Offices, workplaces, and commercial areas often experience high amounts of foot traffic daily, which makes these areas more prone to gathering dirt and germs compared to a privately-owned space. The more people that come in and out of your workplace, the higher the chances of tracking in dust, germs, and viruses.
Cleaning commercial spaces may sometimes seem repetitive, as you would need to clean each area daily. However, ensuring that offices and other commercial areas are well sanitized is a step into a healthier work environment. Cleaning gets rid of the allergens within the space, and kills off any harmful microorganisms that could potentially make people sick.
The communal spaces in your office collect even more dirt, as people congregate in these areas to eat, chat, and socialize. These areas are high-priority on your list of cleaning tasks, and these 6 tips will ensure your communal spaces are germ-free, spotless, and pristine!
1. Hire a Cleaning Crew
Coworkers trashing the communal office pantry after lunch? Hire professional office cleaners to handle all the cleaning and disinfection that is needed to be done around the office. Many cleaning companies offer services like office pantry cleaning, and general office cleaning.
Professional cleaning services typically employ experienced cleaners, whom they train to tackle the maintenance and upkeep tasks around the office. A reputable cleaning company should be able to provide your office with a cleaning crew that would focus solely on keeping the office spotless and pristine, so you can focus on your own work tasks for the day!
Besides office cleaning, there are also professional organizers who help restructure your office to reach peak and optimal productivity. These professionals will consult with you on the proper office arrangement, and on the proper way of organizing your files on record.
2. Power Wash the Exterior and the Driveways
Use a power washer to quickly and easily remove the grime on the building exterior, as well as the driveways and parking lots. These outdoor areas are exposed to the elements: sun, rain, and pollen, which makes them prime areas for microbial growth, mold, and trapped dirt. Scrubbing down an entire building would take too much time. Use a power washer instead!
A power washer may come with or without a soap solution, and would knock the dirt right off of outdoor surfaces. Avoid hitting windows to prevent shattering the glass, and schedule a power washing on days when there’s not a lot of people in the office. Alternatively, you can hire a professional to power wash your office building, driveway, and parking lot just as well.
3. Create Your Own Sanitizing Room Fragrance
Those room fragrances may smell nice, but they don’t exactly clean well. Some air fresheners may also contain harmful chemicals that may pose health risks to you and your coworkers when inhaled, so it is better to stick to organic, natural ingredients!
Creating your own sanitizing fragrance spray is not only easy and inexpensive, you’ll also get to know exactly what is in the air freshener. Mix together two cups of 70% rubbing alcohol, one cup of water, 30-40 drops of your favorite essential oils, lemon peels, orange peels, and 2-3 drops of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle. Voila – you’ve made your own scented sanitizer!
4. Place a Separate Table for Deliveries
Your lobby is that one communal space that sees the most people each day as coworkers clock in and out through the lobby, visitors enter through the lobby, and deliveries are dropped off through the lobby as well. When everyone has had their lunch orders delivered, it takes some time before coworkers can drop what they do to pick up their orders, which crowds the lobby.
Instead of leaving everything at the reception, install a large-enough table for delivery men to drop off orders. This moves the clutter away from the face of your office, to a side table that makes it convenient for coworkers to find their items as well.
5. Practice CLAYGo
Yes, CLAYGo. That playground rule that was enforced in nearly every school area is, in reality, a good principle to follow throughout your life. It is just simple manners – you Clean As You Go. Instill this principle in the office, and ensure coworkers are cleaning up after themselves with reminders and posters. This way, we all do our part in keeping our communal areas clean!
6. Wipe Down Surfaces Before and After Using
As part of cleaning up after yourself, consider bringing a cloth and a cleaner with you as you enter communal areas. Wipe down the surface you are using before you use it to disinfect the spot, and give the surface another wipe down after using to clean it for the next person.
This is especially important for pantries, break rooms, and conference tables where you would prefer a nice, clean place to conduct your personal and professional business. Don’t be that coworker that leaves sticky surfaces on tables and chairs! Wipe surfaces clean before and after eating, drinking, or conducting meetings.
