This is a question that our team gets asked all the time. But, although it might sound like a pretty straightforward question, in reality, the answer varies considerably from office to office.
How often your office will need to be cleaned depends on its layout, the number of occupants, and the nature of your business. So, although they might share some key cleaning needs, every office is different.
But, to give you a general sense of the daily cleaning tasks that you will need to complete, and what your weekly cleaning schedule should include, keep reading.
Below, our professional cleaning team have shared their guidance for office cleaning schedules, and their top tips for maintaining high hygiene standards in your working environment.
Regular cleaning needs – daily cleaning tasks
Daily cleaning is key to maintaining the appearance of your office, keeping employee morale high and ensuring hygiene standards are as high as possible.
So, your daily cleaning schedule should include:
- Dusting all surfaces
- Vacuuming carpets
- Mopping hard floors
- Disinfecting all bathrooms
- Disinfecting other key areas – if left uncleaned, the dirtiest places in the office can quickly become a major issue
- Clearing up any pots, mugs or food stuffs in kitchen areas
- Wiping down desks and electronic equipment
You can work with your professional cleaning company to arrange the best time for these daily cleans to take place. You could also choose for these cleans to take place out of office hours, to ensure minimal disruption during the working day.
Less-regular cleaning tasks
Daily cleaning tasks are designed to address any issues that can build up quickly, keep the office visually clean, and ensure high hygiene standards.
But, beyond that, the less-regular tasks cover issues that build up over time and (unless they are allowed to escalate) are low-level hazards.
Your long-term cleaning schedule (depending on the size of your workforce and how busy your office is) should include:
- A comprehensive deep clean (either once a quarter or once every six months)
- Cleaning windows (once a month)
- Deep cleaning and shampooing carpets (once every six months)
- Cleaning HVAC ducts and vents (once a quarter)
- Cleaning light fixtures (once a month)
- Cleaning appliances, including fridges and microwaves (once a month)
- Removing cobwebs from walls and ceilings (once a month)
- Deep cleaning of electronic equipment and keyboards (once a month)
- Tidying cupboards and storage areas (once a quarter)
- Exterior maintenance, including any grass spaces (once a quarter)
What are the benefits of regularly cleaning an office?
Regularly cleaning your office unlocks numerous benefits, spanning everything from keeping employee morale high to ensuring strong first impressions from visitors, customers and new starters.
Some of the key benefits of regular office cleaning include:
- Keeping your staff happy and motivated
- Maintaining high productivity
- Preventing the spread of colds, flu and other germs commonly found in offices, thereby keeping sick days to the minimum
- Ensuring good first impressions from site visitors
- Demonstrating to your staff that you care about them and their wellbeing
- Presenting a strong, professional impression of your business
- Addressing many key risks (including those caused by hygiene issues, trip hazards or low indoor air quality)
- Extending the lifespan of your equipment and furniture
- Reducing the risk of pest infestations
- Ensuring complete regulatory and standards compliance
To find out more about the benefits of regularly cleaning your office, you can read our dedicated benefits of a tidy office blog here.
The nature of your business – understanding how often to clean
In some cases, the nature of your business and the industry that you are in will create additional cleaning requirements.
Some offices will require specialist cleaning requirements, as a result of the nature of their industry, and the additional risks, hazards or waste that this creates.
One key example is offices that are located on medical premises (such as a GP surgery, or a dentist). Firstly, these will be subject to much stricter hygiene needs. Secondly, these offices may also be required to store some medical waste. When disposed of, this will require additional protocols and safety procedures.
Similarly, factories and warehouses will also require a more detailed daily cleaning plan. This will need to accommodate the cleaning needs and safety requirements for heavy machinery, and potentially include extra requirements for the safe management and cleaning of oil or other material waste.
Also, if your office has a lot of computers or other electronic equipment, then daily cleaning is particularly important. This is because dust can quickly build up and block ventilation components. If left unaddressed, this can cause the equipment to malfunction. Plus, this electronic equipment is often one of the most unhygienic parts of an office. So, it is vital that it is cleaned and disinfected regularly.
JMS Cleaning Services – professional office cleaning
At JMS Cleaning Services, our expert cleaning team have had experience working with a huge range of offices, including offices of all sizes and industries. Plus, our services are designed to be flexible, and can be tailored to create a best fit solution for each office and its specific requirements.
So, regardless of your office’s cleaning requirements, our skilled and experienced team are on hand to create a tailored, regular cleaning schedule that suits you.
We service offices across Lancashire, Cheshire and the greater Manchester area.
So, if you’d like to find out more about any of our office cleaning services, our team is on hand to help.