned or has passed its use-by date. Then, clean and wipe down the microwave, fridge, sink, countertops, tables, and chairs, along with any handles or communal cooking equipment.
To help with ongoing kitchen cleanliness, consider starting a cleaning roster, where each staff member has a week where they’re responsible for wiping down the kitchen each day and turning on the dishwasher.
Ongoing kitchen cleanliness means you won’t need to deep clean as often, saving you time and money. Plus, it creates a more pleasant environment for staff to enjoy on their breaks.
Clean All Computer Equipment
Technology is a major part of every office, but it can also get really dirty. We often work while eating, getting food into the keyboard.
Or, every time someone coughs, sneezes, or talks loudly, bodily fluids can get onto our screens and computers—yuck. Sanitize that nonsense!
Invest in cleaning products designed for use on technology and clean your computers, keyboards and mice, printers, and projectors. We should even be wiping down our smartphones and tablets regularly, as they can be magnets for dirt and germs.
Protect Your Employees by Keeping Your Office Clean
To keep your business safe and healthy, an office deep clean is essential. You have a duty of care to look after your employees, so give them the safest possible sterile working environments.
There are plenty of office cleaning companies that can help, so you don’t need to do it all yourself. To make it easier, schedule your clean campaign on a weekend, so that staff won’t be interrupted.
Get started today and wow your staff with a shiny, clean office!
Did you find this article on achieving an office deep clean to be helpful? If so, please keep reading to learn more articles on the Bootstrap Business Blog about workplace cleaning and work space disinfecting.
