More than ever, a clean workplace is essential to worker productivity and satisfaction. Dedicated commercial cleaning does not just make the office a more comfortable place to be, it helps ensure the health and safety of personnel. Whether you plan to do all the cleaning with an in-house staff or hire professionals, use our tips on office cleaning and hygiene.
This guide provides a list of the most important office cleaning supplies, a proposed schedule for janitorial cleaning and recommendations for office hygiene policies.
Why Is Office Cleaning Important?
One of the most important reasons for cleaning an office is to reduce the risk of illnesses. Common office areas such as desks and meeting rooms can be hotspots for bacteria. Daily janitorial cleaning and disinfecting routines can greatly reduce the risk of illness spreading throughout the office.
This allergy season, take time to refine the office and lobby cleaning routines you use year-round. Foster a healthier workplace to protect workers and reduce sick days. Encourage health and cleanliness in the workplace and provide office sanitary supplies.
Ask your personnel to:
- Stay home if they are sick.
- Wash their hands frequently with soap and warm water.
- Use facial tissues when coughing or sneezing.
- Throw tissues away immediately after use.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast.
- Exercise on a regular basis.
Hand soap and water are the simplest and most effective cold and flu fighters. However, 95% of adults do not wash their hands thoroughly enough to remove bacteria and viruses. Encourage thorough handwashing and provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to keep your office clean.
Door and chair mats are another option for making office cleanliness more efficient and effective. They protect office floors from outside dirt, debris, or other office messes and prevent them from embedding into rugs. Additionally, they prevent damage to rugs and floors from office chairs which make scratches or wear down flooring over time.
Pro Tip: If you want a more sanitary office, install paper towel dispensers in your bathroom. Paper towels are up to three times more effective at removing bacteria than hand dryers.
Office Cleaning Supplies and Equipment List
Support your office cleaning staff's efforts with reliable janitorial cleaning supplies and equipment. Your business’ cleaning supply needs will vary depending on your type and size of office, but our list provides examples of all cleaning products and disposables you might need.
- Surface cleaners and all-purpose disinfectants
- Degreasers
- Floor cleaners
- Mold and mildew removers
- Toilet cleaners
- Odor eliminators
- Trash cans
- Trash can liners
- Paper towels
To provide a clean workplace, janitorial and custodial staff will need proper office cleaning equipment such as protective gear and cleaning tools. The necessary equipment includes:
- Mops and buckets
- Brooms and dustpans
- Cleaning carts
- Wet floor signs
- Rubber gloves
- Masks
- Hand soaps
- Glass cleaners
- Microfiber cloths
- Vacuums
- Floor scrubbers and buffers
Pro Tip: Use this list to determine the total amount of cleaning supplies and equipment for all of your office areas. Keep enough stock to thoroughly clean the entire office at least twice before it is time to purchase more.
Office Cleaning Checklist
A frequent, organized cleaning routine is key to creating a pleasant workplace and keeping employees healthy. If you don’t use a commercial cleaning service, find a business cleaning products supplier and consult our workplace cleanliness checklist to start your own cleaning routine.
Start with daily janitorial work, which includes basic cleaning of major office areas and restocking sanitary products.
- Empty trash cans and insert a new can liner.
- Restock toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizers and paper towels.
- Mop or sweep floors in high-traffic areas.
- Disinfect countertops, door knobs, refrigerator handles, telephones and light switches.
- Discard any food remains left by employees that would attract bugs.
- Clean drinking fountains or water coolers.
- Disinfect toilet seats on both sides.
Next, focus on weekly cleaning tasks that involve cleaning all surfaces and removing any food waste or debris.
- Disinfect all flat surfaces.
- Mop and sweep all floors.
- Vacuum floor mats and carpets.
- Dust workspaces.
- Wipe down the inside of the refrigerators and microwaves.
- Discard any leftovers in the refrigerator or ask employees to remove dishes.
- Clean all glass and mirrors.
- Sanitize toilets, urinals, sinks, paper towel dispensers and bathroom faucets.
- Buff floors in high-traffic areas.
Move on to monthly cleaning necessities such as disinfecting common spaces and polishing floors.
- Dust all hard surfaces including fans, window ledges, door frames and light fixtures.
- Dust under furniture and vacuum upholstery.
- Disinfect trash receptacles.
- Wipe down all surfaces, including desks, filing cabinets, window frames and plastic chairs.
- Thoroughly sanitize bathroom floors, sinks, soap dispensers, door handles and toilets and urinals.
- Steam clean and polish floors.
In addition to regular cleaning procedures, encourage employees to maintain their work areas such as desks, cubicles and shared worktables. Recommend they clean their computer screens and dust keyboards once a week. If possible, trash cans and recycle bins should be emptied into larger receptacles outside the main office area.
Disinfecting wipes in shared office spaces can further incentivize employees to tidy up surfaces that people often touch. These include phones, lamps, copiers and staplers.
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