For smaller businesses or companies concerned about budget, office cleaning tends to get done in-house. The manager, assistant, or the entire team is usually in charge of cleaning duties around the workspace. Either way, it’s wasting their time and it most likely isn’t in their job description. Working on pertinent tasks that keep the business running instead of cleaning the office is of utmost importance to your company.
On the other hand, neglecting a cleaning regimen is providing a disservice to your office team. An unorganized and dirty working environment leads to low morale, low productivity, and poor health — all of which lead to costs for your business.
Let’s dive into how to clean your office appropriately, and when hiring a professional cleaning company just makes more sense.
How To Keep Your Office Clean
There are different levels to keeping your office clean. That includes the basic chores to keep your space neat and deep cleaning tasks that have to be done by a professional cleaning company to keep your workspace pristine and safe.
The bare minimum tasks required for any office are dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, wiping down surfaces and equipment, and emptying trash. These chores should be done daily, primarily due to the risk of COVID-19 infection spreading.
Ideally, a commercial cleaning service company should thoroughly clean your workspace once a week, and on other days, your team members can handle the maintenance.
To complete these tasks, you’ll have to invest in cleaning equipment, supplies, and products.
Your shopping list should include the following:
- Mop and bucket
- Broom and dustpan
- Microfiber cloths and all-purpose towels
- Vacuum cleaner (preferably a high-powered one)
- Dusters with long handles
- Multiple pairs of rubber gloves
- Toilet brush
- Scrubbing sponges for various purposes
- Supplies to be restocked regularly (hand sanitizer, liquid soap, toilet paper, paper towels)
- Cleaning products
When it comes to cleaning products, please do thorough research before buying them. It’s crucial to get the right ones for each cleaning surface. If you use the wrong product, you risk damaging your property. For example, bleach-based cleaners should never be used for dark-colored furniture.
Also, choose if you want to opt for green and natural products instead of regular ones. Nowadays, there is a high demand for safer products that don’t contain potentially harmful chemicals, so it won’t be hard to find them in almost any store.
While tackling some office cleaning tasks can be done in-house, it’s likely not the best use of anyone’s time and is more expensive. When employees or managers are stuck doing cleaning duties, their morale decreases, cleaning isn’t done properly, and overall productivity suffers. Weigh carefully whether you want to keep all of your chores in-house or offload some of that work to professionals.
Precautions To Take When Cleaning an Office Yourself
When it comes to DIY office cleaning, there are a plethora of things that could go wrong. While most of them aren’t very harmful, there are still some long-term risks. Here are the most common mistakes that usually happen when professionals don’t do the cleaning:
- Using improper tools and products: This can be the most damaging mistake, as some products can cause severe damage if not used properly.
- Dry dusting: While this isn’t always a mistake, it is better to wet the dusting cloth, as it will help pick up the dirt instead of just spreading it around.
- Forgetting to empty the vacuum cleaner regularly: To prevent dirt build-up that blocks the airways, make sure to open and clean the vacuum after every use.
- Leaving the trash bin until it’s fully loaded: While it’s good to use as much space as possible in trash bags so we don’t pollute the environment with unnecessary plastic, it is also important to empty waste bins regularly to prevent foul odors.
- Cleaning only visible surfaces: This is usually the most significant difference between DIY and professional cleaning. Your employees will most likely focus on cleaning visible areas they use every day, while the cleaning service company will deep-clean even the places you would never think of when it comes to cleaning.
Daily small cleaning tasks take up to 24 minutes per day per employee. That’s two hours per week and 13 full working days wasted per year — and that’s just one employee.
Consider hiring a professional instead of spending your time doing these chores yourself and potentially causing damage to office equipment.
Here are some of the things you can expect if you’re hiring office cleaning services to take over these tasks.
What Do Office Cleaning Services Include?
An office cleaning company can take over all the above tasks and more. It all depends on the company’s needs.
Cleaning services are divided into two categories: recurring and deep cleaning.
A recurring cleaning service is done at regular intervals. The purpose of this kind of service is to keep your office clean at all times and prevent the build-up of dirt. Everyday recurring chores include emptying the trash, cleaning the restrooms, vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting.
On the other hand, a deep-cleaning service is usually a one-time arrangement that covers more specific cleaning chores than are covered in a recurring agreement. This includes cleaning after events, before and after moving, and big spring cleanings. These are usually done bi-annually.
A small office with no kitchen or bathroom usually requires a small number of services to stay clean. If you have ample space with high foot traffic, you might need deep-cleaning services more often to keep your business in pristine condition for visitors and clients.
Every company has different offerings, but a professional office cleaning team should perform the following:
- Deep-cleaning floors (carpets, hardwood, vinyl, etc.)
- Power washing
- Cleaning HVAC ducts
- Deep-cleaning the microwave, refrigerator, and cabinets — areas that are often ever cleaned
- Dusting (blinds, computer equipment, common areas, etc.)
- Cleaning baseboards
- Cleaning upholstery
- Cleaning restrooms (mirrors, grout, disinfecting surfaces, restocking supplies, unclogging sinks, etc.)
How Much Does Office Cleaning Cost?
The cost of hiring a professional cleaning service depends on the needs of your business. The best way to find out is by contacting an office cleaning service nearby to request a quote. They will give you precise information about how much certain services would cost you.
Before you partner up with a cleaning company, make sure to research the prices of other cleaning businesses as well. Sometimes the difference between prices is significant and you don’t want to end up paying more than you have to.